Mouse from Neighbour's Backyard

hovie on 05/07/2023 - 11:33
Last edited 06/07/2023 - 13:26 by 1 other user

I have been seeing mouse /rat running over to my side of the property since yesterday. Spotted a few burrows/tunnels they dug under the fence so I quickly blocked it with some rocks. This morning, I've been seeing them again climbing up the fence to come over!

I'm not talking only 1 or 2 but coming in a squadron of 6-8!

My yard is generally tidy, lawn maintained low, no exposed food source for them. Have never seen this since we moved in a few years ago. Neighbour is a rental and they have moved in mid last year.

What are my options?

Home & Garden Rodent

Comments

    • hovie on 05/07/2023 - 11:52

      Good idea on the bait station, will see what I can find in the shed!

      • Loot N Plunder on 05/07/2023 - 12:03

        The grain silos/storage places around here use the same thing from storm water pipe and i also use them.
        They are clean to use as all you do is just unscrew the top and drop it in, pellets are probably better to use as they wont carry it off like the blocks if you do use the blocks make sure you run a wire through the middle of them and tie a bunch together.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 05/07/2023 - 11:58
    +23

    Throw the bodies back over the fence to show neighbour and the other mice who’s boss

    • [Deactivated] on 05/07/2023 - 11:59
      +2

      Hey, I'm having lunch !

  • Godric on 05/07/2023 - 12:05
    +7

    Get a mouse mat, slows the mouse down for better accuracy

    • dcep on 05/07/2023 - 12:17
      +3

      Hi neighbour !

  • Lord Fart Bucket on 05/07/2023 - 12:26
    +1

    Brown rats. Quite common. Bait outside.

  • Roman Sandstorm on 05/07/2023 - 12:30
    +18

    Neighbour is a rental and they have moved in mid last year..

    And this is relevant, how?

    Ahhh… lower class rental scum bring vermin with them.

    Got it.

    • hovie on 05/07/2023 - 14:04
      +6

      I'm saying this as I'm hoping maybe their real estate agent can do something about it? or to point out the fact that this did not happen prior to them moving in? why does it have to be looking down on people?

      • Protractor on 06/07/2023 - 10:24
        +5

        You do know rodents breed up and become mobile when the wet weather sets in?

        Guess what. They don't seek out renters exclusively.

        You should be grateful it aint summer when the lizard plagues begin and take children from the breats of lactating mothers in broad daylight

      • LFO on 06/07/2023 - 14:12

        "why does it have to be looking down on people"

        Well you did state is a "rental", so it must have a meaning for you rather than "I will talk to my neightbour to see what could be done about it".

        Don't feel bad about it, the vast majority of non-renting Australians are equally bias and discriminatory.
        Ignorance is bliss.

      • Roman Sandstorm on 06/07/2023 - 21:02

        why does it have to be looking down on people?

        Because your use of "Neighbour is a rental" can very easily be interpreted as perjorative.

        As a noun (which is how you used the word), 'a rental' generally refers to a item, a thing; car, bike, house, etc. Not to a person.

        Consider, if you had phrased it as "Neighbour is an Aboriginal" instead? Well, that would be a sh!tstorm for sure and certain. And rightly so. Because the implicit context would be that because of someone's race they brought vermin with them, or attracted, or failed to remedy the vermin situation.

        Of course, you didn't say anything quite this horrible. But by using a 'thing' noun in describing your neighbours you are depersonalising, and implicitly making judgement based on their renting/socio-economic status.

        • jackspratt on 07/07/2023 - 12:59
          +1

          Because your use of "Neighbour is a rental" can very easily be interpreted as perjorative.

          Alternatively, and just as validly, it can be interpreted as "because the house is rented, my options to deal with the issue may be limited in one way or another".

          Nice straw man, by the way.

      • tonsta on 06/07/2023 - 21:43
        +2

        Once the mice are under control, talk to your neighbours about flys and mosquitos that come to your house.

