OCD Action - The national UK charity providing support and information to anybody affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD Action Online Forums » Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD Action Online Forums

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Mickey Mouse

(45 posts) (12 voices)

Started 2 years ago by
Latest reply from
This topic is Not a support question

Tags:

No tags yet.

Unregistered

Five years ago, I spoke to a very dear friend about my being driven to distraction by field mice in my home. Despite his phobia of driving, he immediately said he'd come to help in any way he could. He added âYou can't let Mickey Mouse destroy you!' Knowing how much effort it would have been for him to visit me, I thanked him profusely, but declined his offer. It wasn't really a problem anyone could deal with anyway. My friend (who suffered severe OCD) died a few months later. I still hear his words about Mickey Mouse, every time I shed a tear of despair, because the mice still enter the house.

The solution should be relatively easy. Filling in any small gaps in the mortar should eradicate the problem. However, we are in a semi-detached property and the neighbours are not bothering to fill gaps in on their side. I have spent quite a lot of money on the latest electromagnetic devices, followed advice on-line, but nothing works.

I can see no end to this and, yesterday, after I released one of the mice from a small wooden trap my husband has made, another walked across the kitchen floor, over my shoes and then onto the âclean' area of the house. I broke down. I felt so close to losing my mind. I wanted to lose my mind, anything to make the fear and pain go away. I screamed and sobbed for two hours. I just wanted to give up. I even shouted at God. I don't think he will be around any more!

The saying âif everything is contaminated, nothing is' just isn't working. Everything is contaminated and I can see no way to rectify this.

I know I am close to breaking point. I just need to escape. From mice. From OCD.

Wed Sep 30 2009 14:38:30 #
brennie
Member

My dear friend Tricia, i have just shed a tear for you my dear.... oh! my god how i can feel the pain you are going through, bless you today and always.

Brennie x

Wed Sep 30 2009 15:36:10 #
Parvez Choudhry
Member

Dear Tricia

I am really sorry you are going through this horrid experience. Is there anything we your friends on this forum can do to support you now? If it would help you to vent your feelings in writing here, or to describe to us the specific characteristics of a field mouse that trigger your abhorence, then I'm a good listener. But don't worry, I understand if you don't want to in case it churns your anxiety up even more. Please let us know how you are tomorrow.

Thinking of you
Parvez

Wed Sep 30 2009 16:34:57 #
swan
Member

Hi Tricia,
You are always really supportive to me when Im going through bad times, just wanted you to know Im here also for you. I am thinking of you. Could you contact enviromental health re the mice? Dont know just wandered if they could do anything about you situation.
With Love
Teresa

Wed Sep 30 2009 18:32:29 #
Hairball
Member

Tricia,

I'm so sorry to hear that you're feeling very down at the moment. I know that logic may not always be the best weapon against OCD, but it helped me. Remember that you live in an enormous world, full of people with much worse problems that you. Also, remember that it is just your OCD that's doing this to you. A mouse is simply a living creature, an organism. And think about when you go camping, or the people who live in rainforests or deserts. Think about the amount of times they have bugs or whatever crawl all over their houses or wherever they live. Sorry if this doesn't help, I'm just giving ideas. I hope you feel better soon!

Kind regards,
Hairball.

Wed Sep 30 2009 21:59:04 #
OCDLONELY
Member

Hello Tricia,

You know how I feel about this situation of yours? You have always been there for me and it's so hard not being able to help you at a time when you really need it. I so hope this situation is resolved soon. If you ever need to talk I'm always here. Take care

Daniel

Wed Sep 30 2009 22:13:40 #
Nicx
Member

Hi Tricia

I know how you feel no matter what you say to yourself you still can't get it out of your head. I want you to know you are not alone I am thinking of you, Take care.

Nicolax

Thu Oct 1 2009 14:23:32 #
Unregistered

The kind support I have received has lifted my spirits somewhat, so thank you all for that.

Environmental health would put poison down, so I cannot go down that route. I have seen what poison does to animals and I could not live with myself if I did that. I have even caught the mice and taken them into the countryside, but I won't take one on its own, so only if I catch two am I able to do that.

