Stopping mice climbing up into ceiling

[olly]

Mice are getting into my bedroom ceiling (above which is the flat-roof garden of the upstairs neighbours). They are getting up there by climbing in a gap which exists between the outer wall and the PCV patio doors. It sounds odd but I hear them doing this daily - it's pretty loud.

I took off part of the PVC panel and filled it with Polyfilla Expanding Foam which I thought would do the job, and it did temporarily. However, the darn things have scratched/eaten their way throught it and now they are back. Unbelievable!

I spoke to pest control and they said they would have to cut a hole in the (newly plastered) ceiling to put traps up inside - it isn't possible to cut down from above since we've just had a new roof laid. I don't really won't to start cutting holes in the ceiling since we may catch the rodents only to find them replaced with more, so I think the best solution is to fill the gap thorough which they are getting up there.

Please can some one give me some advice on how to fill this gap so that they cannot get through it? I'm considering a lot of Polyfilla or perhaps putty but I'd appreciate some other advice.

 

[Gervase]

Trouble is, mice have teeth which can get through most things, including uPVC. You could try scrunching up galvanised chicken wire and plugging the gaps with that - push it in with a bolster and make sure it's rolled tight enough not to leave any holes bigger than a fingernail, as mice can get through very small gaps.

 

[thiambal]

Whilst living in Africa I tried to live in peaceful co-existance with the mouse in my bedroom - I hoped it may eat some of the cockroaches which I feared more than anything.

We rubbed along quite nicely for a while until the little fella started to run into my head in the middle of the night and wake me up. When a series of cunningly designed humane traps failed I despatched the offending rodent with a well aimed blow from a cricket bat.

My advice Olly is to wait outside the patio door with a cricket bat or similar and bash the blighter on the head when he pops out of the hole. Some patience may be required. :wink:

 

[Nemesis]

We have been overrun with mice for the past couple of summers. It got really bad, especially in the pantry, but in other places too. We bought a number of those plug in sonic sound devices, and haven't seen a whisker since.

May be a co-incidence but...

 

[Gervase]

We've got cats. Hence no mice.

 

[thiambal]

Cats are no guarentee. Ours look at mice with some confusion before settling down for a nice sleep.

 

[Nemesis]

We have cat. Old and deaf and enjoying now being the only one and wouldn't appreciate a new and fit disturbing her. She does her best, but being deaf is a handicap.

 

[Moreteyne]

They can get anywhere, I live in an 18th century windmill , yet they manage to get in our roof , 6 floors up ! Poison the buggers before they do serious damage to your wiring.

 

[Penners]

You could try scrunching up galvanised chicken wire and plugging the gaps with that - push it in with a bolster and make sure it's rolled tight enough not to leave any holes bigger than a fingernail, as mice can get through very small gaps.

I agree with Gervase, except that - instead of chicken wire - I would use expanded metal lath. It's a much finer mesh. I have used it successfully on a number of occasions to exclude mice.

As Gervase suggested, roll it up tightly, stuff it into the gap, and let its natural resilience spring it tightly against the sides. That should do the trick (provided you don't leave the smallest gap).

 

[olly]

I agree with Gervase, except that - instead of chicken wire - I would use expanded metal lath. It's a much finer mesh. I have used it successfully on a number of occasions to exclude mice.

As Gervase suggested, roll it up tightly, stuff it into the gap, and let its natural resilience spring it tightly against the sides. That should do the trick (provided you don't leave the smallest gap).

This sounds like a good idea. Where can I get 'expanded metal lath' - B&Q? I will fill the gap with it after I have chucked a heap of poison in there first.

Thanks for everyone's advice. FYI the sonic devices won't work (tried it) because the mouse just goes into the ceiling where there are no power wires (only lights). The upstairs neighbours have a cat which is next to useless and I can't catch the mouse since it never comes into the flat - well, not the bedroom anyway. The bedroom is fully carpeted with new skirting - I can guarantee there is no way in from the floorboards. I hear the pest under the floorboards just before it climbs up inbetween the patio doorframe and the adjacent wall.

I'm very worried about the wiring so hopefully this will do the trick!

 

[Penners]

Yes, you should be able to get it from B&Q, or certainly from any builders merchants. They'll probably offer you galvanised or stainless steel. I'd go for galvanised as a reasonable protection against rust without paying through the nose for stainless.

You can cut it with tinsnips, but be sure to wear tough work gloves when you handle it. The edges can tear hell out of your hands.

 

[petillant]

The most important thing with mice is to make sure that you don't leave any dead ones around after the poisoning. They're attracted to the smell, like a bizarre "cry for help".

Also, make sure that you don't leave food, etc, uncovered, around the house, this is a definite NO-NO!

 

[Nemesis]

Poisoning is surely a last resort - nasty thing to do. And dead mice hidden away really pong.

 

[Lime]

Also, make sure that you don't leave food, etc, uncovered, around the house, this is a definite NO-NO!

Mice usually have a reason for climbing up inside walls. Perhaps there is a source of food somewhere. I have some experience of mice many years ago. They had a nest inside the kitchen door (yes, actually inside the door!) and were obviously very happy being so near "their" larder.
Then when I had stopped them nesting in the door they attempted to eat their way in through the freshly puttied window.
There were putty poos all over the place.
I set my doberman on them...one snap of her teeth resulted in an instant dead mouse.

 

[Pford75]

I'd understood that after eating poison, the mice get very thristy and go in search of water...basically out of the house, before dying. We had lots of mice when we moved in, but have successfully eradicated the problem with poison and have not yet found/smelt any dead ones.

I would add that the sonic devices used for pigeon control may be a more useful long-term deterrent since they cover larger areas and can be mounted in the loft space (or externally if you're not listed)

 

[Nemesis]

Oh well - a feeling of humanity towards one's fellow creatures is clearly not shared by all.

 

[Pford75]

Up to a point yes.....but when they start eating my electrics ;-)

We had a similar challenge with rats in our chicken run.....not sure 'humane' traps are terribly effective against 30-40 large rats!!

 

[Geoffrey]

We had a problem at our last house and also used the dehydrating poison. They don't die until they find a source of water as I remember - so if you have ponds, wells etc you must be careful your pets don't come across any tasty looking corpses.

 

[Nemesis]

Not to be recommended:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5322532.stm

 

[Ushy M]

Our cats are pretty good at eliminating mice around our house. Unfortunately they like to leave the giblets on the kitchen floor - so I was pottering around in my bare feet this morning only to find an unpleasant squelching sensation between my toes............ enough to put you off the first pint of tea.