        • DiscountForThee on 07/07/2023 - 08:35

          Unironically if they have piles of rotting food in their yard creating hundreds of flies, yeah, it's worth talking to your neighbours

    • FlyingMiffy on 06/07/2023 - 20:21
      +2

      Not sure about you but most rentals arent maintained in the same way as owner occupiers. The inference is certainly that the other side is the source and probably less tidy, but on the scale of probability, the OP is probably right. How dare he generalize though, right? Wait hold on, did you just draw a long bow on what he implied?

    • MakkhiChoos on 07/07/2023 - 18:54
      +1

      Lol! Talk about the chip on the shoulder.

  • ThithLord on 05/07/2023 - 12:34
    +1

    Is there any way you could procure a Tawny Frog Mouth owl?

  • AustriaBargain on 05/07/2023 - 12:45

    If your cat is indoor then leave rat poison outside and buy traps. And stop leaving food around for them to eat. I have mice get into my place but meh, gives the cat something to do. I scoured the whole house and outside for food sources for mice but the odd mouse still gets in. The cat corners them under the fridge and then just sits there all day staring at the fridge waiting for the chance to kill it.

    • Protractor on 05/07/2023 - 12:59
      +5

      Fridge killing cat. No wonder wildlife has no chance….
      ; )

  • altomic on 05/07/2023 - 13:02
    +2

    Neighbour is a rental and they have moved in mid last year..

    tell the real estate agent as I'm sure their lease would specify "no pets" - A group where we pretend to be Aussie boomers

  • tsunamisurfer on 05/07/2023 - 13:14
    +3

    I have the same issue, neighbour is an elderly couple with a huge chicken coup which breeds more rats than chickens. I can see them climbing up and down in broad daylight, they aren't even scared anymore. Spoken to them, they just DGAF.

    All I can do is put a few rat traps on my side of the fence near the fence line (so far caught nothing). We have also tried rat poison sacks but I would prefer not to do that because in our area there are tawny frog mouths and Kookaburras and other native carnivorous birds which may pick up the carcasses.

    • GordonD on 05/07/2023 - 15:20
      +14

      a huge chicken coup

      The chickens have violently overthrown the government? Oh, you mean a chicken coop.

      • tsunamisurfer on 05/07/2023 - 15:30
        +2

        Thank you.

        • capslock janitor on 06/07/2023 - 12:49

          How do they feel being outsmarted by chickens?

      • Protractor on 05/07/2023 - 20:30
        +2

        In choppers

        • Loopholio on 06/07/2023 - 09:52
          +1

          But on the horizon surrounding the shoppers
          Came the deafening roar of chickens in choppers
          We will fight for bovine freedom
          And hold our large heads high
          We will run free with the Buffalo, or die

  • jm7 on 05/07/2023 - 13:21

    Report to the council if the neighbours yard is attracting rodents. They will be asked to clean up.

    • Protractor on 05/07/2023 - 13:56
      +1

      Good luck reading the number plates on random rodents. OP will have rodents at his place too, and any decent council ranger would inspect several properties in a row. However 'decent council ranger ' is me juxtaposing. BTW OP has problem with socio-economic impacts, not rodents

    • Aureus on 06/07/2023 - 16:58

      No they won't.

      Mice/rats are everywhere, OP just didn't notice it before.

      • jm7 on 06/07/2023 - 18:38

        If their yard is unkept and attracting rodents, the council can force them to clean up

        • Aureus on 06/07/2023 - 18:41

          Yeah, but only if it is real bad. Nothing from OP indicates it is anything like this.

          • jm7 on 06/07/2023 - 18:44

            @Aureus: Agree. It needs to be bad for the council to intervene but the OP hasn't given us any details about the condition of the neighbours property.

  • GordonD on 05/07/2023 - 13:51
    +8

    My neighbors had rats in their roof. They paid Murray Pest Control $360 to get rid of them. They got rid of them out of their roof by chasing them into my roof. Now Murray Pest Control wants $360 to get rid of them out of my roof. Should I warn the people in the next house along?

    • dcep on 05/07/2023 - 14:02
      +2

      put a cat in the roof

      • GordonD on 05/07/2023 - 16:59

        The neighbors got a cat. I suspect it was to stop the rats coming back to their place after I told them they'd moved across into my roof.