Hairball, I don't go camping, I can't even sit on a chair. Yes, I do look at the bigger picture, but knowing the world is full of the things you say, doesn't help, and neither, sadly, does thinking of other people's suffering. At the moment, selfishly perhaps, I think few things are worse than living a life of fear anyway, whatever the source of that fear may be, real or imagined. Coincidentally, your very logical words reminded me of a healer/counsellor I went to. She tried to explain that the contamination I fear is not going to hurt me (thatâs not strictly true, but not my concern) and that itâs all around me anyway, the world's a small place. I then spoke to the healer about my husband's kind attempt at helping me to face the outside, by buying me an old car for âdirty' use. I told her he meant well, but the car was rather mouldy and unpleasant and was difficult to face. She, believing I had arrived at her home in that car, swiftly moved the fabric chair I always sat on and replaced it with a plastic one. It was obvious what was on her mind. I wanted to pick her up on it and repeat her words to me, for I knew she was afraid I would contaminate the fabric chair. I do not fear harm, I fear being contaminated. I feel everywhere is now dirty and there is no escape. The feeling is one of extreme revulsion.

It isn't the mice themselves that are causing me such despair. It's the fact they go outside and near shoes etc and then spread that contamination everywhere. I don't know why I am reacting as badly as this, because we have had a problem with mice for many years. I've always been very unhappy about it, now I feel I can no longer cope. But then exposure has always had that effect on me. I endure a situation for so long, and then crack. I must just add, that I have asked friends (without OCD) how they would cope and none could. They would either have to put poison down or move if the problem persisted.

Again, thank you for all your kind words. I am still panicking but your sympathetic thoughts have helped.

Tricia xx

P.S. I would never tell anyone that others have much worse problems. I won't bother to quote Anne Frank again, but I agree with her wholeheartedly!

Thu Oct 1 2009 15:27:11 #
Unregistered

P.P.S. There is also the constant fear of them chewing electric cables. When we moved into this house, blissfully unaware of the problem at first, we soon discovered that many cables needed replacing because theyâd been chewed. I even got an electric shock from one, because I ran a damp cloth over it (as it was so dusty) and, unbeknown to me, the inner wires were exposed.

Thu Oct 1 2009 15:32:54 #
Parvez Choudhry
Member

Dear Tricia

I certainly wouldn't like to have mice in my house. Like you, I hate the thought of them touching 'dirty' objects and then touching things I regard as clean. For the same reason I am discomforted when I find insects or spiders in my food cupboard, or when a fly lands on my face when I am outdoors. (Once I was cycling very fast along a country lane with my mouth open and a fly went down my throat before I knew what was happening! ) Although I dislike the thought of killing mice, I would probably be willling to do it if my house was infested, especially because of the risk of them chewing through electric cables. You evidently have a more tender heart than I do since you have ruled out killing them to solve your problem. Are there any really effective mousetraps available that would catch mice without killing them?

Anyway, I'm sending heaps of warm good wishes your way, Tricia. I hope despite this crisis that there is still something you will be able to do today which you will enjoy, just to give your frazzled nervous system some respite.

Parvez

Thu Oct 1 2009 16:27:34 #
swan
Member

Hi Tricia,
You are not being selfish about saying that you cant think that other are worse than yourseld, I get fraustrated/angry when this is said/ suggested to me. At the end of the day its relative to what we are going through. Its very easy to give advice for situations that are not an issue for yourself. As reguards the therapist who put a plastic cover on your seat i would have reminded them what they had said.
Take care
Teresa

Thu Oct 1 2009 18:02:21 #
Unregistered

Thanks, Teresa, you and I see things from the same viewpoint, don't we. You take good care, too.
Love, Tricia.

P.S. I should have said something to the counsellor. Wish I had now!

Thu Oct 1 2009 21:39:14 #
Unregistered

Dear Parvez, Apologies for overlooking your reply, yesterday. I have many humane traps around the house, but the only ones the mice use are the wooden ones my husband made. Unfortunately, they normally only catch one at a time. I have reached the point where I am prepared to kill them, if it's done quickly and humanely. That rules out poison (which is so slow acting) and the traditional traps which can maim, but not always kill. I bought some electronic traps, which I hate to use. I feel awful when one does go inside and is electrocuted, but it's a quick and painless end. However, the mice are smart enough to know the traps are dangerous, I think this is because they can smell the scent of a dead mouse, previously caught, and it appears that the smell lasts weeks. So this has also proved ineffective. The traps are not washable because of the wiring inside them. If only my neighbours would co-operate, the problem could be so easily solved. Even a determined mouse can't chew through bricks and mortar.

