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Environmental Health
Lewes District Council
Southover House
Southover Road
Lewes
East Sussex
BN7 1AB
Tel: 01273 484354
ehealth@lewes.gov.uk
Minicom 01273 484488
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Mice & rats
Advice, guidance and information for the identification and treatment of an infestation of rats or mice on property.
House Mice
House mice can live and breed in houses, buildings and other structures such as garden sheds which give them protection from the cold and wet weather.
Although an abundant supply of food is preferable, house mice can survive on relatively poor diets, eating between 3 to 4 grams of food a day. They can survive without access to free water, obtaining their daily needs from their food.
The ideal environments for house mice are buildings with dead spaces free from disturbance and close to food and water. They are extremely good climbers, climbing walls, pipes, cavities and ducting.
Their hard incisor teeth can penetrate materials such as concrete, lead and aluminium. This can result in expensive damage.
House mice familiarise themselves with their surroundings. Activity will be restricted to a radius of up to 10 m. They use the same familiar pathways to move around.
They are inquisitive animals with sporadic and unpredictable feeding habits. They will feed from numerous different sites each night rather than one or two sites close to their nest.
The feed is preferably cereal-based foods such as grass and canary seed. In some urban areas they have become unable to digest cereals, preferring high protein foods instead.
Prevention
Don’t leave open food out in the kitchen overnight or uneaten meal intended for a pet cat or a dog out in dishes.
Remove all food and waste spillages as they occur. Empty food waste bins frequently and place food in rodent-proof containers.
Seal structural defects in the house to prevent mice gaining access to your home. Mice can squeeze through gaps in excess of 5mm.
Treatment
Signs of infestation can be fresh mouse droppings, gnawing marks or smears. It is best to take immediate action to control the infestation.
If treating an infestation yourself, don’t leave mouse bait down for extended periods. Remove as soon as the infestation has been controlled.
If a baiting programme is to be successful it is vitally important to maintain an uninterrupted supply of bait available for the mice.
Keep children and pets away from bait stations at all times.
Rats
Rat droppings may be noticed first and are a sign of infestation. They are on average 12mm long and are typically spindle-shaped, tapering to a point at one or both ends.
Rat runs may be visible as a smooth pathway on bare earth or a depression in grass or other vegetation.
Rats are often attracted by a food source and care must be taken to avoid providing food. This can be excessive bird feed, domestic animal feed and compost mounds.
Compost bins may be placed on a fine wire mesh base to prevent tunnelling from beneath.
Rats can spread many diseases including Weils Disease, Salmonellosis, Plague and Musine Typhus. Under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 occupiers of land have a duty to control the rats.