      • Kangal on 07/07/2023 - 13:33

        You're putting the pu ssy on a pedestal (40yoV)

    • derrida derider on 06/07/2023 - 19:13

      What a great business model! I can see Murray Pest Control chasing the same group of rats all over your suburb and making a motza in the process.

  • Indomietable on 05/07/2023 - 13:56
    +1

    I think the best option is to contact your local real estate agent. They deal with this frequently. Just ask them to help you buy your neighbor's property then you can flatten it.

  • hovie on 05/07/2023 - 14:09
    +1

    update: spoken with neighbours and their responses was…meh..lukewarm..
    went to Bunnings and got some stations and bait, going to monitor what's gonna happen in the next few days and refill station as required.

      • Protractor on 05/07/2023 - 20:37
        +3

        So better to risk secondary lethal dose poisoning of other species & pets??

          • Protractor on 07/07/2023 - 09:47
            -1

            @payless69: Lucky you lucky??? dog. After hours, was it?
            But! No-one should replace a trained vet, with google.
            Yours is an extreme example.We never hear about the ones that die,suffer etc. at the hands of self vet practises after poisoning events.. I wonder why that is?

              • Protractor on 07/07/2023 - 12:14

                @payless69: Sorry I simply don't support 'amateur' vet by google. Too many risks, too much suffering for the animals involved.
                You didn't have to work in a rat lab. I hope it delivered benefits for that suffering endured.
                I hope the owner of the dog has learned lessons in responsible decision making after the close call. The dog dodged an avoidable bullet.Twice

                  • Protractor on 07/07/2023 - 12:23

                    @payless69: Not sure why what they spent on vets previously has to do with justifying DIY.
                    Nor why you accepted rodent baiting at all if you are so emotionally invested in rats now.

      • mapax on 07/07/2023 - 09:52

        Saying a second generation anticoagulant rodenticide is nothing but a blood thinner is on par with saying fentanyl is nothing but synthetic poppies. It’s the LD50 that is is important.

          • Protractor on 07/07/2023 - 12:20

            @payless69: I doubt 'animal liberationist' opinion factors anything more than 5% of manufacturers actions. They are trying to be (or create the impression they are ) good corporate citizens for the majority of people , who in the main are also of the opinion animals suffering should be minimised.
            Do you have a link to the policy?

              • Protractor on 07/07/2023 - 12:39

                @payless69: You seem to be bagging the RSPCA as some sort of activist mob, while at the same time defending rats as worthy of attention because you were previously in a lab that they suffered in?
                More power to the RSPCA.
                Got a link to this $1B donation?

                • payless69 on 07/07/2023 - 13:14

                  @Protractor: Scomo got voted out for zillions of reasons and he managed to delete much as many of his predesessors have done.

                  • Protractor on 07/07/2023 - 13:21

                    @payless69: So the RSPCA are covering up a tax payer funded $1B payout from the LNP govt, (call the NACC) or just a BS story then?

                    National budget 2021-2022 of RSPCA (national) was>

                    $13,362,268

                    (govt share was grants at 0.3%)
                    I'll let you breakdown the other sources (google >again)

                    • payless69 on 07/07/2023 - 14:31

                      @Protractor: I could be wrong with the actual ammount but it was the highest in the world and besides legal gurus would also argue that their royal charter had expired and it was just party money for a very very innefficient small but sharp tooth tiger!

                      • Protractor on 07/07/2023 - 14:38

                        @payless69: Yeah sure…Highest in the WORLD!

                        As if.

                        And for the record the RSPCA are STARVED by govts deliberately so both sides can chase the votes of the rural sector.If anything, the RSPCA is neutered , by law and by funding

    • hovie on 05/07/2023 - 14:47
      +1

      My neighbour is using Big Cheese and apparently they are not taking them.
      I've bought this as it has good review: https://www.bunnings.com.au/basf-2-4kg-rodenticide-stratagem…

      Hopefully it works!

    • Motek Benzona on 05/07/2023 - 18:28
      +4

      You would have got more than meh from me.

      What planet are you on? "They are renters" what does that actually mean? Plenty of homeowners are at home living like pigs

      You actually think there is some jurisdictional border for a mouse..outdoors..going from one place to another outdoors? Like seriously?