Hairball, I have been chatting to various people about the problem with the mice, and either there are far more OCD sufferers than I realized, or people in general do see mice in their homes as unhealthy and even dangerous. Most, without OCD, admit they wouldn't cope as well as I am. The one person, so far, who is not fazed at all, and seems to regard wild rodents in her home as company (which I find terribly sad; she is elderly and lives alone), actually has OCD, but no contamination fears.

I even bought three rats a few years ago, because someone told me that mice are scared of rats. As the rats were tame, I could control where they went in the house, and hoped their smell would deter the field mice. I felt like the old woman who swallowed the fly. And, like the old woman, I was unsuccessful. Wish I could get as far as the horse and end this nightmare for good. Talking of flies, I have experienced the same as you, Parvez, I expect most of us have at some point. I was unhappy about swallowing the small fly, but I would have been more alarmed if it had crawled over a clean area of my home, or my skin or clothes. I know I'm crazy, but by swallowing it I felt the contamination was contained! I am the same as you with all insects, but the bigger the creature's legs and feet, the greater the panic.

The biggest problem right now is the source of the mice, which although already here when we moved in, have increased alarmingly, because they had the food put out for my geese to eat and a safe run to shelter in. Both my geese have died, and my husband and daughter insist I stop feeding the mice. A large number reside outside and have become so hungry, and tame, that they come up to me in the garden and seem to be begging for food. By continuing to feed them, the problem will never go away, and yet, by withholding food they are heading for the house more than they would otherwise do. I sneak out and feed them two or three times a week and they actually take bread and seeds from my hand. When they are in the garden they are the sweetest creatures. When inside, venturing from a âcontaminated' area of my kitchen to a âclean' area, they reduce me to hysterics.

At the moment I cannot shut the fear off enough to even listen to a piece of music. I'm barely able to sleep and when I do I dream of mice crawling all over me and the house. Today, I am more distressed than yesterday, because they have been upstairs and are also chewing under the living room floor (one room they have not yet entered). I feel I am under siege. The frazzled nervous system is at breaking point. I have not been this distraught for years. I've said this before and it's not to attract sympathy, and certainly not pity, but to explain to people like Hairball, who do not seem to appreciate the level of fear so many of us feel. If I could go back to the days when I was regularly being beaten, I would not hesitate to trade that for the mice, or even weekly trips to the supermarket, which also terrify me. Physical pain is, for me, preferable to mental torment.

Thank you again to everyone who has supported me with messages on the board and e-mails. You really have made me feel less alone. However, I won't be on-line for a while, because I'm just a gibbering wreck and no good to anyone right now.

Best wishes to you all.

Tricia x

Fri Oct 2 2009 14:20:57 #
stevieb
Member

Hello Tricia

I think I have mice in my new flat, but they are behind the skirting board, rather than in the flat itself. I know it must be mice, there's nothing else it could be. There may only be one mouse, but I wouldn't be at all happy if it actually got into the flat, as I'm a bit obsessed with contamination myself.

But as for your problem, even if your neighbours don't bother to fill in the gaps on their side, you can still fill them in on yours, which should stop them getting in. Have you had a chat with them about it? The problem with mice is that they breed fast.

There is another solution I'm about to put to you,though, but it may not be possible for you with your phobia of contamination, Tricia. But.....have you considered getting a cat? If you can tolerate the presence of a cat, that should definitely eradicate your mouse problem.

I hope you are feeling better now, and I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your supportive friend. I get the feeling this has made you feel more sad with your mouse situation.

Hope you find a solution soon, Tricia.

Best wishes,
Steve x

Fri Oct 2 2009 21:13:47 #
Unregistered

Dear Steve, It's good to hear from you, I know you've been very busy lately, but we've missed you here. I'm sorry you have a possible mouse problem, too, let's hope they stay out of your flat itself.

