Mary Fisher wrote:

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
. 1...

On Fri, 5 Dec 2003 23:08:58 +0000 (UTC), Mungo Henning wrote:


I'd clearly like to devise some sort of humane mice-excluder device
that lures them to (say) the soffit area and then gives them a
choice of one direction down a pipe and out of the house.

They'd love that! Make your house into a playground for them
wonderful. Experience has shown that the ones that come in when it
gets cold outside will just keep coming back in unless you bump 'me
off or transport them a good few miles.


I'm getting tired of emptying the traps too.

Since we started the transportation of our "visitors" 4 miles up onto
the fell tops we don't see them again. Our first ones where mid
October, about half a dozen or so, haven't had one for weeks now.
Previously, when we released at the bottom of the paddock, it would 3
or 4 per week nearly all winter...


It's very comforting to read that posters are prepared to admit that they
have rodents.

When I've said that we live in an unintended menagerie people express
horror - but I believe that there must be few houses without the odd 'pest'.
Perhaps they just don't see them or the evidence, or perhaps don't recognise
the evidence ... or are in denial?

Thanks to those here who do acknowledge 'pest' hosting, I'm in good company
:-)



I have never lived in a house that didn't at one time or anoher have the
odd mouse in it. They will come in through teh doors anyway if left open
in summer. I trap and elminate. Letting them go outside is probabl
vcertan death anyway as thats why they came inside. No food.

Ive have had birds in the attic as well - very small holes will allow
ingress, which is why meshed vents are now de rigeur for eaves. I had a
rough hole punched through to allow a soil stack vent outside, and I
think some got in that way. We found droppings, heard scuttlings, but no
birds.

I have had two small birds fall dwon into teh large pen fireplaces via
the chimney, and two large birds - a pigeon and a crow - fell down teh
6" flue pipe to a wood burning stove. I assumed the pigeon got out, but
hwen the grow arrived just above teh stove, I had to lever the pigein
reamins out of the flue past the flap valve, whereupon the crow flew
into the bedroom. Fortunately he had emptied his bowels on the pigeon,
and eventually found the open windows.

Rats are about, because we see them and find their corpses, but so far
they haven't got inside. Or worse still into the thatch...aprrently rats
in thatch is istant end of thatch.

We put back the mummified cat we found in the old thatch, into the new
thatch. Apparently keeps witches away. Must be working because we
haven't had any witch infestations.



Mary

--
Cheers
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