      Get a grip on reality blaming others when its in your head as its a mouse not a nazi death squad invading your boundary

      Maybe the mouse likes your filth better? Bwhahaha

      • Protractor on 06/07/2023 - 10:14

        I like the cut of your jib

  • Richardc on 05/07/2023 - 15:27

    go to your local pest control supply shop and get some large bait station, and a bucket of bait, put them around your house and check them few days later, once mouse are gone you can still left station there and check them every month.

    • Protractor on 05/07/2023 - 20:34

      Most cat owners are lax at keeping cats away from baited mice, so the OP should adjust his behaviour around managing the cats movements, and have the vet on speed dial, and give them a heads up on what they are using. Anything that kills in a single feed is at the top end of risks for Mittens and wildlife

  • 82norm on 06/07/2023 - 08:48

    YouTube Shawn Woods…..plenty of ideas there. Personally, air rifle and bit of plinking time.

    • mapax on 06/07/2023 - 08:56
      +1

      Air rifles are a category A firearm in every state and can’t be discharged in built up areas within the nanny states of Australia.

      • Protractor on 06/07/2023 - 10:13
        +1

        … because when someone sees a (any) firearm over the fence the shit hits the fan. …
        TRG come a runnin'….

        Not a nanny state at all. Common sense. Kind of opposite to the ever diminishing, cocain fuelled, zombi drugged,basket case of Merrca.

        • mapax on 06/07/2023 - 10:24

          Considering England, who has even stricter firearm laws than Australia, allowed backyard sub 12 air rifle use and no one defecates themselves with fear, Australia certainly is a nanny state.

          • Protractor on 06/07/2023 - 10:27

            @mapax: Still allowed in built up areas?

            How's their terrorist record Vs ours going? Happy to have a nanny state like ours re guns. IMHO, in regard to the massive personal arsenals not nanny enough,[yet].

            • mapax on 06/07/2023 - 10:42

              @Protractor: Yes, in built up areas. Sub 12 aren’t causing terrorist attacks, they’re barely anything more than expensive toys suitable for target practice, rodents and rabbits. Their population just isn’t as cowardice as Australia.

              • Protractor on 07/07/2023 - 12:33

                @mapax: You seriously think if a neighbour saw a long arm firearm bandied about in suburbia here(if not UK) plod would just ask reporting person to suss out whether it's a pea shooter? The UK and other countries envy our gun laws, and the broader Australian community supports even further action, stronger restrictions and laws.

          • Aureus on 06/07/2023 - 17:02

            @mapax:

            England has stricter firearm laws, here is an example that contradicts this.

      • 82norm on 07/07/2023 - 08:10

        @ mapax….yes, it’s unfortunate.

  • 2esc on 06/07/2023 - 09:20

    A few rocks are not going to stop mice dont assume you didn't have mice already have you been putting down bait and traps since you've lived there?

    If you haven't been then you have mice and just havent seen them. Have you done regular inspections of you roof cavity and the dark corners of your shed?

    Best option is put bait down or mouse traps in your roof cavity, garage and sheds but you also do it as a preventative measure.

    My next door neighbour has chickens the local mice and the bush rats come after the feed and scraps then the cats come looking for them then the foxes have been turning up and the snakes.

    Farm paddock behind us with long grass for them to hide and the other neighbours place has lots of bushy gardens.

    DON'T! get a cat unless you can keep it on your property. They love to do their business in your neighbours vege gardens.

  • Dreamcast on 06/07/2023 - 09:30
    +1

    Move to another state.

  • Ramrunner on 06/07/2023 - 12:19
    +1

    Nooski from Bunnings:

    https://nooski.com/

    So so good and most humane option. I've never gone back to poison. It sounds like you'd need a few though :(

    And Nutella is the go for bait they can't resist it

    • kehuehue on 07/07/2023 - 03:12
      +1

      Or peanut butter

      • Ramrunner on 07/07/2023 - 07:46

        I think the rats/mice in Oakford are sweet-tooths. I definitely get more hits on Nutella :) I started on Peanut Butter but there must be something tastier than PB in my garage as it gets left for ages. As soon as I switched to Nutella I get hits within a day.

