# Suggestion for a pet that will keep mice away!



## mouseman11 (Feb 19, 2010)

I can't have a cat!! ***9786;***65039;
Ok, so I live in a massive converted warehouse with 10 people and a dog, I have a huge bedroom and I have a small mouse problem.

I love mice, but when they're climbing over me in my sleep I start to lose my patience!

So, I'm looking for a pet I can keep in a cage but will have a large room to free roam in to hopefully get their smell everywhere to scare the mice off and possibly catch one or two.

Obvious answer is a ferret/polecat but put off by their musk! Will a short tailed opossum help me out? Or a skunk? I'd love a cat but the dog won't like it so it would have to be confined to my room other than a window to the roof!could install a cat flap too I guess. But perhaps that would be good enough? It's only two story's high so could find it's way down via a fence maybe, I'll investigate that!

But yea any other suggestions? Thanks!!


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## adamp332 (Mar 21, 2015)

Jack Russel, my jack Russel goes for anything small that's moving.


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

The dog should be properly trained by the owner and do whatever the owner tells it, including leaving a cat alone...if this is not the case, I wouldn't recommend any animal - besides, larger mammals shouldn't be kept in small cages.


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## mouseman11 (Feb 19, 2010)

adamp332 said:


> Jack Russel, my jack Russel goes for anything small that's moving.


I'd love a jack Russel but it's too much responsibility for me at the moment and the current dog definitely wouldn't tolerate another dog. It's an on going battle between her owner and all other housemates to get her better trained but currently a free romain cat or dog is not an option 

CLOUDFOREST - which larger mammals are you referring to as to not be in cages? I obviously wouldn't cage an animal that isn't commonly considered OK to be in a cage and would have the full run of the room when I was around.


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

mouseman11 said:


> I'd love a jack Russel but it's too much responsibility for me at the moment and the current dog definitely wouldn't tolerate another dog. It's an on going battle between her owner and all other housemates to get her better trained but currently a free romain cat or dog is not an option
> 
> CLOUDFOREST - which larger mammals are you referring to as to not be in cages? I obviously wouldn't cage an animal that isn't commonly considered OK to be in a cage and would have the full run of the room when I was around.


tbh I think you are better of just calling in someone to deal with the mouse problem, rather than buying an animal which will require quite allot of your time, more than you imagine perhaps

eventually the mouse problem will become a rat problem if its not dealt with

the best way to keep mice away is to make sure theres no food left around, and all their entry holes are sealed up (they can get thru really tiny holes!) - you can get expanding foam filler to fill holes particuly aimed at this problem

the only reason there are mice in your room, is because there is something there for them to eat, so whatever food you have in there, make sure its in sealed tight plastic boxes; no plates lying around, open cereal boxes, etc...they will soon find somewhere else to eat and stop bothering you


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## mouseman11 (Feb 19, 2010)

You're right! I'm doing my best to limit food in here, I have been storing sealed stocks in here as to not take up so much room on the communal areas but they can somehow smell through the packaging and eat their way though it!

I don't mind them in the downstairs bit of my room, but it's when they come upstairs when I'm sleeping I get annoyed! But I don't want to kill them, I refuse to poison or trap them. I've got some humane traps and had a major sort out today with the holes etc.

Thing is I love animals and have been constantly moving for work for 6 years, I'm now finally in one place permenantly for the foreseeable future so was looking at getting a pet and if it scared off the rodents it would be a bonus!

The others have lived here for 7 years, there's always been mice here, it's London! But no rats yet. Problem is a pet = pet food = mouse food. At least a STO or ferret would defend it's good more compared to a big sleepy pet rat!


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

mouseman11 said:


> You're right! I'm doing my best to limit food in here, I have been storing sealed stocks in here as to not take up so much room on the communal areas but they can somehow smell through the packaging and eat their way though it!
> 
> I don't mind them in the downstairs bit of my room, but it's when they come upstairs when I'm sleeping I get annoyed! But I don't want to kill them, I refuse to poison or trap them. I've got some humane traps and had a major sort out today with the holes etc.
> 
> ...


plastic boxes are the best option for storing food, you can at least keep them out of your room, even if they wont stay out of other areas...although, eventually rats will find their way in too, then you got problems...when the mice suddenly vanish from the building, you know the rats have arrived.

tbh I cant think of any mammals you can keep in a cage that would scare of mice...actually I wouldn't be surprised if they just thought Yay a new source of food from another pet


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## miss_ferret (Feb 4, 2010)

ferrets (they're highly social animals and should not be kept alone) will kill the mice if they find them, and to be frank if mice are getting in, i would put money on ferrets being able to get out.

look into non lethal mouse repelling techniques (this, for example, is the first result on google PestBye Advanced Whole House Rat and Mouse Repeller: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors) or get pest control in.

unless the food source is removed, rodents will keep coming back. i have 8 ferrets, 4 cats and a barn owl, all of which will easily kill a rat or mouse, yet i'm still dealing with a rodent problem as (while all my animal food is in rodent proof containers) i cant stop my neighbour throwing food all over her garden 'for the birds'.


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## mouseman11 (Feb 19, 2010)

Yea I don't want to irradiate them completely, just enough to get a good nights sleep! I've found their two entrance holes, a ferret definitely wouldn't be able to get out of them, they're the size of a 2p coin.

I just wish my housemate didn't have the dog, then we could have a couple of cats roaming about the place which would solve both the mouse problem and my wanting of a pet.


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## GT2540 (Jan 31, 2012)

Krait


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## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

mouseman11 said:


> Yea I don't want to irradiate them completely, just enough to get a good nights sleep! I've found their two entrance holes, a ferret definitely wouldn't be able to get out of them, they're the size of a 2p coin.
> 
> I just wish my housemate didn't have the dog, then we could have a couple of cats roaming about the place which would solve both the mouse problem and my wanting of a pet.


a ferret can get through seriously small holes, 2p sounds about right for a mouse hole

if there is a food source in there, they will chew new holes eventually...but filling the holes will help allot, you could put a piece of metal over it for tonight (tin lid or jar lid perhaps, a carpet tack will hold it in place, if you don't mind a few pin holes left in the wall...recommend you stick it thru the lid first, then into the wall)...that might give you 48hrs peace, they will make the hole bigger tho


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## Sylvi (Dec 30, 2008)

I'd get the mice out of the house, get your housemates on board and form a plan to remove them. They wee on everything, all the time. Your clothes, the surfaces, your plates, food packets, everything they run on. And they are great chewers too. I'd call time on them.


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## spottymint (Oct 3, 2010)

GT2540 said:


> Krait


That would probably sort out the mice, the Jack Russel and a few of the housemates too. :gasp:


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## adamp332 (Mar 21, 2015)

Could just buy some cement and fill the mouse holes lol


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## Satch (Sep 25, 2009)

spottymint said:


> That would probably sort out the mice, the Jack Russel and a few of the housemates too. :gasp:


Or ignore that lot whilst it looked for snakes to eat


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