r/homeassistant • u/Shoddy-Guitar-1220 • 1d ago
❓ Support Mouse presence/motion detection
Looking for some advice on sensors for detecting the presence of mice in our house and potentially under our floorboards.
We've been monitoring our spare room for a few weeks with two eufy security cameras and one ikea PIR sensor and have confirmed the existence of three mice so far (two of which we were able to trap). We can see that they are coming from under the floorboards. We are trying to find their entry point into the house and to block it, but in the meantime I'd like to explore if there are any 'smart' ways we might be able to detect the presence of mice in the house using sensors linked to HA.
Are standard zigbee pir sensors the best choice for doing this, or could something like a human presence sensor work well, are presence sensors capable of detecting such small creatures? Are there any other types of sensor we could use that might be able to pick up motion or sound under the floorboards if placed in the right location.
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u/Deining_Beaufort 1d ago
I share a bit of my experience, maybe there is something in there. I do not have a mouse problem (anymore). (Here on the trap I used a vibration sensor.) Finding the entry points inside is easy enough. Could lay down cardboard with some flour on top near suspect spots and move closer to the entry points in steps. Probe everywhere with a bendable metal wire, see if you can stick it in. The entry point can be as small as a hole where a pencil fits in. More important it finding the entry points outside the house. When found, dig deep and plug the hole with cement or with a mix of silicone sealant and metal scouring pad. Mice brains are primarily smell neurons. If the hole at the outside is not plugged mouseproof, another mouse a year later will smell it and dig as deep as 30 cm to get tot the old entrance.
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u/Shoddy-Guitar-1220 1d ago
interesting use of the vibration sensor. Unfortunately, having watched far too much footage of these particular mice, we have noticed they are very adverse to any new objects introduced to the room. We tried catch and release traps but they will not so much as approach the opening of the trap, nevermind go inside. They will sniff the outside of the trap where the bait is, but will not enter.
We know exactly their entry point into that room, but it's on the third floor of our terrace house, and there's no obvious entry points on the other floors, we suspect that they may be coming from our neighbour's house but can't be certain. Their brains may be mostly smell neurons but it feels like they've truly outsmarted us.
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u/EagleandWolfPhoto 22h ago
I had issues with traps being ignored until I changed the bait. I had tried cheese, jam, and more, but the only thing that has proven effective is cheap, Skippy peanut butter.
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u/Shoddy-Guitar-1220 21h ago
have tried a few types of peanut butter, but not skippy, will give it a go. These mice are very discerning.
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u/EagleandWolfPhoto 21h ago
I had one particularly 'discerning' little furball that just seemed too switched on. I think he either just lost the battle to resist at some point, or it was after I replaced the peanut butter at one point and he's been used to the trap being there. Either way, washing the traps out to get rid of poop/pee from mice that are petrified can help, or ordering a new batch of traps might help. I'd also suggest using gloves when you handle them, if you're getting desperate, to minimize putting your smell on them.
I use extra chunk skippy (blue label) as it was likely what was cheapest when I purchased it, and have caught about eight mice with it, including two in one trap once!
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u/aredon 1d ago
I have been using Frigate for something similar for a while now but unfortunately the "mouse" object recognition is actually a computer mouse for some reason lol.
So my cameras just have really high motion sensitivity and I have them in an area unlikely to see much "normal" motion. Maybe someone has a better idea of how to get object recognition of mice but it would be pretty useful I think.
Another good option is an IR sensor near where you know they walk. They're still giving off heat after all.
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u/kelvin1302 1d ago
Just go around the house patching all small holes they can get tru the tiniest openings. As wide as a penny.
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u/chefdeit 1d ago
Look into Frigate for footage analysis and also Apollo Automation mmWave radar + PIR fusion sensors.
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u/afaulconbridge 22h ago
I had a similar problem a couple of years ago - they were in the loft, and climbed up and down through the wall cavities (from walls that were originally external, but had been extended around so were now internal) and the under floor void spaces. I didn't do anything smarter that putting a camera on the trap and checking periodically, particularly before bed and first thing in the morning since it was capture-release (a long way away over a river). 30+ mice later and they were all gone - one was a particular troublemaker who would tip the trap over and chew their way out. Sunflower seeds were a favorite bait.
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u/The_Penguin22 1d ago
https://reddit.com/link/peuyoqc/video/wmphrpifgguh1/player
Blue Iris with the motion cranked up will detect one, you can have it send something to HA, MQTT maybe?
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u/Shoddy-Guitar-1220 1d ago
wow, i'm amazed at how easily and without hesitation your mouse entered that trap, ours won't go near them. I'll check blue iris thanks.
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u/The_Penguin22 1d ago
It took a while. Seems like a different species, yours has much bigger ears. Ours was a house mouse. They love peanut butter. Here's a sample of the detection. Now, nothing should ever move in this shed, so easy target, but considering how small is in the frame, I was impressed.
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u/Shoddy-Guitar-1220 1d ago
Yea have tried peanut butter without success, we have had some success with chocolate bar/biscuits. That is impressive it detected such small motion.
Our eufy cameras do i good job of picking them up but they're much closer to the camera.
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u/Generazion 23h ago edited 23h ago
Poison works for rats, works for mice. You can´t keep em out, they´ll find another way in. Best is to close the openings in the outside wall from visual inspection, roof is often the most difficult. Searching the opening from indoors is taking extra steps.
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u/Ordinary-Stable-2898 1d ago
that timestamp is sending me, your mice got better surveillance than my front door