Mice control in East London

What mice look like

A house mouse is small and slim, with big rounded ears, a pointed snout and a thin tail about as long as its body. Its fur is a dull grey-brown, a touch paler on the belly. People sometimes take a young rat for a mouse, but a young rat's head and feet look too big for its body, and its tail is much thicker.

Size

Body 6–9 cm, plus a tail about as long

Colour

Grey-brown on top, a little paler underneath

Breeding

Usually 5–8 young a litter, several litters a year

Lifespan

Usually a year or less

Most active

At night, especially in the first hours after dark

Signs of mice

• Small dark droppings

  Black, rod-shaped droppings about 3–6 mm long, often along skirting boards, in cupboards and behind appliances. Fresh droppings are soft and shiny.

• Gnawed food packets

  Small, neat holes in cereal boxes, bags of rice or pet food, with crumbs left behind. Mice nibble at many foods rather than finishing one.

• Scratching after dark

  Light scratching or scurrying in ceilings, walls and under floors at night, when mice are most active.

• Smear marks and smell

  Greasy grey marks where mice brush along walls and pipes, and a stale, ammonia-like smell in enclosed spaces such as behind kitchen plinths.

• Nests and chewed cables

  Nests of shredded paper, fabric or loft insulation in warm, quiet spots, and gnawed wiring or woodwork nearby.

Life cycle and breeding

Mice breed quickly. A female can mate again within a day or so of giving birth, so two or three mice can become a sizeable family within a few months.

1. Pregnancy

   Pregnancy lasts about three weeks. The female builds a soft nest close to food before she gives birth.

2. Newborns

   A litter is usually 5–8 pups, born pink, blind and hairless. Their fur grows in over the first week and their eyes open at about two weeks.

3. Leaving the nest

   At around three weeks they start feeding themselves, using the same routes as the adults.

4. Breeding age

   Females can breed from about six weeks old. Most mice live a year or less, and they breed for most of that time.

Where mice live and how they get in

Indoors, mice pick warm, quiet spots you rarely look at: behind kitchen plinths, under floorboards, inside wall cavities, in boiler cupboards and lofts. They don't roam far from the nest, so the place you find droppings is usually close to where they live. Outside, they shelter in sheds, garages and compost bins, and move indoors as the weather turns.

• Through gaps where water, waste and gas pipes pass through the wall, especially behind the sink, washing machine and boiler.
• Under back doors and garage doors that don't sit tight to the floor.
• Through broken air bricks into the void under a timber floor, then up through gaps around pipes and skirting.
• Up rough brickwork and drainpipes to gaps at the eaves, as mice are good climbers.
• In boxes, bags of bird seed or old furniture brought in from a shed or garage.

Why it matters

How mice control works

1. 1

   Finding the mice

   We look for droppings, runs, gnaw marks and nests to confirm mice and judge the size of the problem. We also trace likely entry points around pipes, vents, doors and floor voids.

2. 2

   Baiting or trapping

   Professional-use rodenticides are placed in secure bait stations out of reach of children and pets, or traps are used where poison is not suitable. Placement follows the routes the mice are using.

3. 3

   Proofing advice

   We show you which gaps need sealing, such as holes around pipes packed with wire wool and cement, and strips fitted to the bottoms of doors.

4. 4

   Follow-up and prevention

   Rodent treatments normally need follow-up visits to check bait take and confirm activity has stopped. We finish with advice on food storage and housekeeping to keep mice out.

What you can do yourself

• Track their routes

  Sprinkle a light dusting of flour or talc along the skirting overnight. Footprints in the morning show you which way they're running and where to put traps.

• Set snap traps properly

  Put several mouse-size snap traps a metre or two apart along those routes, at right angles to the wall with the trigger end against the skirting. Bait them with a pea-sized dab of peanut butter or chocolate spread. Glue traps can no longer be used by the public in England.

• Bait boxes, not loose poison

  If you use poison, buy only products sold for amateur use and follow the label exactly. Keep it inside a tamper-resistant bait box where children and pets can't reach it, and check it every few days.

• Check and reset daily

  Check traps every morning, wearing gloves. Bag any mice for your outside bin, then reset the trap in the same place until you've gone a week or so without a catch.

Prevention

• Seal gaps around pipes, cables and vents with wire wool and cement, as a mouse can squeeze through a hole the width of a pencil.
• Fit brush strips or metal kick plates to the bottoms of external and garage doors.
• Keep dry food, pet food and bird seed in sealed glass, metal or hard plastic containers.
• Clean behind cookers and fridges and under kitchen units, where crumbs build up out of sight.
• Clear clutter from lofts, cupboards and under-stairs storage so nesting spots are easier to find.

Mice are found all year, but most people notice them from autumn into winter, when they move indoors for warmth and food.

Common myths

• Myth: Mice love cheese.

  The truth: Not especially. They'd rather have cereals, seeds and anything sweet or fatty, which is why peanut butter makes a better bait.

• Myth: I've only seen one, so there's only one.

  The truth: Mice live in family groups and keep out of sight, mostly at night. If you've seen one, there are usually more nearby.

• Myth: The cat will keep the mice away.

  The truth: A cat might catch the odd one, but it can't get into the wall cavities and floor voids where mice nest. It won't clear a breeding population on its own.

Questions about mice