So - just about to take the van out for a run today and noticed what looked like insulation lying underneath. Closer inspection revealed mouse droppings through the lower parts of the van, chewed up insulation from the engine inspection hatch, blankets eaten through and so on. We've cleared everything out of the van that we can and washed it thoroughly - but trying to work out what to do next. We already have traps down in the garage but they obviously haven't stopped this activity! Anyone had a similar experience and if so any particular advice you would offer??
Thanks for that ... however, not sure that's an immediate solution! I would have put some pictures up but for some reason I can't get the 'upload file' action to work...
I had mice in my garage during the winter months a couple of years ago - I used mouse traps baited with chocolate (KitKat) - I caught 34 over two weeks. Not very nice but they had eaten the foam out of the seats in my MG and also destroyed my teddy bear mascot - so it was war. Mrs Cunny used a humane trap in her greenhouse - but she was upset when she caught one and forget to check it for 2 days . I have also used a live trap for rats - we caught one and released it 3 miles away near a chicken farm!
Thanks - I have to say I'm thinking of poison at the moment as I don't think I can afford for them to do any more damage - and I don't know how many there are!
Peppermint oil on cotton pads round the van should get them out of there, then encourage a cat to wee in the garage...
They will crawl off to die and stink. Possibly in your van. Humane traps with peanut butter or chocolate. You can get a large humane trap that can hold 10 mice ish. You can leave a bottle cap of water in it and then the mice shouldn't die if you forget to check the trap as soon as you should. Fully disclosure I'm a vegetarian and animal lover. I've been feeding a field mouse in my garden only this morning. I've had normal mice in the house, but never in the garage or camper. I never leave any food in the camper. Peppermint oil should put them off as well
I hope they havent started gnawing.... the garage I work at had a car come in with warning lights on, mice had chewed through cabling and we had to replace the loom - circa £2k..... ouch.
I'd contact the local council and ask the pest control guys to come visit, or go private and bring one in. I'm not an expert, but we have rats and mice in the new place so have done a fair bit of research (thankfully they are in the garden, not the house). There is no such thing as a humane way of getting rid of them (other than to secure all entry point to the garage itself - which has been my approach). Catch and release (assuming you check the live traps) is usually a guarantee of death as they don't cope well with sudden change and can starve to death or die from lack of shelter - it is also illegal to release them on to a neighbours property, and a sh**ty thing to do anyway. Appreciate people won't like this, but rats and mice are vermin (the former carrying a myriad of diseases harmful to humans and pets) and the actual humane way to deal with them is to remove all viable sources of food and secure the places you don't want them. If you have ingress, kill traps are far more humane in the long term. Poison can and will leave carcasses that rot and smell. Glue traps are one of the cruelest inventions made by man and should be banned. As for cats and dogs - a big rat will do a lot of damage to a cat - terriers or lurchers are the way to go. Or an air rifle.
Poison leaves them to die in awkward places like in the cavity or behind shelving units - ask me how I know. Also local cats might catch and eat poisoned, half dead mice which can kill the cat too.
If you've got rats mate, double-down and get rid of them. Poison or traps. We we overrun with the things about 15 years ago, and it drove me to distraction, as they managed to get into the loft. We were trapping one every two days or so. They pee continuously and gnaw through everything, including your house wiring...
