oakbri Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I know there has been several posts about these creatures in the past but couldn't find what I was looking for so I thought I better ask.For several years I have noticed the odd bad smell in some of our out-buildings. I guessed something was bringing back corpses to eat but it didn't bother me. However this winter my little friend has decided to move in upstairs to an area I am currently renovating. The midnight dancing with clogs on is annoying but the other night we had an unexplained bad smell in one of our rooms. I had a good look round upstairs, not much to see but found a few empty hens eggshells.So I have decided to evict our non-rent payer. As I understand they are a protected animal, however I mean him no harm, I just don't want to cohabit with him.I looked on ebay for a trap. On the French ebay someone is selling one for 140 euros (dream on) on the UK ebay there are many for sale between the 15 to 25 pound mark, however I think postage would again make them expensive.Does anyone know any shops where they can be bought at a normal price. I want to try to cage him and release him in a forest a few km from my house. If anyone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
val douest Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 Fouines are very, very hard to trap. Our family of fouines (behind the plasterboard in our bedroom) moved on very quickly when we pushed old-fashioned mothballs into the area. These mothballs are hard to come by now (they contain naptholene, restricted in the EU) but you can still get them via e-bay. Many people swear by them - for more details try a search on this forum using 'mothballs' as the key word. The smell of the mothballs is awful, but not as bad as the fouines - if you can distribute them in an area you are renovating rather than living in it should be bearable.Good luck!Val Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolski Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 So empathise with your problem, we have had a fouine in our loft for the first time this year throwing wild and noisy parties at 3am in the morning!!! We used mothballs (but as the previous posting said they are not as strong as the original) but we have also used peppermint oil on pieces of cottonwool stewn around the place...it really does work promise...( we think the combination of both seems to do the trick). You can buy peppermint oil in most pharmacies in France. Let us know how you get on! C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 We too successfully used "boules de naphtalène". We bought them from the "droguerie", where they are kept behind the counter.No problem since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 My local Super U sells the Napthaline moth balls. (They might be regulated by the EU but this is France).Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 We have one in our loft and, in the end, found that the only solution was to buy one of those plug-in mouse repellents (you can often buy them from the Outiror travelling vans, or you can get them in Robert Dyas in the UK), that emits some kind of high-pitched sound that only animals can hear. You will have to run an extension cable into the loft or find some electric source, but we already had a plug in there. We didn't get any more visits after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 [quote user="nectarine"]We have one in our loft and, in the end, found that the only solution was to buy one of those plug-in mouse repellents (you can often buy them from the Outiror travelling vans, or you can get them in Robert Dyas in the UK), that emits some kind of high-pitched sound that only animals can hear. You will have to run an extension cable into the loft or find some electric source, but we already had a plug in there. We didn't get any more visits after that.[/quote]Not recommended if you have your own pets ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakbri Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 Many thanks for the replies. I will try the mothball route. Strangely I was working up there 2 days ago, making lots of noise, after a couple of weeks break over Christmas. Since all the noise we haven't heard him, he probably hates the noise of a hammer drill (as we all do). As I understand he may well come back so I will try to make the place as unattractive as possible for when he gets her with a liberal layer of mothballs.Thanks for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJT Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 [quote user="Clair"][quote user="nectarine"] We have one in our loft and, in the end, found that the only solution was to buy one of those plug-in mouse repellents (you can often buy them from the Outiror travelling vans, or you can get them in Robert Dyas in the UK), that emits some kind of high-pitched sound that only animals can hear. You will have to run an extension cable into the loft or find some electric source, but we already had a plug in there. We didn't get any more visits after that.[/quote]Not recommended if you have your own pets ...[/quote]They are not harmful to dogs or cats. But they do say on the box, do not use if you have rodents for pets such as gerbils, hamsters etc.. They have worked for our mice problem. Before I bought a few of these devices we had a fouine in our loft and I scattered mothballs and it left immediately and has never returned even over two years later. I have never bothered to put anymore up there. The only reason for the sonic device was later having mice on our return after a few months.I bought a battery one on UK ebay to use when not there because we turn the electrics off, but didn't bother this time because the devices got rid of the mice completely in the first place. The battery run one is excellent if you have no electrics in your loft or need one for a garden shed or outbuilding that doesn't have electrics. However, it is not as effective as the ones using electrics that also sends a pulse throughout the house wires in addition to the sonic sound that make them more effective. Does not bother our little dog in the slightest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
val douest Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Just an extra thought - napthalene is quite flammable so don't put the mothballs right next to electric cables or close to where you are using a blowtorch or similar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Others would know the true facts but I am told that fouines are not protected everywhere. I have been told that around me they are not protected - but that was from both a farmer and a hunter who might just be passing their own opinion rather than the true state of protection. They do seem generally regarded as pests.That said, the moth balls or similar techniques is ideal is it does not directly hurt the animals, but just encourages them to "move on".Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakbri Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 Many thanks IanAs I said I don't mean the little guy any harm I just don't want him in my house throwing wild tap dancing parties at all hours of the night and the thought of him filling our loft and walls with dead bodies is making my other half a little nervous. So am going to try to locate some moth balls today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gastines Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 We had the same visitor but managed when he was out, to fix wire netting over all the corners of the roof he was getting it. We watched one night,sitting in the car about 2,00am,while he tried to pull the netting off then tried to lift some galvanised flashing . In the end I had to nail 2 layers of wire netting on 4 corners.No visits this year,yet.!!Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caussenarde Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Deimos,La fouine is not protected anywhere in France and is chassable, by chasseurs.One does not have the right to kill them by poisoning.cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 [quote user="Caussenarde"]Deimos,La fouine is not protected anywhere in France and is chassable, by chasseurs.One does not have the right to kill them by poisoning.cheers[/quote]My local hunt think it is protected in some areas - and get vague when asked in it is protected in my area - and just say "it is a pets" and they "get rid of them".I have the impression that a lot/most/all (no idea which) poisoning has been stopped these days. Certainly 4 years ago they were poisoning Ragondin but not for several years. 3 years ago I was warned they were going to start a poisoning "campaign" against the Ragondin but it never happened and now it is certainly banned round here (as the hunters have no qualms about poisoning them).Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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