Help Please-Mice

[JellyBelly]

My guinea pig room has mice. I may have posted it here before but i cant remember.

I really don't know what to do, i have put down snap traps (i know most people don't agree with them, i dont want to be preached at please) and they havent worked.

All food is kept in sealed containers, as is the hay. They obviously just eat straight out of the piggies bowl.

Can i take their food away at night and put it back in the morning?

Sorry if this doesnt make sense but I'm really not well today as i have a stomach upset....8...

 

[Sarah from Chucklebunnies]

Hungry mice will be active at any time of the day, not just at night. Short of standing over their food bowl there's not a lot you could do. Try feeding small amounts, so that they are eaten fully straight away by the piggies and not left behind in the bowl, a few times a day instead of all their food at once.

The piggies will not be bothered by the mice, they can even see mice as small piggies, babies in effect, as we had one mouse (a pet) hide under a piggie whilst out on the table running around (the piggie in question lifted her tummy to allow the mouse under and then settled down over it to protect it).

To get rid of mice, use the food that they like to eat with poison in it - and I know this seems harsh but at least the mice die happy with a full tummy - and place it where they come in and out of the shed. Don't let the poisoned food anywhere near the piggies of course!

To discourage mice, move everything off the floor and make it as hard as possible to get too. They are excellent climbers, bear this in mind. Feed them outside, further down the garden away from the piggie shed. This will change their habits - although it will encourage them to breed more - and they will be a lot less likely to go into the shed for hard to reach food if there's easy to get stuff outside.

Hope this helps, personally I don't mind the presence of mice in the garden, they eat the birdfood that falls from our feeder and don't try to get into the house as they're full. But I think mouse wee is not very nice for the piggies, as well as being unpleasant in smell, so best of luck in discouraging/getting rid of your mice. Sarah x

 

[JellyBelly]

Thanks, some excellent advice...except they are in my house!

The piggies have one of the 3 bedrooms as their own. I am going to blitz the room and try and remove as much clutter as possible so theres less hiding places etc.

I'm worried that if i poison them they will die under the flooroards and start smelling. Eeek!

 

[Niki]

You have my sympathies, i had mice in the shed earlier this year. I only got rid of them by moving my piggies indoors & setting traps in their hutches. Not much help to you as your piggies are already indoors

I don't think they can pass on diseases but with they will no doubt be peeing/pooping on your piggies food

 

[pelicano]

Years ago I lived in a house with mice, and the landlady called the council in to put bait boxes down. It was awful hearing rustling etc as they ate the bait (especially as I love mice!), but we'd caught none with our humane traps (plus there were loads of them). Anyway, we never found a body, and they must have all gone under the floorboards to die. There was never any smell either.

 

[slackalice2k]

I was once told that it's not always the food that they're wanting, it's water, especially in the summer. Although I think the food would be a big bonus to any mice that happened to pass by.

I've always got a problem with mice so put down agricultural strength poison, if you know any farmers they'll be able to get some for you. You could always catch them in the humane traps and relocate them if you don't like the idea of actually ending their lives.

I saw all sorts of stuff for disposal of pests at my local homebase last week, and they had some of the catch traps but I didn't see how much they were.

It might also be an idea to check for where they first got in so you can solve it before it happens next time. If they've got in once they will again. If you get farm bought hay it might be worth checking it too!

Mice don't bother me at all, and I would quite happily let them live, but my OH is terrified of them (he's a bit of a wus) and has threatened no pigs if I don't make a conscious effort to get rid of them.