A little brown mouse

[Monkey]

We’ve just come back from holiday and were woken up by a little brown mouse who’s made itself at home and is pretty noisily rummaging around.

Our old cat died in November and we’re getting a 7-month-old kitten today. Not sure if a kitten will keep a mouse at bay. Does anyone know?

Also, are there pest control firms that are safe around cats, please?

Or does anyone have any other tips to get rid of this rather cute but unwelcome guest?

Thank you!

[Bunty comic]

I think the scent from a cat keeps mice from making themselves at home. If your little mouse spots your kitten who will try to play with it I think the mouse will go.

[Penguin68]

Or does anyone have any other tips to get rid of this rather cute but unwelcome guest?

Traps

[hpsaucey]

HUMANE traps.

HP

[Guest]

Try Pestgone, a local company who I have used in the past, did a great job for me.

[alice]

Use your mobile on video overnight to find entry point. Then block it.

[malumbu]

Humane traps. Used them for years on and off. Release them a couple of miles away. Please don't use other means, leave pest control for the squirrels

[Sue]

Humane traps. Used them for years on and off. Release them a couple of miles away. Please don't use other means, leave pest control for the squirrels

 

Years ago I caught a mouse in a humane trap and released it in a field.

The poor little thing was so frightened it didn't want to come out of the trap.

My brother once set humane traps but then forgot to check them.

He found a mummified (?) mouse in one, months later 😭

[Monkey]

Thank you for all the tips. I’ve set humane traps before but didn’t work. I’ll try again! Doesn’t help that the new kitten keeps playing with them…

[first mate]

I'm not sure about 'humane' traps. Taking a highly social creature a huge distance from familiar territory and releasing it to certain death in other ways is probably no kinder in reality.

[Guest]

Thank you for all the tips. I’ve set humane traps before but didn’t work. I’ll try again! Doesn’t help that the new kitten keeps playing with them…

 

House mice are usually grey. If you only have one and it's brown it could be a field mouse that's got in by accident? I would catch it and release it in the garden.

[Penguin68]

If you only have one and it's brown it could be a field mouse that's got in by accident? I would catch it and release it in the garden.

Field (or possibly more likely in suburbia, wood-mice) come inside during bad weather, particularly the cold. Their entry into the house is most likely solitary - though they may be a pregnant female. They can be released if caught in the house back into the garden, although they will try to get back into the house again if the weather stays cold, or becomes cold again. Releasing them a long way away is likely quite cruel (as is them being in a 'humane' trap for any period). Old fashioned mouse traps kill very quickly (the mouse normally dies of shock if it's neck isn't broken) and are, in many ways, a more humane way to dispose of them. Cats can kill mice (when they do) over quite an extended period - they like to 'play' with them not hungry. Again, not humane. A resident cat can discourage the entry of mice, but they're not humane if meeting a mouse in the house.

[first mate]

The speed of spring traps, if they work correctly, echoes what I was told by a rodent expert. If the back or neck is broken it is likely a fast death.

If brown mice, creating a protected outdoor shelter in the garden, stuffed with wood shavings or similar, might be an option.

[Monkey]

Here’s a photo of the intruder. Looks grey on photo but definitely brown in real life.

I don’t want to do anything that hurts it but was hoping a pest control company might help me identify entry points and seal them.

[Penguin68]

Looks like a wood mouse, but house mice are not always uniformly grey. If you can get it back in the garden it might be happy, but make sure entry options are properly blocked. Air bricks in particular, if damaged, are entry sites.

[first mate]

If a brown or Field mouse, back legs will be much longer than front legs and it will likely have whiter fur on belly.

[first mate]

FWIW, I think yours looks more like a Field mouse, but am no expert.

[heartblock]

House mouse - very small, horrible smell, Wood (Field) mouse, bigger ears, no horrible smell. We had a house mouse, caught in a humane trap last night ... released it far away. I felt like killing it after it tried to make the trap into a nice new home by dragging the chewed of corner of my luxury merino and cashmere throw into it. Ggrrrrrhhh

[WomblingFree]

Might be worth taking a look at the air bricks on your property if you haven’t already done so. A local handyman replaced the rusty metal ones on my flat and the “visitors” stopped overnight. Can’t guarantee that’s the problem but possibly an easy win if it is.

[malumbu]

Professional advice on humane trapping and releasing

https://www.clearfirstpestcontrol.co.uk/news/how-to-humanely-capture-mice-and-rats/

"You should release it away from your home, but in a safe environment. Try to find a wooded area at least a mile away from your property and release it with a bit of food. That way you can be sure you’ve dealt with your pest in the most humane way possible."

Peta's advice on living in harmony with mice and rats (US site)

https://www.peta.org/issues/wildlife/living-harmony-wildlife/house-mice/

Captured mice and rats can be kept calm by placing a towel over the trap. Release them within 100 yards of where they were trapped. (Rodents can also be humanely euthanized by a veterinarian or at a local animal shelter.) Releasing a mouse or rat into a strange area will almost surely result in the animal’s death because relocated animals don’t know where to find adequate food, water, or shelter and often become weak and succumb to predation or foreign parasites or disease against which they lack a natural immunity.

I like the bit of euthanising! I've had to do that to a grey squirrel... It's the Ramones method unless you own a shotgun.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

For most people in East Dulwich, releasing it 100 yards away just means flicking the problem onto your neighbours!

Southwark pest control team is cheap, affordable and serves all residents (not just council tenants).

https://www.southwark.gov.uk/pest-control

[Sue]

If brown mice, creating a protected outdoor shelter in the garden, stuffed with wood shavings or similar, might be an option.

 

❤️❤️❤️

In the past, I've only had mice come into the house (to the best of my knowledge) when I've left food out.

I can see they might want to come in out of the cold, but surely they will need to eat?

[Growlybear]

After my very elderly cat died just over a year ago, we were invaded by mice. I tried every type of humane trap and didn’t catch a single one. We got a new kitten at the end of January and by late March he had caught seven mice - several of them were when he was just three months old. We’ve not seen any mice indoors since then. I’m sure your kitten will soon get rid of them!

[Dez]

A few squirts of neat peppermint oil around likely entry points I’ve found effective and does deter them. I use a 10ml syringe to treat various locations under floor, entry heating pipes and anywhere you see evidence.