Blocking mice?

[MusicMan]

We are getting a lot of mice entering the house at night. I can't find where they get in from outside, but I can find a number of holes round radiator pipes etc in the rooms they enter.

An ideal material to block these randomly-shaped gaps would be something cloth-like that could be stuffed into the holes then would go hard. Anyone come across anything like this, preferably without too much mess?

Keith

 

[NikNak]

Something like this maybe...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DVWHMFB
not quite what you're after but i'm sure it could be 'modified'..?

 

[artie]

Is it even possible to seal a house so tight a mouse can't get in?
I don't think so.

 

[Spectric]

I would suggest getting a cat, cure the problem at source rather than try and block them.

 

[MusicMan]

We did have cats, which is why this is a fairly recent problem. But at our stage of life (80+) we do't want to take on any more pets.

 

[Doug71]

I would suggest getting a cat, cure the problem at source rather than try and block them.

I found the opposite, the only time I got mice in the house was when the cats brought them in!

A year or two ago I panelled out my kitchen, 4' high T&G all the way round on battens, looks great. A few days after I had finished it my 2 cats started just sitting there staring at a certain spot of the panelling, this went on for about 3 days. I had my suspicions what the problem could be so got out the multi master and cut a hole in my nice new panelling and yes a cute little mouse jumped out which the cats promptly disposed of. No idea how it got in there.

 

[marcros]

What about expanding foam? Then trim flush when set.

 

[porker]

On the expanding foam theme. Push in wire wool and expanding foam over that. I know rats don't like chewing the wire wool. Used it to keep glis glis (look them up) out of my house.

 

[Mead Camans]

I think wire wool can be used to plug mouse-sized gaps.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

A hole big enough for a pencil is big enough for a mouse, allegedly. I am overrun with cats, and mice, and sometimes rats. The most effective solution is poison. I would worry that expanding foam would just make a warm, snuggly mouse house - perfect nesting material.

 

[Nick.]

We heard noises in the loft last December and got two humane traps - baited with biscuits / peanut butter - possibly could be worth a go also as well as trying to block holes although I read you can't block every hole?
Caught 5 within 9 days and had none since.
I let one go 30 miles away near where I work and I swear he looked back at me before running off as if to say "where the sodding hell am I?"

 

[marcros]

On the expanding foam theme. Push in wire wool and expanding foam over that. I know rats don't like chewing the wire wool. Used it to keep glis glis (look them up) out of my house.

Couldn't you eat those?

 

[Woody2Shoes]

A hole big enough for a pencil is big enough for a mouse, allegedly. I am overrun with cats, and mice, and sometimes rats. The most effective solution is poison. I would worry that expanding foam would just make a warm, snuggly mouse house - perfect nesting material.

Traps are much better than poison because:
1) you know you've got a result;
2) you're much less likely to kill something else that's beneficial directly or indirectly (owls, pets etc.).

 

[Woody2Shoes]

We are getting a lot of mice entering the house at night. I can't find where they get in from outside, but I can find a number of holes round radiator pipes etc in the rooms they enter.

An ideal material to block these randomly-shaped gaps would be something cloth-like that could be stuffed into the holes then would go hard. Anyone come across anything like this, preferably without too much mess?

Keith

Don't forget that they can get in through some airbricks and can climb vertically up walls and into openings under eaves etc.

 

[Richard_C]

You might be thinking of plaster of Paris bandages, sold under brand names like mod roc. Used by modellers for things like railway landscapes. Would sort out the small gaps but that might not cure the problem.

If you live in the country you might be getting field mice escaping the winter cold. I sometimes get one or two in the garage/workshop but they disappear in spring.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Traps are much better than poison because:
1) you know you've got a result;
2) you're much less likely to kill something else that's beneficial directly or indirectly (owls, pets etc.).

I definitely agree. Unfortunately traps don't last. They also often don't fit into the spaces I have mouse infestations (gap between shed roof and insulation for example). If I wasn't waging a permanent war of attrition then traps would be the way forward - I can recommend the battery powered electrocution things, but every rat you kill dribbles urine into the trap, and eventually it stops working. At £30 each, it soon mounts up.

Poison is agressive, environmentally unfriendly, leaves smelly dead animals in wall spaces and is pretty indiscriminate. It also works, and has the minimum amount of labour input. Wherever you have chickens, you have rats and mice (although chickens like eating mice, which helps).

As a final reason not to use poison, the dye can cause alarming colour changes to pig fat - bright, bright blue. For the non squeamish, here is an example: (warning: dead animal inside view) https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kE8WO6cOuPE/maxresdefault.jpg

After all that, I still use poison because it is the most effective solution to the problem. For me, at least.

 

[MusicMan]

We are using humane traps and catch two or three every night. Probably not taking them far enough away. We do not want to use killer traps or poison.

Thanks for all the suggestions. The wire wool+foam, and plaster bandages/pads look very practical.

Keith

 

[Ttrees]

The raptors love them, had this guy come around a few months ago when they started coming in.
Came back again last week for some discount roast beef that was too far gone for the doggos.

 

[Jonzjob]

Spring trap?



Or, you could take the batterys out if it's a USB mouse?

OK, I'll get my hat

 

[sammy.se]

+1 to wire wool. I'll sometimes cover/mix the wire wool in caulk to stop it coming out.