Mice plague.

JeffH · May 24, 2021, 05:56:08 PM

Is anyone else in an area suffering this scourge? Found these in my safe today. Looks like the little buggers chewed out the cable entry for the electronic time lock on my safe. [That explains why I had to revert to the clockwork back up.]
All H&T uncirculated rolls and I was only one roll away from having a full Centenary of Federation roll set! I will have a look in the morning but most of the coins should be OK -fingers crossed on that.
First fires, then floods, still Covid-19, now the mice. I now fully expect locusts to descend come spring. The ancient Egyptians had nothing on us.

Triggersmob · May 24, 2021, 06:03:56 PM

Who would have guessed it was that easy to get into a safe.
That is a great shame Jeff.

jens coins · May 24, 2021, 06:28:03 PM

I hope you didn't pay too much for them Jeff.
Put plenty of baits around outside the house where it is safe to do so.

JeffH · May 24, 2021, 06:42:12 PM

We have bucket traps around the house and plenty of other traps inside the house. Don't use baits (except in the traps) because they then go and crawl into an inaccessible space before dying and the smell, when they decompose, is rather nasty. We are getting around 50 a night, eased off a few days ago but number has increased again.
Just waiting for real winter temperatures to arrive. That tends to cull them.
Also have been seeking out entry spots and sealing them. Easy to find because they crap indiscriminately.

JeffH · May 24, 2021, 07:43:27 PM

Quote from: 'jens coins' pid='124862' dateline='1621846683'I hope you didn't pay too much for them Jeff.

I thought I did well on what I paid for them -slowly and steady was the watchword.
But that means not much now!

Basilstate · May 24, 2021, 08:18:58 PM

Quote from: 'JeffH' pid='124857' dateline='1621844768'Is anyone else in an area suffering this scourge?

No,thank goodness,we are up on the NSW North Coast.
I stored a lot of stuff under my Aunts house on the central coast in the 1980's when i went travelling,no coins or valuables, they were with my brother in Cremorne Sydney,but books,photos,film & general junk.
A couple of years later much was ruined by rodents and cockroaches,they ate thru sealed cardboard boxes to attack just about everything.

My dad said they electrified a BBQ type grille and placed grain under it when he was in the outback in the 1930's,it cleaned up 100's every night but also birds/lizards/cats etc as well so probably not kosher these days.

Hope this nightmare is nearly over for you.

echidna · May 24, 2021, 08:26:29 PM

Hope it works out well.
They will get into anything.

gweidion · May 24, 2021, 09:02:10 PM

Just looking at those chewed rolls makes me want to cry. We don't have a mouse plague here in Brisbane (yet). We had some 12 to 18 months ago but carefully placed baits near the compost bin cleaned them up in about two weeks.
Sorry for your troubles Jeff.

Unicorn · May 25, 2021, 05:26:20 AM

Wow Jeff that's a shocker!!! Let me know if you want a cat or two! :swoon:

JeffH · May 25, 2021, 05:43:45 AM

Hi Uni,
We have three cats but they seem to have given up on the mice lately.

gabby · May 25, 2021, 06:26:08 AM

That's not good at all. As gweidion said haven't got them up here as yet and hopefully won't

Pedro · May 25, 2021, 12:51:47 PM

That's a terrible sight Jeff. Those blighters seem to get in anywhere.

The mice have destroyed the control board in my daughter's air conditioning system and it's going to take some time to replace; far from ideal with winter approaching.

Pedro

Goldseeker · May 25, 2021, 07:23:51 PM

What, did you forget to put up the NO ENTRY sign.

Sorry for your damage suffered.

I can see many $'s wiped off the value of those rolls.

JeffH · May 27, 2021, 06:07:30 PM

I sat down and open the rolls today and it's good news -sort of, it's all relative; full rolls would have been better.
Out of 24 rolls there are four end coins with nasty stains, green spots and such. And three coins with dull, toned appearance but that could have been anyway. All were end of roll coins.
So the threatened soak only required for a few coins. the "duds" will get a hit with acetone, maybe even xylene but more in hope than expectation!

One observation (most of these are more than 20 years old); how much better condition were new coins coming out of the mint then than "uncirculated" issue coins arriving at the banks in recent years.

Not a nice job opening them but pleasure in seeing so may still really lovely coins.

Triggersmob · May 27, 2021, 07:05:20 PM

Good new. Glad to see most of them are OK.