Naturally, we have seen to the gaps our side. My daughter and I re-pointed the walls, last year, and my husband has put mesh over the air bricks, even those twenty feet up, just in case the mice do attempt to climb that far (they are capable of it). Semi-detached houses (at least the kind we live in) are one building to rodents, and neighbours have to cooperate. I have spoken to ours and they won't.

As you realized, a cat would be more source of contamination for me. Anyway, cats are usually ineffective. Mice do not leave houses just because a cat is in residence. I have a friend who is struggling with a mouse problem, and she has a cat. The cat occasionally injures a mouse, which adds to her distress, as she has to find a way to kill it. The only way a cat might keep a home free of mice is if it were not fed, then it would become a hunter and exist on the mice. The thought of the carnage is enough to prevent me attempting that!

Unfortunately, I'm feeling worse, if that's possible. I think I have glandular fever again, and I'm sure that's because of the continual high anxiety. I can't stop myself from trembling with fear. I can't sleep for more than a couple of hours at night. I just want this nightmare of a life to end. You're right, missing my friend hasn't helped. How desperately I want to join him. Having said that, I have prayed for a release from this hell of an existence for over thirty years, long beofre the loss of David.

I sincerely hope your mouse goes away and doesn't cause you any more stress.

Best wishes,
Tricia x

Sun Oct 4 2009 15:22:58 #
stevieb
Member

[quote="Tricia":2mqj873r]Dear Steve, It's good to hear from you, I know you've been very busy lately, but we've missed you here. I'm sorry you have a possible mouse problem, too, let's hope they stay out of your flat itself.

Naturally, we have seen to the gaps our side. My daughter and I re-pointed the walls, last year, and my husband has put mesh over the air bricks, even those twenty feet up, just in case the mice do attempt to climb that far (they are capable of it). Semi-detached houses (at least the kind we live in) are one building to rodents, and neighbours have to cooperate. I have spoken to ours and they won't.

As you realized, a cat would be more source of contamination for me. Anyway, cats are usually ineffective. Mice do not leave houses just because a cat is in residence. I have a friend who is struggling with a mouse problem, and she has a cat. The cat occasionally injures a mouse, which adds to her distress, as she has to find a way to kill it. The only way a cat might keep a home free of mice is if it were not fed, then it would become a hunter and exist on the mice. The thought of the carnage is enough to prevent me attempting that!

Unfortunately, I'm feeling worse, if that's possible. I think I have glandular fever again, and I'm sure that's because of the continual high anxiety. I can't stop myself from trembling with fear. I can't sleep for more than a couple of hours at night. I just want this nightmare of a life to end. You're right, missing my friend hasn't helped. How desperately I want to join him. Having said that, I have prayed for a release from this hell of an existence for over thirty years, long beofre the loss of David.

I sincerely hope your mouse goes away and doesn't cause you any more stress.

Best wishes,
Tricia x

Dear Tricia,

I'm sorry you're feeling so desperate and down about your mouse and OCD problem. I can't understand why your neighbours won't co-operate with trying to help your mouse infestation. Don't they have a mouse problem too? They must do, so I don't get why they won't seal up holes, etc.

It's more likely that the mice are getting in from outside, anyway. Sounds like you need someone working with rodent control who knows what they're doing to come out and do something about this. The mice can only be getting in from outside.

I'll have to tell my property agents about my problem, as it is getting on my nerves a bit now. My old flat once had a mouse, and I tried to catch it, but I didn't stand a chance! I saw it first while I was watching T.V, I just saw this flicker of movement from the corner of my eye, and there it was! I put some traps down, and didn't see it for months, then it re-appeared this night. I was up half the night trying to catch the damn thing.

I even took a swipe at it with one of my slippers, but it was just too fast! It wasn't dumb, either.

I watched it trying to get through a gap in the skirting board, but it couldn't do it. Then later it disappeared, and I taped up the hole in the skirting board. I didn't see the mouse again, but I knew it had been back, as it actually took the bait from the trap without setting off the trap! Amazing. It may sound funny, but it was an absolute nuisance.

