Problems catching mystery beast in our ceiling

[Madcowz 0]

We don't have an attic per se as our ceiling is vaulted. The only space we have is above the bathroom where the header tanks is. In there I have two traps. Will try and get more, the problem is where I work there are only boutiques and cafes, great for gays and wimmin but no use to a bloke!

 

The traps are pretty well tuned, as I said in an earlier post, I trimmed 3mm off the setting bars and the staples are literally hanging off the end. I have a big torch with me so I can see what I am doing.

 

I also check the traps often as a fired trap is not going to catch any more. But so far, the only activity we have seen/heard is at night. Twice now the trap has caught one but not killed outright.

 

I have though noticed that a trap will have fired but is empty, on one occasion there was a little tuft of fur under the spring of one trap, and the other had the two mice in it. 'Once bitten, twice shy' not apply to mice?

 

If the mouse in the top of the picture is a well grown youngster and it's parents are probably dead. What relation/age is the other one?

 

Also, these mice are nocturnal I take it? (Or almost entirely nocturnal) so arr they kipping during the day and then running round our house at night? Or do they run round a bit and then leave the attic to feed outside?

 

Thanks for your input, while I am enjoying getting rid of our mouse problem, I am enjoying learning more. It really is great to have experienced people willing to give advice.

 

 

@johnb, worked that one out quite quickly!

 

 

thanks,

 

 

/Mad

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

" Little Nipper " traps were actually designed for House Mice, Mads. That's actually one hell of a lot smaller and more delicate a creature than the Woodie. Trouble is, a rat trap's probably too big. I tend to use one called the Snap E these days. Made by Kness and also sold as the " Rentokil " trap. Black plastic base and a yellow killing bar. Obviously, I buy in bulk and had the bad fortune to buy a whole load of duff ones. God, it was horrible! Those things were misfiring willy nilly and causing dreadful injuries amongst woods. I seem to have culled the bad ones from my stock now though.

 

I also set mine in neat little boxes, desined and made for the purpose. Snapa boxes. I get those from Killgerm too. Great they are.Little slot in the top shows the yellow bar. No bar? Time to look inside. They also have internal baffles to guide the mouse directly onto the treadle.

 

 

Gotcha!

 

 

These traps lack the advantage of finess of setting, being of the semi automatic type. But the advantages of the box balance things up. Especially when working in other peoples homes and around pets and children.

 

That may well be one of the parents with the youngster there, mate. Only the fact that ye appear to have caught two more adults tends to suggest, on average, that ye working ye way through them nicely. I don't find woods as prolific as house mice. Certainly not in so small an area as ye now tell us ye working. Having said that, I do find they're f*ckers for keeping on coming. But once eradicated it's a fair time before recolonisation. Even if ye don't or can't proof them out.

 

Little Nipper, properly set, can go off of it's own volition. Another reason to use plenty. But I don't know how fur got under a spring. Unless ye mean the killing bar? Maybe one clamboured on from the back? That could happen, especially if the trap isn't set at a right angle to a vertical surface.

 

Yeppers, woodies are very largely nocturnal. And I would suggest they pop out at night to feed. They like berries, seeds, roots. Shit like that. Not much of that in ye roof void, I take it?

[Madcowz 0]

Little Nipper, properly set, can go off of it's own volition. Another reason to use plenty. But I don't know how fur got under a spring. Unless ye mean the killing bar? Maybe one clamboured on from the back? That could happen, especially if the trap isn't set at a right angle to a vertical surface.

 

You are right, I did mean the killing bar.

 

Set the traps again yesterday and checked it before going out for the day and the bait had been taken, but the trap hadn't fired, and this was on fine, hair trigger, hanging off the end of the setting bar setting.

 

Anyway, got home late after taking kids to see Grandparents and went to rebait the empty trap and there was another mouse in it. Poor thing had died going after an empty trap. Never mind, must have been the odour of peanut butter left on the trap. Quote tempted myself. Slurp.

