Is it mice?

[lucysmum]

Hi.
I have just popped to greenhouse to find holes in my plant pots, could this be mice damage? The pots (on the floor) have sweet peas in them, some are just coming through. Something appeared to have dug little holes about 1 inch deep into the compost. Some of the new shoots looked cut across, but not actually eaten. Other pots with chard in were OK.
My peas & broad beans are higher up on staging and so far are OK.
I've read some of the other topics on mice but couldn't find a description of the actual damage. Do you think this is mice?. I haven't had this problem before. I've lifted them off the floor, will that help?
2010 was to be my big year for growing stuff, its all getting abit disappointing.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Lucysmum, it certainly sounds like mice to me, it might help if you lift the pots onto the staging, they might not be able to get onto there.
The mice dig down to get to the pea or bean seed and discard the top growth.

Please don't get too disheartened, these things happen from time to time.

[glallotments]

I'd go for mice too - we have to take precautions against mouse raids in our greenhouse. It is worse when the weather is bad.

[lucysmum]

Thank you. You both replied to my topic about my Dads garden. Its like having a professional gardener on call, thank you so much.

Yesterday I moved evrything off the floor, and the was no more damage last night. We're away next week, so lets hope the mice don't have a party in there.
Husband is talking about putting traps down. As long as I don't have to deal with them.
Happy Easter every one.

[Clive.]

Our mice at work are particularly fond of Sweet Peas...so we now put the pots in trays and suspend the trays from a roof bracket..that upsets their plans...unless in time they get to learn to abseil in..

It's a blessed nuisance though the number of times that I've bumped my head on the trays though..

Clive.

[Suzie]

Traps are the best way of checking Lucysmum - although I understand the not wanting to deal with the end result

[Monika]

You don't need to kill the mice when you trap them, Susie. If you use a live trap, you can release the mouse somewhere in the countryside, just make sure that it is far enough away for the mouse not to find his/her way back home!

[Suzie]

ooh see now I didn't know that! I thought trap = dead mouse. I shall look out for those

[DebbieP]

Hi Susie,

There are actually quite a few methods of getting rid of pesky unwanted mice humanely.

I tried one of those ultrasonic repellers that you just plug in and it did the job, but if you prefer one of the humane traps, I think you can get them from the same place where I got the repeller:

http://www.primrose-london.co.uk/mouse- ... 5_194.html

I've bought a few things from this company before and have found them to be pretty good, they always deliver very quickly.

Anyway, it's there if you want to check it out; like I said, I have the repeller rather than a cage or trap, so can't say anything for sure about those.

Good luck!

Debbie