  • trapper on 06/07/2023 - 12:20
    +1

    The rats aren't necessarily coming from your neighbor's house, they will roam a large area looking for food and new homes as they grow in number.

    Put rat bait out. You can get the bait that you nail up on the fence to keep out of reach of other animals.

  • R4 on 06/07/2023 - 12:41

    Plenty of poison baits around the place and the little f**kers will be dead within a few days

  • capslock janitor on 06/07/2023 - 12:50

    Rat patties.

  • mreddie on 06/07/2023 - 13:27

    Ratsack at the hole they are coming through, problem solved.

  • sashatheman on 06/07/2023 - 16:22

    If you dont have any pets , put baits outside. Otherwise get those boxes with baits inside and leave it outside the property.

  • Wally on 06/07/2023 - 16:41
    +1

    Should be able to obtain rat poison in block form with a waxy texture for outside use that is designed to be secured by a screw/nail - that way they can not drag it away and you can monitor their gnawing at it over time

    maybe search for 'Talon Wax Blocks - Rat & Mouse Killer'

    • jm7 on 06/07/2023 - 18:46
      +1

      The wax blocks are great. I once paid for pest control and they used the wax blocks. Available at Bunnings too.

  • Gnilgorf on 06/07/2023 - 17:01
    +1

    Not that this helps the OP, but can definitely vouch for the effectiveness of cats. We don't have any of our own, but the neighbours outdoor cats do a good enough job.

    We discovered our backdoor neighbour has a giant open air compost pile, sitting under their citrus trees. Doesn't bother us, doesn't smell or anything.
    But we figure its cause of the pile that we see the rare roach in backyard, as well as the rare mouse (2 in the 2 years), which must come to feast on the pile. But the mice keep the roaches and bugs in check, and then the neighbourhood cats wander through at night and keep the mice in check. Maybe once or twice a night our backyard camera triggers cause of the cats…

    Everything's found its way into this strange equilibrium which I don't want to mess with. Balanced as all things should be.

    Also one of the mice, we only knew about because it ate some paint chips from a pergola we were tearing down. Thing gave itself food poisoning and lay dazed in the middle of our patio…

    • greatlamp on 06/07/2023 - 18:41
      +1

      I read a study that showed mice exhibit a fear response to the smell of cat urine, even if there is no cat.

      So your neighbour owning a cat, even one that has never caught a mouse, would be a deterrent

    • Leadfoot6 on 08/07/2023 - 03:25

      A very good observation by both of the above posters.

  • Jeannie77 on 06/07/2023 - 17:14
    +2

    I have dealt with mouse plagues before when I lived in the country. Bucket traps are cheap and work for drowning large quantities. You need cheap 99c buckets. Thin wire similar to coathanger wire and an empty drink can for each bucket. Make hole in bottom of can. Thread wire thru the bucket near the top so can is in the middle near the top. It should spin around easily. Wipe peanut butter around the sides of the can. Half fill the bucket with water. Mice try to get on the can to eat the peanut butter but it will turn and tip them into the water to drown. Can deal with large quantities of mice fast with this method.

  • Sammy Boi on 06/07/2023 - 21:35

    Probably just a local urban mouse gang would leave them alone unless you want beef

  • cookie2 on 06/07/2023 - 22:37

    Sounds like they may be just taking advantage of a fence gap to get them from a to b. Block the entrance and exits and see how you go from there after a few days.

  • Davo1111 on 06/07/2023 - 23:15

    Not sure how people survive.

    Just get done baits, and report back

  • TransportPosters on 06/07/2023 - 23:52
    +1

    We had a mouse problem several months ago, and like the OP, they seemed to be coming from the house on one particular side as we'd see them move across from their fence. The neighbours like to have outdoor ground fire pit BBQs every few weeks and I think they leave food debris all over the yard after.

    I had a bunch of typical cheap wooden traps, put peanut butter on them and had some success but only got the big ones. The smaller / younger ones were too small to trigger them.

    I got the black plastic ones from Bunnings and they did much better as they have a hole where you put the peanut butter into so the mouse has to work harder / deeper to get to it. Got rid of about 10 mice in total.

  • pformag on 07/07/2023 - 12:49

    Sell your house, and move

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