 

I have also now drilled holes in the little nippers and attached them to string and this is tied onto a nail. I was finding that when the trap didn't kill them properly, they were banging about in the attic and moving the trap. had to hunt for it a few times which isn't easy. Now they can't go far.

 

Think we are getting to the end of our immigrants in the attic. They certainly aren't banging away at night with their bleeding big boots on. But I think we might have one or two more left to get. Will keep you posted.

 

 

/Mad

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Ouch! I Really don't like to hear about the poor sods being caught alive and then struggling off with traps clamped to their heads, mate! FFS!

 

Not your fault, of course. Ye using what's available to ye and Legal, after all. * For the record: A recent discussion in a pro' pesters forum highlighted the fact that NO poisoned bait is currently approved for use against Wood Mice. It's Illegal to deliberately poison them. * (Yeah, I know ..... But that's what Brussells seems intent on doing to the entire f*cking industry; Discover what works best for us and then ban it. Or else just stop us doing the job by any other bloody means they can come up with )

 

Having had considerable experiance with the Little Nipper, I find it has a working life of between three and six months. That's planty for an amateur having a pop at his own House Mice. And, at the price of them, it suits a pro' who's bang at it with them day and night too. But, as I've said earlier, they just weren't designed to take on the beefier wood mouse.

 

I think I'll take this up with someone. A recent article in an industry magazine suggests that woodie's are becoming quite the 'Pest Neveaux'. Looks like we could use something up to the job? Though, as also stated, the Kness trap seems to work. Ironically, the most lethally powerful trap I ever field trialed against the little buggers was an absolute scorcher! Slammed down so f*ckin hard it nearly seperated them! Trouble is, it was an absolute bitch from hell to set in the first place.

 

 

Sounds like that fur under the killing bar was a miscatch then? Probably got one across the shoulders and he managed to pull out. Ooh! That must've f*ckin hurt!

 

Catching in 'unbaited' traps? Yeppers. Peanut butter's oily. Oily substance on un treated wood? Mouse'll smell that 'a mile off'.

 

Oh; Bait gone from a finely set trap? Little b*stards have probably licked it off. That's why I always use crunchy peanut butter. If ye get one who learns that craic, go over to chocholate. I'll leave you to figure out which types best ~ can't give All my trade secrets away!

[Madcowz 0]

Ouch! I Really don't like to hear about the poor sods being caught alive and then struggling off with traps clamped to their heads, mate! FFS!

 

Sorry D.S.

 

I didn't enjoy dealing with it either, quite upsetting. But as you say, they are legal to use and if they are not up to the job they shouldn't be sold. I will refrain from buying them again as I like a clean kill whatever the target. If there is a problem with these traps, we need to highlight this and as horrible as it is to talk about it at least it raises awareness.

 

Oh; Bait gone from a finely set trap? Little b*stards have probably licked it off. That's why I always use crunchy peanut butter. If ye get one who learns that craic, go over to chocholate. I'll leave you to figure out which types best ~ can't give All my trade secrets away!

 

I will start off with Blacks Organic Dark Chocolate, that way I have a chance of catching the wife as that is her absolute favourite.

 

:-)

 

 

/Mad

[talpa 55]

Ouch! I Really don't like to hear about the poor sods being caught alive and then struggling off with traps clamped to their heads, mate! FFS!

 

Sorry D.S.

 

I didn't enjoy dealing with it either, quite upsetting. But as you say, they are legal to use and if they are not up to the job they shouldn't be sold. I will refrain from buying them again as I like a clean kill whatever the target. If there is a problem with these traps, we need to highlight this and as horrible as it is to talk about it at least it raises awareness.

 

Oh; Bait gone from a finely set trap? Little b*stards have probably licked it off. That's why I always use crunchy peanut butter. If ye get one who learns that craic, go over to chocholate. I'll leave you to figure out which types best ~ can't give All my trade secrets away!

 

 

 

I will start off with Blacks Organic Dark Chocolate, that way I have a chance of catching the wife as that is her absolute favourite.

