Mice under decking

Cadder · 3 Apr 2021 at 00:33

Hi all,

We have had our decking down for a couple of years. We haven't seen many mice until this year and it seems there are quite a few. We saw three different mice going into different areas of the deck and that's quite alarming all of a sudden.

Ideally I'd like to persuade them that my property isn't a great place to live and for them to move on, rather than go straight into lethal solutions... However if it is necessary I'd consider the use of poison if it avoids an infestation.
I am thinking poison may kill them under the deck and mean they'll rot away there..

Has anyone else had to deal with mice and managed to get rid of them?

bremen1874 · 3 Apr 2021 at 01:02

I let mice that stay outside get on with their lives.

What harm are your mice doing?

200sols · 3 Apr 2021 at 07:13

Leave them. Also don't use poison it is horrible.

Shoeyuk · 3 Apr 2021 at 08:16

The cat does a good job to keeping them away

Terminal_Boy · 3 Apr 2021 at 08:17

Borrow a cat from someone.

Cadder · 3 Apr 2021 at 08:53

It's just with seeing so many all of a sudden. Last night one was even on our patio waking alongside the bi-folds. I'm assuming it was looking for food but I don't fancy them getting in the house or garage.

I would ideally like them to get out so I can stick some mesh down or lift the boards and fill with gravel to remove the accommodation.

Thought I'd see what imaginative solutions others have come up with.

Griffo · 3 Apr 2021 at 09:18

Perhaps there's a reason for their gathering. Is there some vent brick or other means of access under the house or to a warm place? Do you store your bins and dead chickens under or near there?

Also yes they aren't rats which are much more destructive as I understand it, so that's good. Pretend your decking is one of the nicer Underground stations

.

Cadder · 3 Apr 2021 at 09:21

Haha yeah fair enough! That's a concern too - if they end up attracting rats. It's weird that we haven't seen many over the years and now we have quite a few..

The bins are stored on flags about 2m from decking. I'll take a photo of the decking and upload at some point.

Rexxar · 3 Apr 2021 at 09:22

@Cadder Gotta be honest, Poison is a horrible way to do it, it also means they might die somewhere you can't get at , and will stink....

The simple old-fashioned mouse traps work best in my experience of getting them out of a garden shed , Just make sure other creatures can't get at the trap so they don't get injured.

Cadder · 3 Apr 2021 at 09:27

Rexxar said:
@Cadder Gotta be honest, Poison is a horrible way to do it, it also means they might die somewhere you can't get at , and will stink....

The simple old-fashioned mouse traps work best in my experience of getting them out of a garden shed , Just make sure other creatures can't get at the trap so they don't get injured.

Good shout, I did think that could happen so would only use it as a last resort.

I could try and trap them out, then fix mesh all round the edges, as an option.

I wonder if I still have my bee smoker, maybe smoke them out...?

Rexxar · 3 Apr 2021 at 10:34

Cadder said:
Good shout, I did think that could happen so would only use it as a last resort.

I could try and trap them out, then fix mesh all round the edges, as an option.

I wonder if I still have my bee smoker, maybe smoke them out...?

I think you could smoke them out of a wall/drain/nest , but not necessarily under decking.

If you trapped/killed them and didn't see any for at least a week, then yeah i would used a fine metal mesh around the edges as they seem to fit through anything.

mickyflinn · 3 Apr 2021 at 10:36

Cheap traps does the job and put a small bit if choclate as bait, you dont want them in your house as the poo and pee as they go.

Randomface74 · 3 Apr 2021 at 10:47

rolling log mouse trap
[dead mice warning] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SIlYiiCGLI

Zefan · 3 Apr 2021 at 10:54

I think I'd be glad to have a bit of proper nature in my garden, so many people don't. I appreciate it's not for everyone though, and I do agree that a sudden arrival or rapid increase in activity is cause for concern. Have a Google for rspca living with rats and mice, they give some good advice on what not to do, and what options you have to make things less appealing for them. Hopefully you can persuade them to move on by trying some of those options.

HungryHippos · 3 Apr 2021 at 12:49

Wasn't there some peanut butter and bucket trap thing you could do to capture them without killing them? then you can relocate them.

chaparral · 3 Apr 2021 at 12:59

HungryHippos said:
Wasn't there some peanut butter and bucket trap thing you could do to capture them without killing them? then you can relocate them.

mouse channel - YouTube

HungryHippos · 3 Apr 2021 at 13:17

chaparral said:
mouse channel - YouTube

That's the one!

I feel like the rats in that are kind of smart trying to escape, but more join them in getting caught, quite interesting watching them!

Figo · 3 Apr 2021 at 19:42

Cadder said:
Hi all,

We have had our decking down for a couple of years. We haven't seen many mice until this year and it seems there are quite a few. We saw three different mice going into different areas of the deck and that's quite alarming all of a sudden.

Ideally I'd like to persuade them that my property isn't a great place to live and for them to move on, rather than go straight into lethal solutions... However if it is necessary I'd consider the use of poison if it avoids an infestation.
I am thinking poison may kill them under the deck and mean they'll rot away there..

Has anyone else had to deal with mice and managed to get rid of them?

Solar powered MP3 player and speaker and a Donald Trump audiobook on repeat... they will be outa there in no time.

Mysterae_ · 3 Apr 2021 at 21:01

Kinda related to the Donald Trump MP3 idea, do ultrasonic pest repellers work?

peige · 3 Apr 2021 at 21:13

Not sure if they work on mice but don't see why not, they do work on squirrels which I had a problem with at work in the roof. Snap traps all the way with mice, just keep at it for a few days, won't take long with two or three and some peanut butter.
They tend to breed when there is food about but don't just leave them to it or you will have hundreds. School next to my work had a bins with holes in that they filled daily with food, the ground was heaving with a major rats colony. Killed in one visit by poison.