Mice in the Shed. Aarrgh!!!

[SueA]

Years ago when our neighbour took his pigeon shed down the mice that had lived in it must have found their way into the houses in our row, they were very bold & popped up on a neighbour's bed beside her & beside me on the sofa once! I don't like killing things so we invested in a couple of humane traps & baited them with breakfast cereal & choc. biscuits. When we caught a mouse we would take it in the car to some woodland near the canal & set it free hoping it would survive & not find it's way home. We caught quite a few but eventually got rid of them all & blocked up every nook & cranny along the skirting boards & kitchen cupboards to stop them getting in again.

[Elijay]

I wish I had read this before I cleaned out the shed
I'm now waiting to go down with the dreaded lurgy as I swept it all up and made lots of dust. I did have the sense not to use a vacuum cleaner. Fortunately the shed is far away from the house and the nasty stuff is contained in a black plastic sack which will go out with the rubbish
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Trapping is effective, and generally safer than using poison. Also, poisoned mice can die in hard-to-reach places causing a very unpleasant odor. When cleaning up any dead mice or their droppings, be sure to:

• Wear rubber gloves.
  
• Make a disinfectant by mixing detergent plus 1 1/2 cups of bleach for each gallon of water.
  
• Using a spray bottle of disinfectant, thoroughly spray dead rodents, traps, droppings and the areas where you found them.
  
• Do not sweep or vacuum mouse droppings until you have wet the affected area with detergent, bleach and water. Dry sweeping or vacuuming might put dust containing viruses into the air.
  
• Place the sprayed rodent and/or droppings in a plastic bag and seal it. Then place the bag into a second bag, seal and dispose of with the rubbish.

Poisoned baits that contain anticoagulants, such as Warfarin, Pival and chlorophacinone, are the most effective, least toxic mouse poisons for home use. Continuous feedings for at least six to ten days are needed. First, read all label instructions completely, and follow them carefully.