But I don't know what to suggest about your problem, other than try and find out where they may be getting in from outside, place traps close to holes they're getting through, and nag your council about getting rid of the sodding things once and for all. You pay your council tax, after all, so you should be getting something back.

Also, is there any particular source outside of your house which may be attracting them? Is there a pile of rubbish close by, perhaps? In the meantime, try not to be afraid of them. I know they spread germs, but I keep the bathroom/kitchen doors closed at night to contain any mouse, should it ever get past the skirting board and into the flat.

Little ba*tards, aren't they? Lol

I hope you can very soon find a positive outcome to this problem, Tricia, and that you feel much better.

Best wishes,
Steve xx

Sun Oct 4 2009 16:28:44 #
jon
Member

Hi Tricia, I hope you are OK.
If it is any help I have had a problem also with mice at home and if I know they are in the house my anxiety goes way up. I dont have a problem with killing them with traditional traps though as anytime I have done so they appear to be killed instantly, although the whole process gives me the shivers. I've found that they cant resist chocolate or toffee and that Rolo's are the best.

I agree with Steve that you should try and get the Local Council to eradicate them once and for all and maybe they can also advise the neighbours to also seal any holes on the walls on their side. I like animals but my OCD would prevent me from keeping them in the home, whether they be dogs or cats, so my home is may sancturay from our four legged friends.

Eradicating mice is a normal thing to do and for me particularly as it effects my OCD I dont have a probelm with it - I'm afraid the mice come second best in that argument. Tricia, I know your anxiety is off the scale right now and these words wont mean much but please know that it will come down again and do take care.
Jon

Mon Oct 5 2009 18:20:45 #
Unregistered

Dear Jon and Steve, your messages mean a great deal. I just don't know what to do. I have refused the intervention of environmental health etc, because I have asked what they would use and it would be the slow acting anti-coagulant, which causes the mice great distress and pain (and takes a week to kill them). Yesterday, my husband said to use the poison, and to consider the pain the mice are causing me. They are driving me out of my mind, but not intentionally. If I put poison down, or allow the council to, I will knowingly be allowing them to suffer a horrendous fate.

However, I'm so desperate I phoned a veterinary surgeon, hoping he would tell me I am mistaken, that such poisons are as painless as some of the manufacturers claim. Alas, I am right, the vet confirmed it's a terribly painful death. I am desperate to find a poison that's painless and very quick. Someone must know what I could use, it's a case of finding out who to ask.

Steve, the source is not rubbish, but a forty foot enclosure where I used to keep my geese, the mice have been living there for years but have now got out of control. Again, I don't know how to deal with them. It would be impossible to trap them all.

Thank you, Jon and Steve.

Tricia x

Tue Oct 6 2009 13:23:08 #
stevieb
Member

Hello

Well, I now know that my mouse has got into the flat! I saw it tonight, as soon as I got in from work, and put the light on. It scurried out from behind the T.V, and shot underthe door, and into the kitchen. Where it is now, I've no idea. I've put three traps down, one in the kitchen, one in the living room, and one in the bedroom. Tomorrow, I'll tape up a few gaps I can see around the place too, and inform my property agents.

Like you, Tricia, I wouldn't want the mouse to suffer a horrible, slow death, so if that's the only way the council rodent control department deals with them, I may not contact them yet. I prefer the death to be quick and painless, e.g the trap. I just hope I catch the little s*d, and that I get no more. I don't know of a mouse poison which is quick and painless, I think they will all induce some pain and suffering to the mouse, but there may well be something which will make it a few hours, rather than a few days.

I'll let you know if I hear of any solution for you, Tricia.

And I only hope that I can get a good nights sleep tonight, I don't want the thing scrabbling around, and p*ssing on my duvet! lol

Tue Oct 6 2009 23:27:10 #
lioness
Member

Hi Tricia,

You are always replying to others posts and its not often I've seen you do a post so you must be feeling distraught about this I hope you can find a solution soon, I can't think of anything useful to say right now but take care and keep venting here if it helps.

Wed Oct 7 2009 12:15:55 #
Unregistered

Thank you, Lioness. I'm sorry that you are having more problems, too. Let's hope we get some relief from this soon.

