How can I confirm if my home has a rodent problem.

[MattA7]

I noticed yesterday evening some suspicious signs of a rodent infestation in the kitchen. Mainly in the cupboard under the sink. However they were no other signs that you would expect to see such as chewed plastic bags.

so I decided to place some cheese crackers around the suspected areas at night to see if they were gone the next morning however they were untouched which is making me wonder if there actually is a problem or not.

How can I confirm if there is a rodent problem in the flat or not as I don’t want to tell the landlord to call vermin control if there is no rats/mice however obviously if there is rats/mice I want them dealt with as soon as possible.

 

[duncanp]

I would certainly inform the landlord, who can call a commercial pest control company to come and take a look.

If you do nothing, and there is a rodent infestation, it will only get worse, and the cost of dealing with the problem will only increase as time goes on.

Most landlords would want to deal with issues regarding their property as soon as possible.

 

[Gloster]

Don’t be too quick about putting down bait, because of what a rat catcher called the Uncle Charlie situation. One mouse (not moose, spellcheck, even I would notice if there was a moose loose around the hoose) gets in, whizzes around, finds nothing and clears off. You put down bait because you heard the first mouse, but a second mouse comes across the first mouse’s trail and thinks, “Smells like Uncle Charlie, let’s see where he has been.” He comes in, finds the enticing bait and says, “Oooh, bed and breakfast,” and brings the family.

 

[Elwyn]

Why not put a trap down? And see what happens.

 

[Gloster]

Why not put a trap down? And see what happens.

I did put a, supposedly escape proof, trap down. I would hear a brief rattle as they went in to eat the bait and then more rattling as they left. A small test is to put a neat little pile of bread crumbs down, and the following day look to see if it has gone or been spread about. Bread crumbs or packets of bait (as long as you don’t have children or pets) from an ironmonger are probably the best option.

 

[Elwyn]

From what you have described, I would say you probably do have a vermin problem. I would tell your landlord immediately and ask them to investigate.

There are probably several options eg the local Council Environmental control team or a private “Rat-trap” company. That’s for your landlord to decide at this stage. But I would definitely ask for immediate action. (I own several properties, and if any of my tenants reported what you have described, I would be very concerned and would get a professional to come and investigate immediately).

If your landlord is slow to respond, keep a simple diary of the dates you contacted them, what you said etc, and any response, so you can go in heavy and accurately later if the need arises. Put it in writing where possible and keep the e-mails. Not all landlords respond as quickly or as responsibly as they should.

Citizens Advice may be able to give good advice and may contact the relevant professional bodies for you. CAB don't charge for their services.

 

[PeterC]

If you have a decent sense of smell you should be able to detect a mouse infestation.

Thinking about it, is a cockroach infestation a possibility,?

 

[yorksrob]

At a previous bedsit I lived in, I heard rustling sounds at night.

I assumed it was in the corridor outside the flat, but one night I went into the kitchenette and switched the light on, just in time to see a grey furry thing dart into a wall behind a cupboard.

Next day blocked the hole off with some bricks. Job sorted.

 

[Elwyn]

Filling all the likely access points with some sort of sealant such as silicone may do the trick, but really, unless you own the property, it’s a landlord problem. Get them to sort it properly.

 

[DarloRich]

Just get an old fashioned spring trap...... and wait.

( it can get a bit grusome mind)

 

[MattA7]

If you have a decent sense of smell you should be able to detect a mouse infestation.

Thinking about it, is a cockroach infestation a possibility,?

I have noticed a musty almost hamester cage like smell in the suspicious area (under the sink). The strange thing is that most of what I’m assuming are mouse droppings seem to be light colored (some almost white) and no visible damage to plastic nearby. I also made a rather grim discovery of finding some of those droppings in the bottom of the oven. Makes me sick to think I could have been cooking food in something that a mouse is been in.

I don’t imagine it would be cockroaches as I would have probably seen one by now (but then again I haven’t seen any rodents)

 

[johnnychips]

I have noticed a musty almost hamester cage like smell in the suspicious area (under the sink). The strange thing is that most of what I’m assuming are mouse droppings seem to be light colored (some almost white) and no visible damage to plastic nearby. I also made a rather grim discovery of finding some of those droppings in the bottom of the oven. Makes me sick to think I could have been cooking food in something that a mouse is been in.

I don’t imagine it would be cockroaches as I would have probably seen one by now (but then again I haven’t seen any rodents)

How could a mouse get into your oven? It wouldn’t surprise me though, as they are ingenious beasts. As for the colour of their droppings, it could be what they have been eating - left any cooked rice out?

 

[DerekC]

We suffer from mouse invasions most winters - they get into the roof via the cavity walls. What I have never managed to find out is how they get into the cavity wall. Spring traps do the trick - the old fashioned metal kind is best. Apple for baiting the trap works well on Hampshire mice! I did try poison one year, but then they die above the ceiling and you have to find the body, which isn't easy with loft insulation, or put up with decaying mouse smell in the room below for several weeks!

 

[S&CLER]

We suffer from mouse invasions most winters - they get into the roof via the cavity walls. What I have never managed to find out is how they get into the cavity wall. Spring traps do the trick - the old fashioned metal kind is best. Apple for baiting the trap works well on Hampshire mice! I did try poison one year, but then they die above the ceiling and you have to find the body, which isn't easy with loft insulation, or put up with decaying mouse smell in the room below for several weeks!

When I lived in a 17th century sexton's house in Leiden around 1979 (renting it cheaply from the church to keep squatters out pending restoration), a mouse died behind the gas stove that heated my living room. The stink of one tiny body was unbelievable. At times in the quiet of the night you could also hear mice chewing wood, but fortunately they never seemed to go for the wiring. Mice have very flexible bodies which can squeeze through tiny apertures; they also have rather poor sphincter control, so they leave a trail of urine. I was told chocolate is better than cheese as a bait for traps.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Nutella is a good bait for traps.

 

[MattA7]

I noticed this morning a couple of my cheese crackers I put out as bait a couple of days ago are gone. One beside the cooker and one by the radiator opposite the cooker confirming their must be an infestation. I will inform the landlord tomorrow morning and possibly buy some traps as they may be in no great hurry to deal with it.

As for the oven it’s a gas oven so has ventilation holes at the bottom which is were the mouse or rat is presumably getting into. The flat it’s self is a very old 4 in a block built in the early 1900s (1908 I think according to a neighbor) so there is probably plenty spaces for them to enter the property. I’ve heard a mouse can get though a hole the diameter of a pencil.

 

[Gloster]

I read that they can get through an opening as small as half-an-inch. Which is a matter of detail: in a house that age there are bound to be quite large gaps in places.

 

[adewar]

When I had some mice (in a 2nd floor flat!), I put some flour in the areas I thought they were so I could see the footprints. This also allowed me to roughly see where they were coming in, so I was able to block up where they were accessing the kitchen floor with a block of wood and lots of steel wool. I also placed some traps with peanut butter and called the councils exterminator, after calling my landlord.

I would also be very careful and disinfect everywhere, repeatedly.

I hope this helps

 

[MattA7]

Council vermin control came this afternoon and confirmed a mouse infestation. He put some bait boxes down, told me to remove the mouse traps I put out (avoids misleading results) and said he would come back next week to check up on things. He also spoke to the neighboring flats to check if they had issues.