Bl**dy Mice

[stuart little]

A house near me had a serious fire in the roof space caused by (as reported) squirrels chewing cables.

 

[Fergie 307]

Our washing machine packed up owing to a mouse having chewed the cables. Had made himself a nice little nest by shredding the wiring diagram or similar that had been taped in a clear plastic sleeve inside the back of the case.

 

[Devmeister]

So I tried to explain to my bimbo grirlfriend that I didn’t take her ear rings. I did tell her that they look like fishing lures for a catfish but I didn’t take them!

I told her that we have a pack rat. She said the only pack rat is the one in front of me. That pack rats don’t exist.

two weeks later I had caught the thing in a squirrel trap in the kitchen. He kept dragging half eaten rolls under the dishwasher and moving silverware.

The thing is actually called a wood rat and they like shiny things. They stink to high heaven and their urine smells almost as bad as a shunk.

so I took my dads 22 rifle and dispatched the thing. She wanted me to drive half way across town and let it go. Well that’s not going to happen.

 

[Devmeister]

Bills dog comes yelping in from his garage. That’s when bill and his wife got the wonderful aroma of shunk!

bills wife tells bill to deal with the schunk. He grabs his AR15 rifle with a bump stock.

bill pulls the trigger in the garage. Before you could say Shazam he had fired five rounds into the thing.

the last thing it did was let loose. After two days with the doors open, the place still smelled so bad that it burned your nose and made your eyes water

 

[Oakay]

Ours brought two mice into the house today, the record was set by our oldest whom once brought in 10 field voles in one day.

I think this thread is about keeping vermin out of the house, not bringing them in, dead or alive. Field voles are probably not the cause of the problems. From what I have read so far, the peppermint oil suggestion sounds best.

 

[Oakay]

Many years ago, the surface planer where I worked on a farm location wouldn't turn on one morning. Further inspection found a mouse with an incinerated head by a gnawed cable. Ever since then I have had a strict regime to keep all food and drink shut away in cupboards and maintain cleanliness where food is concerned. We do not get a problem any more with vermin or wasps or flies. I wonder if food and warmth encourages them in, then they get distracted by cables? Some types of plastics can emit a very strong stink when it gets old. I have old marples split proof chisels and they started to reak like sewerage. I thought it could be a reaction with the sweat of my hands, but it is not. I varnished the handles and it improved the situation for a few years. Maybe old insulation cable smells too, but as I remember those planer electrics the mouse gnawed were not particularly old.

 

[Oakay]

So I tried to explain to my bimbo grirlfriend that I didn’t take her ear rings. I did tell her that they look like fishing lures for a catfish but I didn’t take them!

I told her that we have a pack rat. She said the only pack rat is the one in front of me. That pack rats don’t exist.

two weeks later I had caught the thing in a squirrel trap in the kitchen. He kept dragging half eaten rolls under the dishwasher and moving silverware.

The thing is actually called a wood rat and they like shiny things. They stink to high heaven and their urine smells almost as bad as a shunk.

so I took my dads 22 rifle and dispatched the thing. She wanted me to drive half way across town and let it go. Well that’s not going to happen.

Doesn't need a gun. If you get it in a bag you can drown it.

 

[JimB]

Some types of plastics can emit a very strong stink when it gets old. I have old marples split proof chisels and they started to reak like sewerage. I thought it could be a reaction with the sweat of my hands, but it is not. I varnished the handles and it improved the situation for a few years. Maybe old insulation cable smells too, but as I remember those planer electrics the mouse gnawed were not particularly old.

I spent quite a time trying to trace a 'leak' in our sewerage. The stink was intermittent and finally I realised it was from the ceiling light flex. but only when the light was on. Easily fixed then.
Some plastics do disintegrate and stink. It's common in some hard plastic dolls of a certain age. They smell vinegary and bits fall off. I gather the only cure is to get rid of them.

 

[graduate_owner]

There are several types of trap now available. Might be a bit of an expense to start with but a good investment I think. Also a trail ca,era is useful - tells you what is going on overnight in suspect locations, how many critturs etc.

K

 

[Oakay]

I spent quite a time trying to trace a 'leak' in our sewerage. The stink was intermittent and finally I realised it was from the ceiling light flex. but only when the light was on. Easily fixed then.
Some plastics do disintegrate and stink. It's common in some hard plastic dolls of a certain age. They smell vinegary and bits fall off. I gather the only cure is to get rid of them.

We have a south facing conservatory which gets severe extremes of temperature. Every few years we have to replace the wall mounted fan which always disintegrates due to the type of plastic they are made from (have not noticed a smell by the way) (My old marples chisel handles smell but do not disintegrate and are not in the conservatory) But we have had an LCD television in the conservatory for many years too and all the plastic in that seems strong and no problems with it, quite impressive actually.
The stinking plastic handles topic has been on here before. Plastic handles smell of vinegar!!Any Chemistry experts?

 

[Stan]

Ours brought two mice into the house today, the record was set by our oldest whom once brought in 10 field voles in one day.

When your cat brings in a mouse and offers it to you it is not a present, it's a warning!

 

[flying haggis]

One morning my wife found, by stepping on it, half a mouse that our cat had brought in for us. The scream doesnt half wake you up.......

 

[johnny]

Doesn't need a gun. If you get it in a bag you can drown it.

if you can get it into a bag why not dispatch it humanely instead of drowning it ? ................are you someone who takes pleasure in causing unnecessary stress to animals.

 

[johnny]

One morning my wife found, by stepping on it, half a mouse that our cat had brought in for us. The scream doesnt half wake you up.......

I had an old pair of shoes that I used for surveying work for many years. When they finally became uncomfortable i thought i'd stick some felt liners into them but one of the liners wouldn't go all the way in. When I felt inside the end of the shoe to see what was preventing the liner from fitting ,I found the crushed and very desiccated remains of a mouse that my toes must have been crushing every day for possibly years !............. bloomin cats

 

[Limey Lurker]

These are three Stanley screwdrivers I bought years ago. They were okay for about 50 years, but about 13 years ago started sweating and deforming, and smelling slightly. They're still usable, so I won't make a warranty claim.

 

[IanB]

We had a rat(s) take up residence in our tumble dryer - in the vent area at the bottom, not the actual drum. It took me more than a little while to work out where the awful smell was coming from. It/they got in through ventilation hose - maybe I'm lucky they didn't chew through the plastic hose and run amok more generally. The tumble dryer is a write off though.

 

[clogs]

our French members on this forum will know a Rag-o-dan....
these huge water rats dig in the banks of rivers and lakes....I was mowing by the side of our lake and the ride on took a tip to the water.....the bank had collapsed under the weight....hahaha....
when we get to know their routes thru the hedges.....we sit there at dusk with a 12 gauge and take em out....
PS the french locals will take the bodies away as they make a Pate with em....ehhhhh....no joke....
prob with a side order of slugs n snails....

 

[Crazy Dave]

Peanut butter will attract mice and rats from miles around, what you now do with that information is up to you.
I used to trap them and shoot them but then they learnt how to escape from the trap with the help of another, seriously I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the CCTV, a rat would enter the trap which would shut behind him/her, they would feast on the peanut butter then the other rat would step into the trap so the first one could escape and then swap places and repeat. I have a railway at the rear of my house so I guess they were arriving by train.

 

[SamG340]

I did an insurance job

Shh don't tell anyone

 

[Oakay]

if you can get it into a bag why not dispatch it humanely instead of drowning it ? ................are you someone who takes pleasure in causing unnecessary stress to animals.

No but drowning is a pretty natural way to die and reasonably quick. Could happen to anyone if they got shipwrecked.