# Mesh that will stop rodents - woodie tub being attacked!



## Renenet (Sep 22, 2012)

Hi, 

I've started to have problems with something, I assume a rodent, getting into my woodie bins. I have a couple of plastic tubs full of woodies in my shed and it's all been fine - until now. I assume these mystery critters are after the pellets and vegies I give my woodies.

For ventilation, each lid has a hole covered with fly mesh that I melted into the plastic with a soldering iron. A few days ago I noticed that there was a hole in the mesh. I replaced the mesh today, but when I checked on it at around 9.30 pm, there was another hole!

I'm not quite sure exactly what kind of mesh I have, but it's metal or metal-coated stuff that I can easily cut with scissors. Is there another kind that will stop sharp little rodent teeth? 

Thanks,
Ren


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## Cuppz90 (Sep 22, 2012)

Crimsafe or chicken wire...


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## Renenet (Sep 22, 2012)

Crimsafe looks like it might be the go. Thanks. Does anyone know if you can melt it into the plastic like I did with the current stuff, or will I need to attach it some other way?


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## bohdi13 (Sep 22, 2012)

an air rifle , dim light and a spare night .


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## Manda1032 (Sep 22, 2012)

I third the crimsafe. see your local glazier for some offcuts from the bin maybe


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## Renenet (Sep 22, 2012)

bohdi13 said:


> an air rifle , dim light and a spare night .



I was thinking about hiring someone's scrub python for a few nights.


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## timantula (Sep 22, 2012)

i use the small bird avary mesh i think its 6mm squares, got it from bunnings


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## Hindy (Sep 23, 2012)

Mouse and snake mesh. The squares are 6mm x 6mm. I buy it from bunnings


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## wokka (Sep 23, 2012)

Just stick whatever mesh you chose on with maxibond or liquid nails.


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## Wild~Touch (Sep 23, 2012)

Rodents love woodies  and will chew through anything they can to get at them. Snake & Mouse wire would be your best bet. They will have a chew at the plastic tub container too.


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## GeckoJosh (Sep 23, 2012)

I would also look at trapping, now they know there is a food source it will be hard to deter them


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## Renenet (Sep 23, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Snake and mouse mesh. Right, I'll look for that.



wokka said:


> Just stick whatever mesh you chose on with maxibond or liquid nails.



Sounds so obvious when you put it like that - thanks, Wokka.

- - - Updated - - -



GeckoJosh said:


> I would also look at trapping, now they know there is a food source it will be hard to deter them



I was afraid of that. I'm not much of a poison person, and I don't like the thought of anything that snaps on them. 

Does anyone know a way to trap them humanely - and what do you do with them afterwards? I saw someone comment on this in another thread but I can't remember where.


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## syeph8 (Sep 23, 2012)

Humane Mouse Trap, mouse trap, mousetrap, catch mice live, no kill mousetrap, catch a mouse the humane way, how to catch a mouse, catch mice

I personally prefer the old snap trap. But you can easily find these and similar traps on ebay


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## bohdi13 (Sep 23, 2012)

Renenet said:


> I was thinking about hiring someone's scrub python for a few nights.



go for it !


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## saximus (Sep 23, 2012)

Renenet said:


> Does anyone know a way to trap them humanely - and what do you do with them afterwards? I saw someone comment on this in another thread but I can't remember where.


Farm supply shops usually sell live traps. Depending how squeamish you are you could do like rodent breeders do and break their necks or gas them with CO2. I prefer the neck breaking personally but wear gloves if you do. They bite and who knows what diseases they have. I've caught almost 20 in my rodent shed in the last few days. Must be the season for them


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## Renenet (Sep 23, 2012)

Thanks, Sax. CO2 sounds like my best option. I've heard that if you can break the neck at the right point it is more humane, but I don't know how and I'd be worried about botching it up.

What do you do with the bodies afterwards? Shame you can't feed them to the snakes, but as you say, who knows what diseases and parasites they'd be carrying.


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## Bigchewy (Sep 23, 2012)

Just put snake poo it might work keep them out


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## saximus (Sep 23, 2012)

Bigchewy said:


> Just put snake poo it might work keep them out



And if you believe that I've got a bridge to sell you . 

Yeah just chuck them in the bin Rene


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## Brock102 (Sep 23, 2012)

Put some really small mesh on. From bunnings


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## Bluetongue1 (Sep 24, 2012)

I am confused. Why would you want to catch rodents alive so you can break their necks manually, instead of using a 'break-neck' trap in the first place?

With manually breaking necks, it is hard enough to be consistent in the technique required for a clean kill, when using raised rodents that do not struggle when you pick them up. They also will hang when held by the base of the tail, whereas wild rodents will 'ball up' and grab hold of whatever, in attempt to climb and escape.


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## saximus (Sep 24, 2012)

Bluetongue1 said:


> I am confused. Why would you want to catch rodents alive so you can break their necks manually, instead of using a 'break-neck' trap in the first place?
> 
> With manually breaking necks, it is hard enough to be consistent in the technique required for a clean kill, when using raised rodents that do not struggle when you pick them up. They also will hang when held by the base of the tail, whereas wild rodents will 'ball up' and grab hold of whatever, in attempt to climb and escape.



I'm not sure about the OP but with my live trap I can catch multiple animals at one time which means less mice running around my shed in a shorter time period. I've also found that once you catch a mouse in a snap trap, that same trap doesn't seem to catch any more. Maybe they smell the dead mouse on it or something or maybe I've just been unlucky in the past. I've also seen mice get caught in snap traps that aren't the right size for what the trap was designed for so instead of breaking their necks it breaks their back leaving them to die what I can only imagine is a slow, painful death. 
You're right about them being much more wriggly when you attempt cervical dislocation but there are tricks that I use for my feeders that work on wild ones and I've never had a problem. One quick motion and they're gone


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## Bluetongue1 (Sep 24, 2012)

I can’t say I have had either problem with snap traps. A few months back I caught seven mice over three nights. I set up 5 traps, two of which were not touched. Left them set up for another week – nothing and no mice since.

Reminds me of the old saying… “The early bird may catch the worm, but it’s the second mouse that gets the cheese”.

Blue


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## Renenet (Sep 26, 2012)

I went to Bunning today to find the rodent mesh. The cheapest option is a 5 m roll for $45 - cripes! 

I did find a couple of rolls of gutter mesh, which seems to be the same stuff, just in thinner strips, but again it comes in 10 m rolls. There was a roll for $13, but the mesh wasn't wide enough to cover the hole in my woodie bin lid. There might be a way around that. I'll think it over. In the meantime, I might check Mitre 10 out to see if they sell smaller pieces.

Does anyone have any other ideas? Thanks.


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## saximus (Sep 26, 2012)

If it's not wide enough cant you just use a couple of strips?


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## Renenet (Sep 26, 2012)

saximus said:


> If it's not wide enough cant you just use a couple of strips?



Yeah, just wondering how to attach them together in a rodent-proof way - I don't want there to be any chance the mousies will be able to squeeze through a gap.


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## saximus (Sep 26, 2012)

Cable ties will work well enough. Or if you have some tie wire you can sort of sew them together


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