 

:-)

If you have problems with bait being stolen without the target paying for his crime it can get very frustrating.

I have made up what amounts to 'pocket poppers' for snap-e traps with odds and sods of ply/skirting/architrave etc., so that the trigger plate is level with the surround, then by baiting the outside edge of the bait cup or underside of the trigger plate around bait cup aperature the little devils grab the bait cup with teeth and force trigger down in their eagerness to get at Sunpats finest crunchy, often find them with teeth embedded in the bait cup - you'd want to be biting hard onto something with a killing bar coming towards you at speed. don't tell everyone though, I dont have many trade secrets.

Give it a try you will soon have it.

All traps need a little tinker/fiddle/fettle to get them to work for you or in a different or tricky situation, its what makes the job hold you in its spell. Alterations and fine tuning/bodges like this are referred to as having been talpa-ed here.

talpa

[stubby 175]

sticky boards, that'll do nicely,

 

heres one for you ditch, maybe you'll have an idea

 

we often sticky board a particular underground station that has a BIG mouse problem, the little buggers know that once the last train has left the platform(around 01-30am) they have around 20 minutes to eat the crap left by commuters, before the cleaners start cleaning and they come out in their hundreds, we have 4 platforms all the same, and as doing sticky board treatments, stay on site untill around 04-00am

 

now heres the bit we cant figure

 

mice will run along the floor/wall join in a straight line, now unlike a "little nipper trap" a sticky board dosent give many a 2nd chance, yet on placing maybe 50 sticky boards along the run of each platform, and then standing back and watching, the mice will run along the floor/wall join, get to a board, stop, go tightly around it, then carry on straight until getting to the next one???

ok, so they dont all do this, but how do the ones that do, know?

[Madcowz 0]

sticky boards, that'll do nicely,

 

<I must be wrong but> I thought they were illegal as they were cruel</I must be wrong but>

 

 

Compared to your problem of hundreds of mice, our attic seems such a small problem!

 

I always enjoy watching the mice when I have to catch the tube. Fun to watch them scurrying around the tracks between trains.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Boy! I've skinned a fag and even made a mug of tea for this one! Sticky Boards, eh? Here we go:

 

Ok, Mads; You thought they were illegal, because they're cruel? Happily, they now are banned in Eire ~ my god, this place just gets even better!

 

In uk they got out from beneath an alleged attempted ban by the arsepca. 'They', in this case being the British Pest Control Association. And They are a little bunch of pesties who one day got together and said; ' Why not form a gang and then lord it over all the other pesties? ', and did. There now exist three such gangs in uk. The one in Eire seems to have all but petered out.

 

Anyway, the BPCA issued a set of " Guidelines " on the use of those vile f*cking things. Basicly that ye should all but try torching an entire property before stooping to the level of their use. Of course, the BPCA is just a gang. Their guidelines are just that - guidelines. Even if ye a paid up member of that particular gang, ye still perfectly at liberty to say 'F*ck you. I use them because I like them.' and nothing more need be said on the matter. Certainly no law specifically against them. I guess it's the old, " Well, they're rats / mice / disgusting creatures anyway. " mentallity kicking in again.

 

All that said, I applaud Stubby's employers for allowing their guys the luxury of such time as it takes to lay the things and then just stand there looking at their watches. At least that way the unimaginable suffering and stress caused to the rodents is minimised as Stubb's et al smartly step in with their coal shovels on the hour. But as for the ~ I'd imagine ~ more usual practice of setting them and calling back, probably, the next day? I just don't want to hear the lame excuses for that sort of shit. It's all about money. Anyone using them is, in the end, doing it to save themselves cash in their pockets.

 

 

Stubby; Why the walk arounds? Not to appear like I'm patronising ye mate, but isn't it obvious? A mouse, on hitting one of those things, is going to go straight into stress overdrive. Abject terror. What do we All do during a state of terror? We scream our f*cking heads off. Mice do too. Only it's not necessarily at a pitch we'd notice. It's also perfectly feasable that there'll be other 'symptoms' of their distress discernable only to other mice.

