Mortified!

[PeckhamRose]

It's looking gooooood. This morning looked out to just the one plant (that I had deliberately not covered in the slate chippings, so as to act as a test subject) having been done over by those pesky squirrels. Just the one! This is great. You have no idea. I have now removed that plant inside and shall see what they do next. It's fabulous. No, really.

[MadWorld74]

I'm glad for you. I am an expert in Squirrel behaivour!

[PeckhamRose]

SEVEN DAYS LATER and I have an announcement to make.

MadWorld74 you are (as they say in USA) a rawk starrrrr!

After 20 years of this nonsense, SLATE CHIPPINGS is the answer.

So far not one squirrel has managed to dig up the plants.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

(But watch this space, just in case they get their mates round and work collectively to lift them!)

[malleymoo]

Got to say I was always a very smug cat owner who believed she would never have mouse/rat problems. My bubble has been burst as my cat has now decided that bringing in mice is a way of showing her love for me. I was unimpressed by the dead ones but realised the situation was out of control when she dropped a live mouse in my bed whilst i was sleeping. Didnt really sleep well for a while after that and now have to ensure i lock the catflap at night.

[MadWorld74]

Peckham Rose it's not a problem! and malleymoo Jesus that's horrid!

[CamberwellOz]

I've just killed five mice in four days with a spring loaded trap.

That was after they climbed into my (what I thought was locked) bread bin and ate two loaves of bread. And I still saw droppings on my bench this morning. So I make that a running total of

Me - 5

Mice - 3

I must try harder.

[MadWorld74]

Don't know what to say. Block all holes up and give the place a thorough cleaning. 5 mice in 4 days is rather alot...::o

[SeanMacGabhann]

blocking all holes is easier said than done - nigh on impossible I would have thought. Given that they can get through the tiniest of holes.

When I lived in East London it was the worst - spotless flat and as much wire wool as I could throw at the holes. Ultimately tho, it came down to killing the resident mice - so that initial cull was along the lines of 1 a day for a week - after that it was pretty much ok. Occassionally some new mice heard of the old runs and give it a go and the latent traps become active again.. the new waves don't last long

The current weather is also driving many of them indoors

[Asset]

urgh, can't you try a humane trap? Then you can release them in the park. Snapped spines and slow, lingering deaths can't be good for the Feng Shui.

(I'm such a softie)

[SeanMacGabhann]

Might not be good for Feng Shui - or more likely karma - but if everyone catches mice and releases them into the park humanely where the bleedin' 'ell do you think this is all going to end - eh????

[Asset]

they can stay in the park, a few painful deaths isn't going to make much of a dent in the mice population either

[SeanMacGabhann]

so only CamberwellOz and a few others have a mice problem? ooohkayyyyyyy ;-)

[PeckhamRose]

MadWorld74 Madworld74 Madworld74 STILL no more squirrels!

Evidence of their attempts to lift slate chippings, but they are not strong enough and they are not clever enough to get together with their mates to lift them. My plants are thriving and having just celebrated my 25th annversary of living in my flat, I just wish I had come across the slate-chippings solution twenty four years ago!

LOVE this site!

On another point MrRose says when he was a kid his Dad bought him an airgun and they lived in the country and they were paid for the tails of squirrels they shot, by the pest control officer. How times have changed!

[CamberwellOz]

I've been in the lounge room and heard the trap. I can assure you that they have stopped kicking in 20 seconds.

One for every day of the week. Maybe I could be Snow White?

[Keef]

We've had mice issues, but in our building of 14 flats, it's impossible to get rid, as they just go to another flat for a while, then come back. We've tried humane traps but they haven't caught anything, and they seem to get immune to the sonic sound things after a while. Basically we're just being careful not to leave crumbs around and they do seem to get bored.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Still laugh at my best M8's reaction 30 years ago in my Council Block.I swear he did not see me at the top of the stairs and as he was walking up the stairs below me a rat was going down the steps.He casually said "Good Evening!" with a cheery smile,and just carried on walking..lol

[MadWorld74]

if he had doffed his cap TLS that would have been even funnier!!! lol!