Mouse control

Why mice need a different plan

A house mouse will use a gap around the width of a pen. That means the proofing target list for mice is longer and finer than for rats — kickboards, cabinet voids, gaps behind dishwashers and ovens, cable and pipe penetrations, sliding door tracks, sub-bench cavities and the underside of pantry joinery.

Mice also feed little and often across many points rather than travelling a single strong run. One or two traps in a corner rarely does anything. Effective mouse work is about density and placement across the whole affected zone.

How we handle it

• Inspection. Kitchen and pantry joinery, laundry, under appliances, roof void, wall cavities where accessible, garage and storage, and the external wall line.
• Trapping. Multiple mechanical traps set tight against walls and inside cavities where mice actually travel, placed away from pets and children.
• Sealing. Fine-gap proofing of the penetrations and joinery gaps that let them into the food areas, plus the external entry points feeding the building.
• Hygiene and storage advice. What to move into sealed containers and what to clean up so the interior stops being worth the trip.

Apartments and terraces

In apartments and joined terraces, mice frequently move between units through shared risers, service ducts and party walls. We'll tell you plainly when the source sits outside your walls — in a common area, a neighbouring unit or a shared bin room — because in that case sealing your kitchen alone will only push the problem sideways. Strata-managed buildings often need the common areas addressed at the same time.

Rats or mice?

Mouse droppings are small (3–6 mm), pointed and numerous; rat droppings are far larger and fewer. Mice sound light and fast; roof rats sound heavier and slower. If the noise is a thump or a drag across the ceiling at night, read rats in the roof instead, or compare the evidence in the signs guide.