Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: mohs.ayaz on November 17, 2014, 02:19

Title: Mice
Post by: mohs.ayaz on November 17, 2014, 02:19
I have small mice and mayb rats what do i do? Poison them? I cant remove the feed all the times as i get home late most of the week.

Any suggestions?

Mo
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Paul Plots on November 17, 2014, 04:32
Cats and/or dogs can be useful sometimes.

Just a thought.

Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Kevin67 on November 17, 2014, 04:34
I have both live traps and the sort that snap and kill them. I leave them permanently.

Where are the mice? That might help form a solution?
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Paul Plots on November 17, 2014, 04:58
I have both live traps and the sort that snap and kill them. I leave them permanently.

Where are the mice? That might help form a solution?

Sounds a good place to start to me.


I really do rely on the local cats to help me out. I have an outside aviary for budgies and the local cats do a reasonably good job of patrolling and visiting day and night.
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: joyfull on November 17, 2014, 07:16
chickens will eat mice, but rats are a different matter especially if they are fully grown - and if you have baby rats you will have their parents. Get traps that will kill them (you should never let vermin back out into the wild) or buy rat poison. Eradibait is one that is safe for all animals except rodents just in case any birds/dogs etc get the dead rats.
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: mohs.ayaz on November 18, 2014, 03:54
Dont think they r rats. 1 mice i saw coming from otherside of the garden lol. Some i saw in the shed but i've cleaned all the shed out didnt see any apart from the droppins.
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Paul Plots on November 18, 2014, 13:43
Dont think they r rats. 1 mice i saw coming from otherside of the garden lol. Some i saw in the shed but i've cleaned all the shed out didnt see any apart from the droppins.

So what colour would you like? Black or white, ginger or tabby? Honestly they can work wonders.

I have about half-a-dozen (not mine personally you understand and they always scamper when I go out in the garden). They clamber over the back fence and wander in from the neighbourhood through the hedges. One sleeps on top of the compost heap. Useful.

Are you sure you don't want a cat?  ;)

My shed is up off the ground on 12" blocks so the kitties can play underneath but the rodents have nowhere to hide. It helps.
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Kevin67 on November 18, 2014, 14:31
A couple of years ago, my old cat was chasing a baby mouse for the kill.

It ran behind the wheelie-bin which I then moved to allow it a better escape and set the bin down. I was puzzled that my cat immediately lost interest and I couldn't find the said mouse...

until bin-emptying day - and I'd inadvertently squashed it dead under the bin.

I'm going to have pay for that bit of karma some time.
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: 8doubles on November 18, 2014, 19:30
A couple of years ago, my old cat was chasing a baby mouse for the kill.

It ran behind the wheelie-bin which I then moved to allow it a better escape and set the bin down. I was puzzled that my cat immediately lost interest and I couldn't find the said mouse...

until bin-emptying day - and I'd inadvertently squashed it dead under the bin.

I'm going to have pay for that bit of karma some time.

Good intentions and a fast death vs slow death by cat = positive karma ! :)
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Kevin67 on November 18, 2014, 19:44
You're too kind; it may have lived if I hadn't interfered!
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: barley on November 19, 2014, 05:44
try putting some butter on a snapper trap but cover it so the chooks cant get at it with a tile and bricks or something similar

you can buy larger versions of snapper traps for rats
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Kevin67 on November 19, 2014, 08:04
I think one problem is that people don't want to use poison for fear of harming other animal life and don't want to touch the rodent when disposing of its dead body - even the sight of it can be quite a stomach-turner.

I've just giggled this for anyone interested - a no-touch trap: http://bit.ly/1xU9Wwe (http://bit.ly/1xU9Wwe)
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: grinling on November 19, 2014, 13:12
I found mice love living in the straw bale, so not have any at the mo. I also hang my water and food above jumping height.
Food is kept in a metal dustbin.
Cats will bring live mice into the house with major problems.
I use a bucket trap...bucket with ramp, plastic bottle with hole drilled in base and a cane pushed through, glue corn mix to this, have ramp leading to neck of bottle.
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Paul Plots on November 21, 2014, 01:12
A couple of years ago, my old cat was chasing a baby mouse for the kill.

It ran behind the wheelie-bin which I then moved to allow it a better escape and set the bin down. I was puzzled that my cat immediately lost interest and I couldn't find the said mouse...

until bin-emptying day - and I'd inadvertently squashed it dead under the bin.

I'm going to have pay for that bit of karma some time.

A friend of mine once shut one in the door of her dishwasher... clean but snuffed when she discovered it.  ::)
The joys of living in an old flint cottage in the country-side. 
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: birmancats on November 22, 2014, 13:29
I've put a battery operated sonic thing in the coup.  Battery lasts 6 months, looks just like a grey smoke alarm you'd have in the house with a red light that flashes intermittently.  Seems to work a treat.  No problems with any unwanted visitors over the last 4 years.  Do have 2 cats too though although they prefer to sofa to the great outdoors.
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Kevin67 on November 22, 2014, 13:32
Can I get one for unwanted callers? :lol:
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: birmancats on November 22, 2014, 13:35
Good idea.  I'll get another and stick it on the front door  :lol:
Title: Re: Mice
Post by: Paul Plots on November 22, 2014, 20:58
Can I get one for unwanted callers? :lol:

Now that would sell!

I'd like one for small dogs as well as their owners.