We visited an apartment in Greenwich recently that had reported seeing a mouse.  House mice live in nests that they build out of cloth, wool and paper.   During colder months nests are often built inside houses, in places such as roof spaces, under floors or in wall cavities, and wherever there is access to a good source of food.

So after looking in all the usual places we found ourselves scratching our heads – the premise was baited out but we kept coming back to more and more droppings.

 

Hmmmmm!!???

 

If there are still loads of droppings they must be getting a food source from somewhere!

Mice are erratic, sporadic feeders, nibbling at many sources of food rather than taking repeated meals from any one item. They do not need free water to drink as they normally obtain sufficient moisture from their food. Their favourite foods are cereal products, although they will eat almost anything.

So cereal products, biscuits, crisps plus children – all food that they may eat, sat on a sofa, at some point during the day!  BINGO!!

So upon asking permission from the homeowner – always make sure you ask permission folks! – we took a knife to the bottom of the sofa and sure enough as quick as a flash Mr Mouse ran out.

 

Trap set!  Job DONE!

 

How to prevent house mice

  • Eliminate any harbourage points such as sealing gaps around pipes and under sheds; Mice only need a gap of 5mm to gain entry, but normally they are 20-30mm in diameter.
  • Remove potential nesting sites by keeping yards and gardens clean and tidy, by cutting back overgrown areas and clearing any piles of wood/debris.
  • Cover any household waste where House Mice can get access to it, close dustbin lids and cover compost heaps.

 

For more information regarding mice or any other pests click here