Steve, so sorry the invader has made himself seen, but hopefully it's an isolated one and you can trap him very quickly. There must be something, cyanide is instant isn't it? But where can an ordinary person get hold of anything like that?! Apple pips are poisonous and I believe contain traces of cyanide, but it would probably take a considerable amount to even kill a mouse. Because I'm in such a state, I don't know what I've already said, but my husband heard someone on the radio talking about a big problem with mice this year and he mentioned he has a way of making up a poison which is very quick, but of course he couldn't broadcast his âsecret' on air. If I find out what will work, I'll let you know.

I hope you are making the bottom of your bedroom door mouse proof. We have, it's like living in a prison, each door secured before another is opened!

Best wishes, Steve and Lioness.
Tricia x

Wed Oct 7 2009 13:20:14 #
Wombat140
Member

Tricia, this isn't really to do with mice particularly, but I thought you might find it useful. You seem to need some kind of help, and I know you've been through the usual things already.
Somebody on another OCD forum was saying that she'd tried homoeopathy for her OCD and found it helped a lot. Hers was intrusive thoughts, but still. I asked which remedy it was, but she said it varied from person to person and you'd have to consult a homoeopath. But she said it really helped her. I wondered about trying it myself, but apparently the neurofeedback equipment that I've been trying to get really will be available in a few weeks now, so I thought I'd wait till that was available. So I can't speak for the homoeopathy myself, but it's worth bearing in mind.

Hope this helps
Wombat140

PS I like mice usually. But lately one keeps clattering about in our loft in the middle of the night and waking everyone up! I still don't know how one very small mouse can make so much racket! Hope you get yours sorted out soon.

Sat Oct 10 2009 20:38:57 #
Unregistered

Thanks, Wombat. I will look into the homeopathy and please let us know how the Neurofeedback goes.

I also like mice (and rats) but not when they are running around the house. You would not believe the difference in my reaction when I see one in the garden compared with the kitchen etc! You are right about the noise, how do they manage it?!

Tricia x

Sun Oct 11 2009 14:57:06 #
Parvez Choudhry
Member

Hi Tricia

What is the current situation with the mice? Have you managed to evict them all yet? And how are you feeling yourself? I hope your anxiety is starting to subside now and that you can enjoy a few oases of tranquility in the midst of the turmoil. You have been through a terrible time - I hope it isn't overwhelming you.

Warm regards .... Parvez

Fri Oct 16 2009 12:10:36 #
Unregistered

Dear Parvez, I've avoided updating the situation. Firstly, because I didn't want to tempt fate, the mice seemed to have disappeared, but also because my anxiety hasn't improved, because everywhere feels so contaminated. Secondly, people will only take so much of my negative emotions, I tire of them myself! Wednesday, a week after any sighting, food disappeared from one of the wooden traps my husband made (but the mouse didn't trigger the door mechanism and it escaped). I reacted almost as badly as I did over two weeks ago, when I began this thread. I feel desperate, to be honest. My daughter is cancelling all social engagements (she works from home). I think she has placed me on suicide watch. This adds to the pain, knowing what I am doing to her.

Yesterday, I called a vet I've known many years (he was on holiday when I phoned his surgery last time and I spoke to one of his colleagues). I asked questions about various poisons I've read about online. He discussed each one, but either believed they wouldn't work or would be as painful as the anticoagulants you can buy in shops.

Everyone (bar my daughter, who knows me very well) has said to use anticoagulant poison. Even the vet I spoke to, yesterday, said knowing the distress they are causing me he would probably do that. I think I'd find it easier to take it myself than inflict such pain on an innocent creature.

Thanks for caring, it means a great deal.

Tricia x

P.S. Steve, is your mouse still on the loose?

Fri Oct 16 2009 13:33:44 #
Unregistered

P.S. Does it make sense that if I killed a pet rat or mouse with anticoagulant I would be prosecuted for cruelty? I just don't understand human beings and their logic at all! I know there has to be some poison that's quick and painless, I just don't know how to find out what.

Fri Oct 16 2009 13:39:31 #
DEAD!
Blocked

Hi Tricia,

Sorry you're still having a hard time with this

Fri Oct 16 2009 14:39:49 #
Unregistered

Thanks, Nicola. Just heard that field mice are a protected species. It appears I could get sent to prison for killing them. Might have more time on my hands to write to everyone here. Can you imagine how I'll cope. Probably better than I am now, no mice in prisons hopefully!

