How do you stop mice chewing elec. cables?

[citylover]

Not sure if this is the right place to post- I've just had to pay a silly amount to make a cable safe that a mouse decided was dinner. How it did it without killing itself I don't know. Does anyone know of a product you can smear on your cables that repels mice? I don't want to have to go through this expense again! For anyone who has this problem, fixing the cable takes an electrician about 5 min so don't be conned into agreeing a high charge prior to him doing it!

[citylover]

Nobody had this, nobody any idea how to deter? Is the best you can do just to try and trap all the mice then?

Thanking in advance.

[edcam]

Get a cat.

[citylover]

I was hoping for a solution that wouldn't require regular feeding, possible vet's bills and a be barrier to me going on holiday should I be lucky enough to get the chance, but thank you anyway :-) . I suppose I might be able to borrow one.

[Eliza dolittle]

Wrap cables in wire wool or foil they can't eat that

[Phlox]

Yes, they can eat foil.

[Salsaboy]

Take their little teeth out?

[Elphinstone's Army]

Cable covers - Screwfix, The Workplace, B&Q, look online.

Mousebait blocks from AJ Farmers, blue, they cannot resist them.

Why do you have mice?

Borrow a cat for a day, a good mouser will sniff out the entry hole, will sit and miaow.

Keep your kitchen crumb free.

Seal up holes with wire wool.

I don't understand how you want to deter the mice from eating your cables by smearing something,

yet seem to be able to tolerate them as long as they behave themselves.

We had a cable eating problem with the rabbit??!! and hoisted them up into a waste bin, the cables, not the rabbit,

and invested in cable covers.

Then eventually kept the crazy bunny outside.

Which is possibly what you should be doing with the mice.

[Jeremy]

As EA says, the key is to keep mice away. A combination of poison, blocking all gaps, putting food in sealed containers and keeping the kitchen clean. There are people who can look after points 1 & 2 for you...

[citylover]

I have done all the usual things for getting rid of/ deterring nice. Blocking every hole is impossible in an old house and though not inundated we have a couple of persistent visitors who have turned up their noses at every food we've tried to bait them with, finding their favourite is an ongoing experiment. We live next to a big patch of green so there's more wildlife around, additionally, downstairs seems to be not bothered and if they don't do their bit it's difficult to prevent the mice making the final part of their trip to us. So, re my tolerance, at the end of the day I'm not going to get disproportionately upset about the odd visit during the cold months but when they start eating cables that's my tolerance limit gone.

Thanks very much for the advice, I will look for cable covers, I haven't heard of them before and someone very kindly told me they hate mint so I'm buying that also.

Also- don't anyone wrap wire wool etc around a cable because if the mouse chews the cable you could have a fire on your hands, electrocute yourself etc when you touch it. How do I know? Don't even ask.

[Fizzy]

I agree it is difficult to prevent this problem especially in an older property. Only last week we had our whole household electrics trip and narrowed it down to the cooker circuit. When the Engineer took off the back lo and behold two dead mice in the cavity of the cooker! He left the house so fast he forgot his tool bag. In addition it voided our insurance owing to what they term as 'rodent infestation' in the smallprint. We are using cotton wool balls soaked in concentrated mint oil behind the cooker as research seems to indicate this as an effective deterrent. Good luck and my sympathies.

[citylover]

Thanks Fizzy, I'm glad I'm not the only one. I hope the mint does the trick for both of us :)

[am.ms]

Why not getting rid of the rodents in the first place? Get an exterminator, pest-proof the property and no cable "isolation" will be needed