Mice, mice and more mice but not in my house
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (384457)
Rockingham, Australia
May 24, 2026 2:32am CST
I’ve spoken about the mice plague that is ravaging parts of Western Australia. A news article used high-motion animation to try to give readers a visual idea of the numbers. Here’s the link but you may not want to visit if you’re squeamish about mice: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-24/visualising-australias-mouse-plague/106696622
A plague is defined as more than 800 mice per hectare, according to the national science agency, the CSIRO. A hectare is 100 metres by 100 metres or 2.5 acres. The numbers in the stricken areas are estimated to be 8,000 per hectare. That’s 5,440 mice per rugby or soccer field, 320 mice on a typical suburban block of about 400 square metres or ten mice in a 3m x 4m bedroom.
In the towns most affected, some are leaving their homes. Supermarkets are throwing out many products where mice have eaten into the contents. I’m just hoping they won’t get as far as Perth but there is no guarantee about that either. 
The photo is mine. I don't have one of a mouse.
The photo is mine. I don't have one of a mouse.14 people like this
15 responses
@JudyEv (384457)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 May
They are indeed. I hope they don't get this far south.
@snowy22315 (210446)
• United States
24 May
They don't like steel wool, the scents of peppermint and lavender., and vinegar.Maybe if the mouse horde approaches Perth you will need to put down some reinforcements or get a cat.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (210446)
• United States
25 May
@JudyEv I know I had one in here once that came through the dryer vent. I will need to get someone to put chicken wire or copper mesh over the top.outsidewhen it starts to get cold this year.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (384457)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 May
@snowy22315 They can certainly get through some tiny spaces.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (56708)
• Canada
24 May
I read the article.
That many mice would surely bother me to no end.
As cruel as some animal activists might believe it to be, the method of using stronger baits is a wise choice.
I cannot imagine the clean up process after the baits have been effective.
But I have to ask, are there many cats in Australia?
Growing up on a farm we always had barn cats, their job was to keep the mouse population down since there would be grain in the barn used to feed the chickens in the coop and warm hay and straw, used to feed the cattle.
Once the farm became more automated, and there were large grain bins and a farm sized elevator system where there were chutes to deliver the grain from various bins into the truck which would be ordered when it was time to sell the grain, the bigger problem became rats. And those are kept at bay with special baited traps. There are also snakes that tend to help keep that population down, they come in from the surrounding fields.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169991)
• United States
25 May
I have not had mice problems in this house. I did in my other town. I have cats, but had them there as well. My neighborhood has lots of hawks and other birds of prey and I know I have snakes. When we first moved in I saw evidence of rodents in the garage, but that has been ten years ago. I feel like the mice and rats are out numbered by predators here.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (384457)
• Rockingham, Australia
25 May
That's no doubt half of our problem. We don't have enough prredators. With broadacre farming, there sometimes isn't a tree in site to provide nesting places for raptors.
@celticeagle (191277)
• Boise, Idaho
24 May
Hard to get rid of these once they get started.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (191277)
• Boise, Idaho
31 May
@JudyEv .......and they stink and poop alot.
1 person likes this
@luisadannointed (11883)
• Philippines
26 May
That's a bit scary, especially the virus it can bring.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (87579)
• United States
24 May
Dang, that’s a lot of mice. I hope they can get a grip on things without having to resort to poison (because birds and animals of prey will eat the mice and ingest the poison, too).
I hope they can get a grip on things without having to resort to poison (because birds and animals of prey will eat the mice and ingest the poison, too).1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (98930)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
24 May
And I just wrote a nice article about furry cuddly rodents, I hope they can gind a way to control this problem,
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (98930)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 May
@JudyEv nope on another site, I just recently put it on my blog through Wordpress will send link on PM.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (223686)
• United States
25 May
Mice give me the heebie jeebies because of the infestation we had. Now I haven't seen a mouse upstairs in weeks. Knock on wood. Terminix comes every 4 months to bait and trap in the basement.
1 person likes this
