Matelot Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Hello there,I'm not sure where to post this, so here goes.Can anyone give me their experience with pest control – namely the problem with pesky mice! We are not overrun, but sometimes when our cottage has been closed for a few months, mice have caused some damage to furnishings and it’s not very nice to open up the cottage and discover dead and decomposing mice as a result of the poison we put down doing its deadly work. Has anyone had any success with the plug in electronic ultrasonic rodent deterrents? Although I am slightly wary about leaving devices plugged into the mains for a couple of months at a time, I am willing to give them a go if they work. I have also seen a battery operated ultrasonic rodent scarer, but I do not know if it would be effective or not. Has anyone used one of these with success? Any information or advice on combating these little furry b******* would be very welcome!BTW - I won't have the mouse problem when I eventually retire to France 'cos I'll get myself a big old Tom Cat or a Jack Russell. Or both! I HATE THOSE MEECES TO PIECES!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weedon Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 We bought our place (out in the country) 2 years before we moved out here permanently. We spotted a tip in some magazine about a farmer who placed those wipey things that you put in the washing machine to make the clothes softer, into a vehicle stored in his barn, to keep the mice away. We placed them on all the furniture, around the skirting and everywhere else we thought the little beasties might scuttle. In those 2 years we never had a problem with mice in the house.Might be worth a try as it appeared to work for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 [quote user="Weedon"]those wipey things that you put in the washing machine to make the clothes softer[/quote]I don't understand what these are? Can someone help me out? I need to keep mice out of our UK home when we are not there because they chew the electrical cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I bought one of these about a year ago from Martley:http://www.martleyelectronics.co.uk/rat_mouse_traps.htm#zapperIt stuns the mice and so is supposed to be more humane than poison. It never fails. Once one is caught, it de-activates so you need someone to empty it from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weedon Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 [quote user="Cathy"][quote user="Weedon"] those wipey things that you put in the washing machine to make the clothes softer[/quote]I don't understand what these are? Can someone help me out? I need to keep mice out of our UK home when we are not there because they chew the electrical cables. [/quote]They come in a box with "Soupline" printed on it. I think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geordie girl Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Cathy i`ve PMd you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 [quote user="Cathy"] I bought one of these about a year ago from Martley:http://www.martleyelectronics.co.uk/rat_mouse_traps.htm#zapper [/quote]The same thing can be ordered on line from USA for a third of the Martley price, including shipping to Europe.View: http://www.ratmousezapper.com/Edit. Not quite the same thing as the mouse killer. This is its big brother which is designed for rats and mice. £60 from Martley; about £21 from US site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Before you all rush to order the RatZapper from the US site, be warned that they try to slap on a $20 dollar surcharge for Europe delivery after you have placed the order and they have already taken the quoted $40 dollar inclusive payment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 We bought a four-pack of mouse repellent plugs from Robert Dyas (unfortunately they are 3pin so you need four English-French conversion plugs!) and they did the trick. Our house used to be empty for months at a time and upon our return there were always mouse-droppings around on the floor. I tried poison, which worked, but there are few things worse than finding decomposing mice corpsese! So we put in they plugs - they have to be at floor level and with a good open aspect (sometimes we have had to put them at the end of extension leads so they are facing across the whole of the room) and they work just fine, no signs of mice in those rooms.It used to bother me about having the electricity on while we were away but if you only have the mouse-repellent plugs working then I don't think you get a huge bill, and they seemed fairly safe to me.For rats in the barn - I use a repellent plug but also a lot of 'instant death' rat poison - haven't found any corpses so far so assume that the rats might be deterred by the noise from the plugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINKLE Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Don't know if this has already been mentioned but I can't read all the other posts as I'm afraid of mice! Buy a bag of cotton wool balls and put a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil on each one - then scatter these all over the house. Mice hate the smell.If you have any cotton wool balls left over you can make pretty garlands to decorate the garden when you come over in the summer - oh sorry wrong thread[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 AZ - but the saving still looks good, even with $20 extra. I wish that I had known about the price difference before.Twinkle - thanks for that tip. I have tons of cotton wool balls as my (three) teenage daughters buy them for me as presents, I say 'thank you' and put them into a cupboard where they do not get used. And then, next Christmas, one of them buys me another packet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 [quote user="Cathy"]AZ - but the saving still looks good, even with $20 extra. I wish that I had known about the price difference before.