 

As ye'd know, dead mice don't seem to bother live mice. Mortally terrified mice Must have some impact on their mates. So, quite simply, one mouse hits the pad and kicks off. A mouse coming along behind him sees 'something' in its path and sees what having to do with that something just did for his mate. He then makes the desicion of wether or not to go for that gilded Darwin Award. The brighter ones decide to pass ~ and pass round ye little torture pads there. No doubt, in time, they'll even pass this awareness in their very genome. Then that generous and considerate employer of yours can get you lads to use up the standing around watching time by laying a barrage of snap traps along those creases instead

 

 

There. Now wasn't that a mild response; Considering?

[Madcowz 0]

A very restrained response, quite impressed there.

 

At least that way the unimaginable suffering and stress caused to the rodents is minimised as Stubb's et al smartly step in with their coal shovels on the hour.

 

That answered my next question on how these poor animals are put out of their misery

 

 

A mouse, on hitting one of those things, is going to go straight into stress overdrive. Abject terror. What do we All do during a state of terror? We scream our f*cking heads off. Mice do too. Only it's not necessarily at a pitch we'd notice. It's also perfectly feasable that there'll be other 'symptoms' of their distress discernable only to other mice.

 

I expect all manner of hormone/endorphins, smells and other stimuli are produced. All giving the other mice plenty of warning.

 

poor sods.

 

 

/mad

[stubby 175]

good response ditch, yup your right about the sticky boards, but when working for others rather than yourself, you have to use whats on the treatment report, the reason we stay on site is the distress a "stuck mouse" would have on the public, ie the cleaners, tube staff or other contractors plus of course lifting the stuck mouse, Id say a good 95% die of suffucation as once they stick, they cant expand their lungs, also as you say alot of people put them down and return later, if we were treating an attic or cellar, this would also be our way, return every 12 hour period

 

however the tube and night work is a funny old thing, as depending what station it is, depends on the ammount of work time, sometimes we only have a 40 minute slot from power off to back on again, and laying boards has got to be the quickest method

[Ricky-N.p.p 0]

glue boards or sticky pads if ye prefer are bordering on illegal if not totally illegal !

the LAW states that the "death of any rodent ust be quick and humane" where the f**k do glue boards fit into that category ??

makes me sick :sick:

[stubby 175]

as stated above, we do not leave a rodent board un-attended, but stay on site, so that we can give a quick and humane death, although the law only states that they should be checked regularly.

 

as a pco we do respect "the quarry" and try all possible methods of control before using rodent boards, but when the public want an underground system free from rodents(will never happen) the higher archy makes the rules and we follow

 

it has to be said that at least we in the pest control buisness have to reach certain standards before we are let out to control pests (BPCA/RSPH)

 

yet I see many posts from youngsters asking questions like "can I shoot a fox with an air rifle"

or "I hit the rabbit, but it still runs off"

[ferret15 0]

hi mad just spoted this if your problem hasnt gone yet try mars bar on your trap it works realy well and the little buggers have to chew it of we had rats in the roof a couple of years ago they had found a small opening under the eaves above our coal shed and were runnig up the wall cavity !! the noise they made was deafning why im telling you this is if you can find out how there getting in trees close to the house flat roofs etc then block the hole with wire wool they wont chew it as it gives them a mild electric shock a bit like when we bite tin foil

[Madcowz 0]

Hi guys,

 

Need some more advice on my mouse in the house issue I have please.

 

Went to the attic tonight and found that one of my traps had fired and the other one has gone completely. Both of these were tied to fencing staples with string so easy to chew through.

 

Also I lifted a board up and there are quite a few bits of mouse there. Some halves other just bits. A few weeks ago I checked the traps, one had caught a mouse and I had to go out straight away so left it until I came home. when I did the mouse was gone. It was defiantely very dead and didn't get up and walk away on it's own.

 

Did a mouse chew through the string to take the trap away or do we have something else up there stealing traps and trapped mice then eating them?

 

thanks,

 

 

/Mad