Tricia x

P.S. Also found out I could be prosecuted for not killing a grey squirrel!

Fri Oct 16 2009 15:29:28 #
Parvez Choudhry
Member

Hi Tricia

Is it possible that another creature stole the food from the mousetrap, such as a cockroach or a biscuit weevil? Being smaller than a mouse it may have managed to get in and out of the trap without activating it.

You can buy some gadgets and chemical sprays to deter animals from visiting certain areas in your house. I'm not sure how effective they are. I googled for some mailorder suppliers and found [url=http://www.primrose-london.co.uk/pest-control-mouse-deterrents-c-24_25.html:3o55qr8k]this[/url:3o55qr8k] and there are others. You may have already gone down this route and not got anywhere, but have you tried phoning one of these suppliers to see if they can suggest anything else?

In your search for a quick-acting poison, have you tried phoning the National Poisons Information Service in Birmingham? Their website is http://www.npis.org where you can find a telephone number and email address.

Tricia, it sounds to me you would benefit from having a restful holiday away from it all so that you can recharge your batteries. Could your daughter take you away for a break while your husband stays home to watch out for mice? I don't know whether leaving the house for a week would cause you extra stress for other reasons, but sometimes a retreat from the battle and a complete change of scene for a while can alter the way you view an anxious situation.

Best wishes .... Parvez

Fri Oct 16 2009 16:32:59 #
DEAD!
Blocked

Like Parvez said, maybe a spray would be best then.

Just looking online there is from

http://ezinearticles.com/?Pest-Control: ... &id=347552

Soda Pop - Amazingly, these little guys love soda pop. Put a saucer of the sweet stuff where they are likely to get at it. The mice will drink the soda and die. Apparently, it is the carbonization that does them in.

Mashed Potatoes (instant variety) - Place instant mashed potatoes near where you suspect the mice are hiding. They will eat the potatoes which will swell up in their tiny stomachs before they can be digested, thereby killing the mice. Unfortunately, they will probably die in the walls which may produce a smell.

Plaster of Paris with Chocolate - Mix dry chocolate powder with dry plaster of Paris. Place it where the mice live. The mice will eat the chocolate plaster and then go out in search of water. The plaster will kill them but, unlike the situation with the mashed potatoes, there is a good chance that they will die outside of your house while searching for water.

and

Mouse House
If you don't want to snap a mouse's back in half with a mouse trap, you can buy a larger device that lures mice and then locks them in. These devices can be large but they are rather safe. Mice are usually attracted by some cheese or peanut butter and when they walk into the trap to get it, they get stuck.

Nicola

Fri Oct 16 2009 17:37:29 #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply »

OCD Action Forums

Key

- Forum section
- New post in forum
- Topic post
- New post in topic
- Announcement, important
- Support Question
- Resolved Support Question
- Locked topic
- Hot topic

Bold text denotes an unread post in topic or forum area.

OCD Action Forums

Forum Topic Search

Achievements

Today I fell flat on my face and got covered in salt, grit and mud. But I managed to pick myself up, wipe myself down and carry on despite being severely shaken up by the fall. I also haven't changed my clothes since getting in.
Truddles on February 9, 2012

Yesterday I managed to ger ready in the morning in 45 minutes, { sometimes it takes me nearly two hours} and left the house with only checking plugs etc once.
Chloe on January 24, 2012

Submit your Achievement »

What’s new

'OCD at School' Youth Event

Posted January 27, 2012

OCD Week 2012

Posted January 17, 2012

Advocacy Set to Expand

Posted December 2, 2011

Conference 2011

Posted November 29, 2011

Helpline: 0845 390 6232 / 020 7253 2664
Helpline email: support@ocdaction.org.uk

Office: 020 7253 5272
Office email: info@ocdaction.org.uk

© 2008 - 2009 OCD Action, Registered charity No: 1035213.
Suite 506-507 Davina House, 137-149 Goswell Road, London EC1V 7ET.

Designed by Obscuresounds Ltd.