Dead Mouse. Caught 5th September 2010

At approximately 10.30pm I heard a trap snap. I immediately knew the mouse had not been killed quickly due to its intense squeaking, so before rushing to the trap I rushed to get my big (450g) hammer. The mouse had somehow trapped the lower part of its body instead of the usual neck-breaking or brain-crushing head-blow. With one firm whack to the wriggling mouse I quickly killed it with my hammer. It was very distressing for me to kill the mouse in this manner, but trapping continues to be vastly more humane than poisoning. Poisoning always entails a long-drawn-out-death. The mouse I killed was alive in the trap for no more than 30 seconds. I am always at home in the evening when mice are active therefore I will always be available to quickly kill any mice which are not instantly killed in the traps.

It is only slightly over one week since I caught the previous mouse therefore their numbers are definitely increasing. I recently emailed Coventry Council to inquire about what legal action can be taken against Whitefriars; I shall keep you updated. Hopefully we can resolve this matter soon.

The bait I used to trap this mouse was a combination of mayonnaise and breakfast cereal.

Dead Mouse. Caught - 27th August 2010

Here is the latest dead mouse. Caught at midnight by the side of my fridge. Read my first mouse blog for more information.

Dead Mouse. Caught - 19th May 2010

To fair, regarding Whitefriars, I should point out that on one occasion in three years Whitefriars did arrange for council pest control to put down poisoned bait in all the homes.

MOUSE CONTROL - CASE STUDY

I wish to remain anonymous in these posts because I value my privacy. I also don't want to give my home a bad name because I enjoy living in my home despite the mouse infestation, so I will not specifically mention the exact location of my home. I live in a tower block in Coventry, West Midlands, UK. There are more than five floors in my home; the mice are throughout the building going up to the top floor. The infestation is widespread throughout the building. Thankfully I am only catching one mouse every three months approximately, so the issue is not too extreme in my home. I use traps instead of poison because I worry about inadvertent poisoning of pets or myself. Traps are also better for the environment because they are chemical-free. I should also add that poisoned mice can easily die in inaccessible areas (behind wall-cavities etc) thereby causing a smell of decay, whereas with traps the mouse always dies in the trap thus it is easy to remove the dead mouse.

The death of mice in these traps is very quick: when a trap catches a mouse the mouse is usually dead within 20 seconds. Last night (August 27th 2010) I heard a trap snap... I rushed to investigate and the mouse was already dead when I got to the trap. It was a young mouse so it seems they are breeding prolifically.

Here are some photos of a dead mouse caught on 19th May 2010: