House rabbits - and mice

[PipinHull]

We got two rabbits at Christmas and I wanted to keep them in the house. It's gone really well so far and kids are great with them. Unfortunately they've brought some unwanted guests with them - daredevil mice that run across the living room floor in the evening. We hoped there was only one, which we caught, but have seen another. As a kid we always had to clean up every scrap of food on floor etc to avoid mice so how do you get rid of them when you have to have pet food out?

[Mosaic]

It's the fod, the excrement and the bedding materials. You may have lovely house abbits but you have created mouse heaven. Rabbit poo is so full of nutrients that even rabbits eat it twice (never french kiss a rabbit).
Every dwelling as an opportunistic mouse family somewhere in range - especially if you don't have solid floors at ground level, but even then it's no deterrent. They will get through a gap as small as a pencil. So to get rid of the mice you need to control the food, bedding an poo, and also go round with a critical eye seeking out and bunging up every possible gap that the mice can squeeze through.
And come the summer, if you've got a garden make a run outside with a hutch, so the rabbits and their mousey mates stop out of the house.
Mice don't have bladders and they leak urine on everything they come into contact with. that's how they spread disease.

[Mosaic]

That shd say 'food'

[PipinHull]

Yuck, thanks for reminding me why I hate mice so much! By 'control the bedding...' etc, do you just mean keeping it as clean as possible? I usually clean out litter tray completely once a week but do about three or four part-cleans during the week, will I need to replace it all every day? I could raise cage off floor at night and when we're out (on a foot-high table) but suspect that would be no barrier to a mouse.

[slinkycat]

Hate to say this but if you've seen one or two mice then you probably have a lot more.
We have a mouse problem, started in the chicken coop, then they went to the adjoining shed, the shed which is part of the house (the old coal hole) and into the greenhouse.
We have gradually cleared each shed, making sure the chicken feed is stored where they can't get it etc
Cleared the greenhouse at the weekend, the little buggers had tunnelled into my pots of overwintering begonias and eaten all the corms!
The dog found a nest and almost ate one of the babies, hubby dealt with the others, otherwise that would have been another 6 or 7 mice!
maybe you ought to think of traps if they are in the house, as the problem can so quickly spiral out of control!

[PipinHull]

Thanks Slinky, we've already laid traps and poison (well under the plinths of kitchen cupboards where the droppings are, away from kids/rabbits). I know I should be more compassionate but I would be quite happy to have them squished at the moment, it's the idea of them having touch/chewed/weed on my worksurfaces that is making me feel like that! I will take your advice on board and go through sheds and possible nesting areas.

[leanne2387]

i have a house rabbit and have never had any problems with mice, maybe its just a coincidance that they have started to invade your home the same time you got rabbits ?