mice in drawers - HELP!

[~TT40~]

we have mice.. we have always had mice, thanks to floods etc... they are everywhere!! and we can't win... we have tried everything and we catch heaps, but we never put a dent in them...

but they can get into our drawers (as in clothes drawers), which I can handle...until they have now discovered Spock's chest of drawers =( and now that I have FINALLY finished sorting through the buckets and boxes of baby clothes we have been given, said clothes are now in those drawers...was totally clean yesterday, today...full of mouse poo =*(. I have even stopped using the bottom drawer because they got into that straight away (even without clothes), but turns out they can get in all the drawers...

I can't block where they get in (the small gap at the back of the draw at the top) cause that will affect the opening and closing of the drawers. and short of getting a professional exterminator in, and probably doing bucketloads of structural stuff to the house to stop them getting back in (cause I think just killing them all wont do anything, more will just come). what can i do??

is there anything i can put in the drawers that will deter them? yet still be ok to be near/on clothes - mainly little bitty baby clothes???

I have some lavender around the place do you think this will work if i put in it all the drawers??

please help. I can handle them being able to get to our clothes...but not Spocks =(

[Phteven]

Have you seen those noise thingies at Bunnings? Apparently they hate the noise and stay away. I think they are about $40 per unit or $20 for the small units that do 1 room.

Or buy a cat. You can have mine. She's a bit broken but if the mice get close enough she'll eat them.

[nothing2lose]

Obviously you need to move. NOW!!!! At least that's what I'd do! (I HATE MICE!)

Good luck

[~TT40~]

I've heard of the noise things but havent seen there anywhere... bunnings you recon.. hmm

DH would kill the cat....we have a dog, who can catch sparrows no problem...but hasnt managed to get one single mouse.. go figure.

yea, we moved in 1 month before the major mouse plague hit (we are talking insane millions of mice hit the area - so much so our supermarket keeps everything in plastic tubs and they were catching alteast 50 a day - during the day). so we had no time to prepare... and its just gone crazy from there, they died off for a while through winter (even though i know they were still around we didnt hear or see them), but they have come back now (esp. after our last flood).

[nothing2lose]

I've heard of the noise things but havent seen there anywhere... bunnings you recon.. hmm

DH would kill the cat....we have a dog, who can catch sparrows no problem...but hasnt managed to get one single mouse.. go figure.

yea, we moved in 1 month before the major mouse plague hit (we are talking insane millions of mice hit the area - so much so our supermarket keeps everything in plastic tubs and they were catching alteast 50 a day - during the day). so we had no time to prepare... and its just gone crazy from there, they died off for a while through winter (even though i know they
were still around we didnt hear or see them), but they have come back now (esp. after our last flood).

NO! STOP! You're giving me nightmares!!!!!!

[Miss.September]

We have one of those noise thingys in our garage permanently and hasn't deterred them. Horrible things.

We had a plague last year, not on the scale of yours but lots for us. We got 17 of them in about a week. And yeah, totally freaked me out when I realised a couple were living in DD's room and wardrobe. I'll PM you with the trap we used - I don't want to upset anyone with having to describe it here.

[MLR1901]

A few drops of Peppermint oil on cotton wool in small jars like old candle jars. Top up the oil every week or so!
Worked for us!

[~Kim~]

Peppermint oil works apparently....though like you we've just had that plague (like they'd pull at the doona at night bad) and I couldn't make anything work.
I know how much they suck.

eta snap!

[~~Snoogans~~]

um

Kim and Teirae.... where the hell do you live so I can stay far far farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr away from there!

I'm with N2l ... you guys are starting to give me nightmares!

and Kim...pulling at the doona at night?

eek

[nothing2lose]

Peppermint oil works apparently....though like you we've just had that plague (like they'd pull at the doona at night bad) and I couldn't make anything work.
I know how much they suck.

eta snap!

Oh how I wish I could unread that.

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

With the weather change here we are getting HEAPS - i caught 5 in about 3hrs the other day
Can you put a couple of traps UNDER the cupboard?
I haven't tried the peppermint but i might give that a go in our kitchen.

1 jumped out of the cupboard and down DD1's little apron earlier, had a play in it then did a runner under my oven all while i was standing there stacking the pantry

[Charlotte91]

I hate mice. I can set traps and empty them with no issues.

Haven't seen any mice for a while, but just moved into a new house and seller said that she used to get them. Not bad, just in some of the cupboards.

I wouldn't be OK with mice on my baby stuff. Not at all. Mice pee every few seconds.
Have you thought about just putting Spocks stuff in plastic containers until you get the situation under control?

That's what I'll be doing because they're predicting a plague here this year.

I remember a plague when I was younger. Mum was getting 30+ a day. The final straw was my sister screaming because they were under the blankets with her.
That was a bad plague.

[sahbear]

Eeeeek! I'm freaking out! The doona, the drawers. Omg!

Do you think a chat with a professional exterminator would be useful? I'm not sure if it would work given the plague in the region, but might be worth a shot.

Or traps near where they are getting into the drawers? Or where they are sneaking into the house?

[~TT40~]

charlotte - I fear that would be forever, like always having to have the clothes in plastic tubs =(

I just went down the street to find some peppermint oil, they don't have any, but knew exactly why i wanted it. I'm going to get some and try it out.

I've thought more about that sound thing...the supermarket use to have one and I could hear the noise, DH couldn't, but makes me wonder if a baby could hear it and if it would annoy them? esp. seen as I would have it so it mainly hit Spocks room.

I'm going to look into that trap PacRakMG, I'm willing to try EVERYTHING!

I've used steel wool to try and block the holes, but we have had them eat through it before...

my only saving grace is so far *touch wood* I don't even want to say this cause it will jinx me....but the pantry is ok... please please please dont let that have jinxed us!!

[Rowellen]

What kind of noise is it? Babies usually like noise, so I've been told.

[ss_storm]

I had a rat, or two, in my pantry last year. It was horrible! Had to throw out so much stuff because they'd chewed through packaging, or even just pooped on it.. My pantry got a good clean and was very organised afterwards though! I'd try peppermint oil if you can get your hands on some.. Chemist? Health food store? Maybe even the soap place in Wagga? As for the noise thing, I've never heard one but would it just be like white noise for a baby? Plenty of things we find annoying can be quite soothing for a baby.

[~TT40~]

its like a high pitched constant ringing...like ringing in your ear, but high pitched...

thing is, with noise pitch, the older you get you cant hear the hight pitches (hence my being able to hear it and DH not being able to) and how you can get phone ringtones that only teenagers can hear but their parents can't (because of the pitch it is). so I was just thinking if at my age I could hear it, how loud would it be for a baby

yea SS - those are the places the chemist here suggested, they even said 'heres a crazy thought, try the candle shop - dusk'

[Phteven]

You can get traps that trap lots of mice at once. You put smelly food (peanut butter) inside and they walk in and can't walk out but they don't kill them so you have to do that after you have trapped them.