Question:
We first spotted a mouse about 6 months ago but presumed it had disappeared as when we set a trap we didn’t catch it and also didn’t see anything of it. I’ve just woken to a gnawing noise and haven’t seen one though. Is it safe to say I have an infestation now? And would they try live inside my bed or sofa even tho these are high traffic areas? And also do they all have ticks and how would theses presents themselves?
Answer:
A mouse tries very hard not to present itself at all. A sofa is a great place for a mouse to hide. There is lots of soft cloth and “stuffing” it can use to build a cozy nest. The cloth and foam inside a sofa muffles any gnawing that may going on there. The gnawing you heard could be the sofa-dwelling mouse trying to get out of your house to go forage for food, or it could be another mouse trying to get in to enjoy all the comforts of home.
Please don’t put poison in your sofa. Anything that kills mice and rats can at least make people sick, and poisoning your sofa can cause serious health problems for you, your family, and your guests – especially anyone taking anticoagulants after a heart attack or stroke.
Instead, use snap traps for pest control. Target mice where they go for food and water instead of where they nest. To catch even one mouse, you need to put out at least 6 to 8 snap mouse traps near food and water sources. This could be under a sink, under the fridge, under the cook stove, near any frequently opened waste receptacle, and near cabinets where you have food stored in cardboard or plastic containers. Put two traps next to each, so the mouse can’t hop over any one trap and escape. If you kill mice in the kitchen, they won’t go back to the sofa.
It’s only reasonable to be concerned about ticks. Ticks carry an astonishing variety of diseases, including babesiosis, Colorado tick fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, cytauxzoonosis, Lyme disease, relapsing fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tick-borne meningoenchephalitis, and tularemia.
Fortunately, it’s very, very rare for anyone to contract these diseases from tick bites indoors. And mice are not especially likely to have ticks on them at all unless they come into the house from tall grass. If you keep grass trimmed in the yard, you will have fewer ticks in general, and the risk of tick bites from ticks carried by mice is essentially zero.
If you were to be bitten by a tick, you’d see a small, brown, oval creature about a millimeter long stuck to your skin. It is important to get its mouth and pincers out of your skin without mashing them and releasing bacteria. Grasp the tick with tweezers and pull it out of your skin with a steady upward motion. If you can’t get the entire tick out of your skin, you need to see a doctor—but it is highly unlikely this will be a problem inside the house.
Julie says
June 23, 2019 at 1:40 amHow we pd $8 grand 5yrs ago for a BEAUTIFUL leather living room set. Past 3yr has been in storage and we moved it. Trying to save LEATHER but OPENED reclining seats and when moved it could tell mice build BEST in there so has mouse dropping and WORTH urine smell. Leather cleaned up nice AS would like to sell to get something back. But have searched all over and just want to know the quickest MOST cost effective way to put something inside of the couches to remove this smell! Pls help!
Simon says
June 23, 2019 at 10:13 amI think you are going to have a hard time trying to remove the smell. I would suggest trying a product like Urine Off – here’s a link to Amazon https://amzn.to/2FEoZVt
Delores Nappa says
April 24, 2019 at 11:33 amI have mice in 2 beds and a couch. After 2 exterminators and $350 , I still have them. There are no droppings anywhere but I am getting pictures on a night camera of them. I don’t know what to do next. Actually, both exterminators didn’t believe I had mice until I showed them the camera pictures. There is one picture of a mouse sitting on the edge of my dogs water dish eating his dog food and another picture of one along the side of a snap trap licking peanut butter. I don’t leave food or water out anymore overnight. I hope you can help me get rid of these critters.
Simon says
May 19, 2019 at 3:16 pmHow do you know they are in 2 beds and a couch?
cathy says
April 5, 2019 at 7:58 pmI have a house that i have lived in for over 40 yrs,,,,,problem no matter how clean it is i have mice in winter & summer,,,,, i had all holes closed up there is bait & snap traps everyplace they are walking on my furniture & they were in my bed,,,,,i caught 1 that is it i have a bird who is 14yrs old he knows when they are around,,, they call to each other,,,,everybody has cats but me,,,,i am going nuts i have no idea what to,,,,,,I have drop ceilings every place there is bait & traps in them nothing is working
Mark says
April 6, 2019 at 3:34 pmHave you tried using a camera trap to get a better understanding of where they travel to and fro or and identify the mouse runways?
Teyana says
October 13, 2018 at 11:31 amI have a RAT in my house he is pretty big and pretty smart I set traps and poisons but he won’t go near them I have a small child in the house am I’ am pretty much afraid of him he goes in and out my vent and he also put holes in my pull out couch can u please help me
Simon says
October 15, 2018 at 5:17 pmTeyana
Your first step is to make your vent rat proof, and if you do this while the rat it outside, then you have solved your problem.
Best
Simon
Sav says
April 23, 2018 at 2:03 amI recintly bought a sofa bed off someone that had it in a cabin when i pulled it out i found mouse/rat droppings not sure which in the hidden part and the bed part i cut that part off an vacuumed the whole thing i dont hear or feel anything and havent had anymore droppings my question when it was being moved/delivered would the mice come out leave and can i use lisol to clean it it smells like its had rodants on it iv cleaned it best i could wit what i had
Simon says
April 28, 2018 at 3:38 pmHi – this article might be helpful http://www.cdc.gov/rodents/cleaning/index.html. You could buy a black light to identify urine trails left by the rodents. Not sure I would want to sit or sleep on it if it smells. Yes the mouse could have traveled and left or made its new home in your home. Just keep your eyes & ears out for evidence of them. Again, I’m not sure I would want to sit or sleep on it if it has been cleaned with lisol.
