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Pebbles82 · 03-07-2017, 12:17 PM

Mesh sold to keep mice out of air vents is called 6mm mouse mesh. (Which is probably the same as 1/4 inch Amity mentioned lol).

I looked into it in some detail because we used to occasionally get mice. They can get through anything bigger than 7mm bar spacing and 6mm is ideal (hardly any cages with 6mm) because they can apparently push the bars apart if the bars aren't strong enough.

It sounds like the detolf with new 6mm mesh on would be the safest option for the hammy, until you get the problem sorted. 6mm mesh is quite hard to handle and bend though (stiff).

I have only seen the small pieces for air bricks available or 1 foot square sizes.

There is some here

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...words=6mm+mesh

You might still need to put something heavy on the edges of the detolf lids so they can't be pushed up.

Personally, when we had a mouse problem, we had to give up with humane mouse traps that catch them alive and went for the most humane option of killing them off, because they breed like wildfire. If you ever have one mouse, there will be more - at least one family of mice.

The most humane ones we found worked extremely quickly, sedating the mice virtually instantly and they died from the quick acting poison while sedated. You usually found them either still in the trap or very close to it. It's not pleasant but wild mice can spread a nasty disease (Tyzers disease) to hamsters.

The other advantage of these traps is you know where the dead mice are - with older style poisons (which are not humane) they can crawl away and die out of sight and then smell pretty bad. I used to just pick up the trap with the mouse in and chuck the whole lot - so you need a few - at least 4. We tried most kinds of trap and these are the go-to ones. Safe for people in the house as well as they are enclosed/sealed. The green stuff inside attracts the mice to eat it. You put them against the skirting board in an area you know the mice go (long side against the skirting board).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Home-Kitc...rds=Mouse+trap

It's why I always had a cage with 7mm bar spacing and cable tied any larger gaps at corners and doors

Cable ties are just a deterrant though - a determined critter could chew through them but I've never had that problem.

The other option we used that worked (but isn't quite so safe if there are children around) was an electronic rat killer - it's like a big tunnel - you put chocolate spread at the end (works every time chocolate spread), the mice walk in and are zapped. It's supposed to kill instantly and you can catch quite a few mice in one trap. But it's quite expensive and if someone put their hand inside when it's switched on they'd get a nasty painful shock. And you need to leave it switched on really, or at least overnight. The advantage is - you don't have to see dead mice or remove them. You just pick the "tunnel" up and tip them out without looking.

We did actually catch a rat in ours once which was a bit scary but no more after that one and we suspected it was something bigger than a mouse after apples kept being stolen off the table!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pest-Stop-P...ronic+rat+trap

03-07-2017, 12:17 PM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: mesh to keep mice out? Mesh sold to keep mice out of air vents is called 6mm mouse mesh. (Which is probably the same as 1/4 inch Amity mentioned lol). I looked into it in some detail because we used to occasionally get mice. They can get through anything bigger than 7mm bar spacing and 6mm is ideal (hardly any cages with 6mm) because they can apparently push the bars apart if the bars aren't strong enough. It sounds like the detolf with new 6mm mesh on would be the safest option for the hammy, until you get the problem sorted. 6mm mesh is quite hard to handle and bend though (stiff). I have only seen the small pieces for air bricks available or 1 foot square sizes. There is some here https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...words=6mm+mesh You might still need to put something heavy on the edges of the detolf lids so they can't be pushed up. Personally, when we had a mouse problem, we had to give up with humane mouse traps that catch them alive and went for the most humane option of killing them off, because they breed like wildfire. If you ever have one mouse, there will be more - at least one family of mice. The most humane ones we found worked extremely quickly, sedating the mice virtually instantly and they died from the quick acting poison while sedated. You usually found them either still in the trap or very close to it. It's not pleasant but wild mice can spread a nasty disease (Tyzers disease) to hamsters. The other advantage of these traps is you know where the dead mice are - with older style poisons (which are not humane) they can crawl away and die out of sight and then smell pretty bad. I used to just pick up the trap with the mouse in and chuck the whole lot - so you need a few - at least 4. We tried most kinds of trap and these are the go-to ones. Safe for people in the house as well as they are enclosed/sealed. The green stuff inside attracts the mice to eat it. You put them against the skirting board in an area you know the mice go (long side against the skirting board). https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Home-Kitc...rds=Mouse+trap It's why I always had a cage with 7mm bar spacing and cable tied any larger gaps at corners and doors Cable ties are just a deterrant though - a determined critter could chew through them but I've never had that problem. The other option we used that worked (but isn't quite so safe if there are children around) was an electronic rat killer - it's like a big tunnel - you put chocolate spread at the end (works every time chocolate spread), the mice walk in and are zapped. It's supposed to kill instantly and you can catch quite a few mice in one trap. But it's quite expensive and if someone put their hand inside when it's switched on they'd get a nasty painful shock. And you need to leave it switched on really, or at least overnight. The advantage is - you don't have to see dead mice or remove them. You just pick the "tunnel" up and tip them out without looking. We did actually catch a rat in ours once which was a bit scary but no more after that one and we suspected it was something bigger than a mouse after apples kept being stolen off the table! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pest-Stop-P...ronic+rat+trap Last edited by Pebbles82; 03-07-2017 at 12:23 PM.