Bloody mice!

widu13

widu13

Ultralighter
Popped into the loft last night and mice have done a dry bag food bag containing freeze dried meals. No problem I thought, but then I saw that the little buggers had nibbled ALL of the straps on my Decathlon Quecha 50 Ultralight bag. None have gone all of the way through the straps but they've knackered it. Gutted as Decathlon don't make it anymore and it had 8 years on the warranty left to go. I don't think mice damage was covered!

Other more expensive bags were ignored but traps and bait is now down and an ultrasonic deterrent will be fitted later on after the other methods have been live for a few days. Gutted :devilish:
 
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Enzo

Enzo

Thru Hiker
I've heard talk of woven dyneema fabrics on there way, some as skins on cuben as an abrasion resistant layer. I've seen some at 120g/m on Ali. That might stop the little bu**ers
 
Shewie

Shewie

Chief Slackpacker
Staff member
Poor @Teepee has mice issues regularly when we're out, silicone spoons seems to be a favourite, his new MYOG pack got severely nibbled up at Glen Feshie last year, they stole big chunks of mesh off his pockets for bedding, just mean.

One day I expect to wake up and find a mouse crucified on Ti stakes outside his shelter.

It's foxes for me, but you can usually catch them in the act and chase them off with half a trekking pole.

I hope you catch it
 
Diddi

Diddi

Thru Hiker
Get some UV/glow in the dark paint place food on a tray covered in it......wait a while then trace thier footsteps back to nest with uv lamp/torch...
Kill them :mask::vamp:
** in the home **
 
widu13

widu13

Ultralighter
Some bait had gone when I got home. Depending on how many there are, the problem will have gone in 24 hrs.
 
Teepee

Teepee

Thru Hiker
Taz38 said:
Peanut butter makes good bait.
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It does for normal mice. Not my visitors, they are just there for my kit. Feshie-mouse ate through mesh, silnylon and food packets to 'mine' my spoon.

Old and slightly stiff Nuttella on a 'tuned' (think hair trigger) wooden spring trap has proved a very effective mouse killer. They just sniff or touch the bait and it's goodnight Mickey.

@Diddi ....That's a great tip, never thought of that. :thumbsup:
 
craige

craige

Thru Hiker
Teepee said:
It does for normal mice. Not my visitors, they are just there for my kit. Feshie-mouse ate through mesh, silnylon and food packets to 'mine' my spoon.
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I make sure everything that will have residue is in or on top of my food bag, then hang it from the hand loop of my trekking pole inside the apex of the tent. Never had issues.
 
EM-Chiseller

EM-Chiseller

Thru Hiker
Mice 1st , then a rat wrecked a load of my gear a few years back...superfly, underquilt, rucksack, I was gutted but living between river and wood in a field, I should have prepped better ...oh and removing an empty ration pack on my return ...that was my fault for laziness....lesson learnt...
 
Teepee

Teepee

Thru Hiker
craige said:
I make sure everything that will have residue is in or on top of my food bag, then hang it from the hand loop of my trekking pole inside the apex of the tent. Never had issues.
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I was hammocking. Everything is usually hung anyway. That night, first time in ages, bag was left hanging from a tree branch :(

They don't need any residue of food though, I've had brand new spoons eaten. Lost 3 last year and 2 this. Silicone hoses on cars are also on the mouse menu. :beaver:

Chiseller said:
Mice 1st , then a rat wrecked a load of my gear a few years back...superfly, underquilt, rucksack, I was gutted but living between river and wood in a field, I should have prepped better ...oh and removing an empty ration pack on my return ...that was my fault for laziness....lesson learnt...
Click to expand...

Ouch!
A couple of years ago, I walked out the back door to notice the greenhouse was at an angle and all the perimeter cupboards had tipped over into the centre, it looked like the worms from Tremors had paid a visit or a sinkhole had opened up.
It was Rats...they'd excavated 2 tonnes of soil in a few days. Took the brick retaining wall out, chewed 2 hardwood cabinets to pieces and then left as soon as the 'work' was done.
 
widu13

widu13

Ultralighter
Teepee said:
It was Rats...they'd excavated 2 tonnes of soil in a few days. Took the brick retaining wall out, chewed 2 hardwood cabinets to pieces and then left as soon as the 'work' was done.
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One of my less celebrated courses in the mob was the Unit Health and Hygiene NCO. Otherwise known as a rat catcher. It was basically a 4 week pest control course. There we learned that rats will chew through anything, including metal and brick; anywhere that they touch there is a high chance of leptospirosis being present and that they have moveable plates in their skull to condense the size of it. If they can get their skull through a hole, then they can get their body through.

I used to have a pet rat until I discovered I was allergic to them! It wasn't as hard as my mates hamster though which had the same name as the hamster from the Young Ones. That hamster was a paratrooper with dozens of "jumps" to it's name from the 2nd floor of the accommodation with a chute made from a hanky. It all ended in tears though, when someone else's boa got out and ate it.

We also had a few block rats but that was a different thing entirely ;)
 
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cathyjc

cathyjc

Thru Hiker
Found a load of dried Rat droppings in our garage (attached to house) - left over the winter.
Not found any damage and I don't think they are around anymore .….. upside was I had no problems with mice eating the big tubs of tatties I store in there :thumbsup: :D.
 
Shewie

Shewie

Chief Slackpacker
Staff member
I was working in one of our sites a few years ago and found mouse droppings in one of our network racks, considering the room is air tight for fire extinguishment gas I've no idea how it got there, clever little critters
 
widu13

widu13

Ultralighter
Packing for the SDW meet tomorrow and discovered that there is damage to my MLD bag :eek:, so £300 to £400's worth of damage. Claim on the contents insurance or just suck it up?
 
Diddi

Diddi

Thru Hiker
widu13 said:
Packing for the SDW meet tomorrow and discovered that there is damage to my MLD bag :eek:, so £300 to £400's worth of damage. Claim on the contents insurance or just suck it up?
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Depends what ya excess iss and knowing that your policy will also go up.
But why pay it if you are never going to use it..
 
Enzo

Enzo

Thru Hiker
I rummeged through some boxes in my garage during the winter when I got a 'hamster cage' type smell. A little investigation later I found a little nest 5' up a rack in a box with a snoozing non rat rodent of some kind. Would love to think it was a dormouse. Wasn't doing any harm to the thermionic valves so I left it.
 
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