Simon
Savannah says
April 28, 2018 at 4:02 pmI used disinfectant dpray their is no signs in my house or around the couch its been two months since i got it the couch came from an hour away if i had any idea i would have left it were it was but since i have it now an no way to get rid of it im doing everything I can to keep it clean i just found out that the people I bought it off had cats an that mey be wat i was smelling
Liz says
February 6, 2018 at 4:24 pmI feel movements in my settee and my bed I no I ad mice but my son cought 1 so the movements like vibes I feel even on the floor IV covers every hole laid poison and traps I no my dog senseing them it’s driving me insane my family fink I am imagine it I no am not tho it’s corseing so much stress an rows I can’t andle the feelings I av on my settee an bed IV frown 1 bed owt we tear the couch open the is no signs of it IV boarded it wot is left 2 do .
Simon says
February 9, 2018 at 3:29 pmHi Liz,
The best thing to do in your situation is to get a camera trap so you can see exactly what is happening. You can read about camera traps here https://www.pest-control-products.net/2761/reviews/wildlife-camera-trap/.
Simon
Grandma says
February 1, 2018 at 1:02 pmI have sticky mouse traps, poison mouse traps box, regular mouse traps and still wool in the sofa and my sofas are new and I can’t catch them at all I️ tried peppermint lavender and can’t catch them. All I️ see is mouse dropping on the sofas and when on the pillows when I️ lift them in what else to do
Simon says
February 3, 2018 at 2:12 pmPeppermint oil is a repellent so if you are using it and traps then it will be counter productive. Stop using peppermint oil. Use traps only and place them where you see the mouse droppings. Wear disposable rubber gloves when handling the traps – use them only for handling the traps. Smear peanut butter on the gloves the first time you use them and rinse them under a cold water tap, do not use any cleaning liquids to wash the gloves. Get a camera trap to see what the mice are up to, you can read about them here https://www.pest-control-products.net/2761/reviews/wildlife-camera-trap/
Simon
Carolyn says
November 13, 2016 at 1:50 amWe live in an apartment, have a mouse/ rat infestation, manager put poison tablets out, plus we have snap traps, caught 2.. However , they scoot underneath stove, fridge, end of bottom baseboard where linoleum meets , there was a hole plugged up with caulking.. I can hear sqeaking loudly, pulled out couches and found massive droppings.. Also underneath cushions as well. Manager is not taking this seriously , what should I do please thankyou
Simon says
December 3, 2016 at 9:57 amHi Carolyn
Have you tried contacting your local authority. It is obviously a health risk. They may be able to put pressure on the manager.
Simon
Shawn says
February 22, 2016 at 5:42 amThere is something in my couch. Not exactly sure it’s a mouse because I have three traps set up around the couch. I slept on it one night to try and see what it does. It goes from one end of the couch and starts eating the interior. When I am deep in sleep I often feel something running back and forth under me unless I kick the cushions. What else cold it be?
Simon says
March 7, 2016 at 3:05 pmHi Shawn,
Not sure, does it leave any droppings, or does it ever leave your couch? I would be tempted to take a look by removing the bottom of the couch.
Simon
Shawan says
March 7, 2016 at 9:12 pmNo I have looked for droppings and inside the bottom of the couch and found nothing. So whatever it is must be living inside the spring area or inside the cushiony part of the couch. I did notice one hole that looks like somethng ate away at it in one of the pillows. Still haven’t caught it.
Shelley Teeter says
April 28, 2018 at 4:55 amI have a mice in my chair it’s round I can feel it moving I have seen it bounced out of the chair what can I do about it I can feel it moving I don’t see the pillow moving up and down I can feel the pillow moving up and down when I’m sitting down in the chair I felt one jump over my neck will they bite
Simon says
April 28, 2018 at 3:49 pmThey probably won’t bite unless they feel threatened. They are more likely to avoid you because they are frightened of humans.
Shelley says
December 7, 2015 at 6:00 amI have a mouse infestation in my sofa, they bought fleas with them and I have sprayed the house twice. I put those boxes u get with poison in behind the sofa but even tho the mice were v excited/unsettled by it they made a lot of noise in the sofa after I’d put it down but didn’t touch it?? I’m a single mum and am at my wits end. I can’t afford a new sofa as this one not that old but took me ages to pay off on credit! There’s a musty smell I can’t get rid of – I’m desperate! I’ve heard of sticky paper they get stuck to, does it work? Any suggestions for me gratefully received!
Simon says
December 19, 2015 at 2:08 pmHi Shelly,
Buy some normal snap traps. They are very cheap, place bait in them but do not set them and put them next to the wall perhaps at the back of the sofa. Once the mice start taking the bait, then set them. In addition, place glue traps either side of the trap.
Simon
Shelley Teeter says
April 28, 2018 at 4:59 amI have traps down at 8 corner and behind my chair on the side of my chair I got poison down use peppermint oil and all that but I can see the chair mobile up down what can I do
Simon says
April 28, 2018 at 3:51 pmHi Shelley – have you thought about buying a camera trap and filming them so you can see what they are up to and learn about their behavior.
Simon