Mice

House Mouse Mus musculus

Of the mice, the house mouse (Mus musculus) is a pest in urban and rural environments. Rodents will enter your buildings at any time of the year; however, autumn/winter is the time when mice and rats seek new supplies of food, as the natural supplies in the countryside dwindle. They also seek shelter from the colder weather. All too often they easily find shelter and ample food in our homes, offices, shops and factories.

You may hear a scurrying or gnawing sound in your roof space or under the floor as the first indication of infestation. Or perhaps you find a bar of chocolate half eaten in a cupboard. More alarming would be an electrical problem, caused by rodents gnawing though your wiring. With such signs it may be difficult to say whether you have rats or mice. If droppings are found, the identification is much easier. Rat droppings are much larger, typically one inch (25mm) long and with a characteristic pointed end. Mouse droppings are less than 1/4 inch (4mm) long and usually more numerous. A mouse can produce around 80 droppings in a day! If you want to know which species you have an infestation of try the ID Table.

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How to get rid of Mice and Rats

If you have seen rats or mice, or evidence of them around your property the most efficient and effective way to get rid of rodents is to use toxic or non-toxic baits, perhaps in conjunction with simple traps and proofing.

1. NO Rats & Mice rodenticide bait should be placed at strategic, safe points, inside and outside the buildings, in order to reduce populations around the building and to deal with individuals that enter before an infestation can take hold. NO Rats & Mice Weatherproof Blocks are well suited to using outside or in damp areas or indoors. NO Rats & Mice with Tracking Powder is ideal for use in dry areas inside the house or other affected buildings. If you do not wish to use toxic bait Kiwicare Natural NO Rats is bait that is harmful only to rodents. However, it should only be used in dry areas where other food sources can be controlled.
2. NO Mice Traps are useful to use where baits cannot be placed or as a helpful way of catching rodents that are 'dopey' from eating baits. The rodents can then be removed and disposed of.
3. A mouse can squeeze beneath a door if there is a gap large enough to fit a pencil! Draft excluding brush strips, are an ideal method of proofing such gaps. However, there are almost always other possible entry points around any building. So it is always wise to keep fresh bait in place ready to deal with rodents when they enter first. Place bait in vulnerable places such as the roof void so that any rodents that get in are dealt with before they set up a nest and cause damage.
4. Mice use cables and pipework as 'highways' around buildings. There are often gaps left around cables and pipework where the services pass through walls, floors and ceilings. Mice will often gnaw the pipes and cables to increase the ease with which they can pass through. Or they may gnaw just to keep their continually growing teeth worn down and sharp. Seal these gaps to prevent mice (or rats) moving around your buildings or damaging your plumbing and electrics.
5. An important and often overlooked aspect of controlling rodents; rodents are what we would call agoraphobic, they fear open spaces, and prefer to be under cover. A wide clear area around a building will deter rodents from reaching and entering the building. Also the removal of available food and shelter from within a building can have a powerful deterrent effect.

NO RATS AND MICE WEATHERPROOF BAIT BLOCKS

This is a great product for any area of the home, farm or industry as the blocks are unaffected by damp. The blocks can be used outdoors to prevent rats and mice going inside.  The blocks can be thrown into inaccessible areas such as roof spaces, under sheds and floors. Bait Blocks can be broken up into smaller pieces if required.

Available in packs of 160g and 480g.

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NO RATS AND MICE BAIT AND TRACKING POWDER

Innovative combination bait and tracking powder. This product is finely ground cereal baits which kill rats and mice.  The bait also clings to the rodent fur and is taken back to the nest and further ingested through grooming.

Rodents are very shy and prefer to eat in secluded areas.  Place bait in dry, sheltered, secluded areas, in close proximity to known areas of activity. 

Check bait daily and continue to top up until no further bait is being taken.

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NO RATS AND MICE BAIT STATIONS

The bait stations are designed to reduce rodent bait scatter, are easy to handle, can be fixed in place with staples or tacks, and ‘topped’ up with the NO Rats & Mice Tracking Powder as required. Open the bait station by twisting the lid to expose the bait.  Replenish bait stations as the bait is taken or replace with new bait stations. When no more bait is being taken, twist the lid to close the bait station and store until it is needed again.  With the lid closed the bait stations are waterproof.

The active ingredient, Coumatetralyl, has a cumulative action and small quantities need to be consumed on several days before symptoms of poisoning appear.  Because of the slow acting properties of the bait, no bait shyness develops.

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Poison Safety

All Kiwicare Rat & Mice baits are first generation rodenticides which offer enormous safety advantages.  The cumulative action (4-5 days) gives ample time to administer Vitamin K as an antidote in case of accidental poisoning; and so they do not normally pose a secondary poisoning threat.

Non-Toxic Control

RAT AND MOUSE TRAPS

Spring loaded ‘original’ wooden rat and mouse traps. Dead rodents can be emptied from the traps and the traps re-used, or the rodent and trap disposed of in the rubbish.

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NATURAL NO RATS

Natural NO Rats is a 100% natural, cereal based, multiple-dose pellet that contains a unique type of cellulose that cannot be digested by rodents. The rodents  die by dehydration and heart attack.  It is non toxic to all other species – humans, pets, farm livestock and farm working dogs. If ingested by non target species, the worst effect observed from repeated feeding is slight constipation, and no toxicity results from one-off ingestion.

Natural No Rats is more humane than commonly used anticoagulants such as Brodificoum.

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More information on Mice

Mice are much smaller than rats. Typically the head and body is 10cm with a tail longer than the head and body. Fur colour can range from grey to dark brown. Droppings are normally 5mm long, dark brown or black. Many droppings may be found together when there are many mice or they have been present for some months. Occasionally a trail of greasy marks caused by the oils from the animal’s fur being continually wiped where the mice run regularly, may also be visible. Such trails are a sign of a heavy infestation.

Classroom Clips Mice

• Gestation period is 21 days.
• Litters vary from 4 - 16 young per litter. 7 - 8 litters per year.
• Average lifespan is 6 - 12 months.
• Maximum progeny potential from one pair and their offspring:
  • Year 1 would be about 2,00
  • Year 2: 1,000 pair x 2,000 = 2,000,000
• Fortunately (as with rats) they have many enemies and predators, and their reproduction is well regulated by the available food supply.

Rats

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