[/quote]Sorry, Cathy. It's galling when people do that.And not sure how Martley get away with advertising it as exclusive to Martley.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 If you do not want to kill the mice, put some food in an empty bath or any big bin (dustbin) so they can climb in but not out (by putting a chair next to the bin). Put one of those cardboard rolls (tube) at the bottom (from an empty kitchen roll). The mice will hide in it when they see you coming ! Then carefully lift the roll with the mice in into a shoe box or similar, put the lid on and take them somewhere far from the house. It works, I've done it loads of times ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINKLE Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 This is what you mean Christine! I just found it - it's brill!http://images.google.fr/imgres?imgurlClair - can you do your linky thing please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 That's very clever, but a little complicated. Why not just put food in the bottom of a deep bucket with something against it so they can climb in, then put something over the top of the bucket and take them away.My original way was because we once found some in the bath who couldn't get out. So I put food in the bath and they kept going in it ! [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEO Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 On Topic and near enough "Burns Night" . Rabbie wrote this , to a mouseWee sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,O, what a panic's in thy breastie!Thou need na start awa sae hasty,Wi bickering brattle!I wad be laith to rin an chase thee,Wi murdering pattle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Good ideas all (I might try the bath trick myself) but trapping or zapping the mice doesn't get round the OP problem of the house being unoccupied for long periods so the mice would suffer a lingering and smelly death.Maybe prevention is best, out with the cotton balls. Now where are those bunnies, and what did I do with my sharp knife? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 You CAN'T do that to bunnies!!!!!!!!! [:'(] Are the "wipey cloth things" fabric conditioner sheets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weedon Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 [quote user="Jo"]You CAN'T do that to bunnies!!!!!!!!! [:'(] Are the "wipey cloth things" fabric conditioner sheets?[/quote]I do believe they are. I only know that they come in a box with "Soupline" printed on it. They are individual cloths in a similar size to lots of other cloths that do other functions.Maybe the mice dislike the smell or perhaps it makes their fur go funny. Anyway it seemed to do the trick for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 That's great - I just imagined the mice rubbing up against the softener sheets and it making their fur go all soft and fluffy like a puff-ball. Maybe that's why they don't like the sheets as it makes them look silly [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 1. At the risk of smelling slightly Victorian place mothballs around and about - they are alleged to keep them away2. The old warfarin type poisons dehydrate and sort of mummify the bodies so no wet patches, smells etc but there are other issues.3. We use cheap and cheerful "wham, bam goodbye mouse" traps but we are on hand to remove carcases.4. Sometimes we just have to accept that other mammals want to share the French dream with us.Johnnot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 [quote user="Iceni"]Sometimes we just have to accept that other mammals want to share the French dream with us.[/quote]I used to agree with that sentiment and so did my mother-my-law, who used to find the house mice (on Christmas Day, she gave them a feast). I used to think that they had a right to be in the house. However, once I discovered that they had chewed through the electrical cables, I had to revise my thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 [quote user="Pierre ZFP"]That's great - I just imagined the mice rubbing up against the softener sheets and it making their fur go all soft and fluffy like a puff-ball. Maybe that's why they don't like the sheets as it makes them look silly [:D][/quote] Oh what a lovely mental image that creates[:D]!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 One of my biggest worries is to come back to our french house to find it over ran with mice. I always make my partner go in first to check the house over. So far we have seen none, although a guest swore he saw one last April but we have seen no evidence of this !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matelot Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 Hello Everyone!Many thanks for all of your replies and ideas. Methinks I shall go for the 'Belt and Braces' approach with Eucalyptus scented cotton wall balls near any mouseholes, crushed moth-balls down the mouseholes, conditioner sheets under the furniture cushions and some of those ultrasonic gizzmos plugged in!It's war! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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