My cat used to bring live mice in through the cat flap and them release them to run free around my living room.
Having lived in 100-200 year old houses my entire adult life, I’ve learned to live with them, to some extent. I’m generally too squeamish to kill them. So I just plug any holes I can find and make sure there’s not a speck of food to be seen anywhere. My kitchen is spotless.
As for the mouse expiring mid hallway - perhaps it had already be poisoned by a neighbour?
It also helps to keep rice and similar food items in a tin or glass jar rather than in the bag or came in.
But you haven’t answered whether they are in your unit, or just in the hallway. No mouse droppings indoors means no problem, in my books.
I use live traps with peanut butter, nuts, etc. The mouse goes inside the trap, which is a transparent, elongated container with the bait at the very back. As soon as the mouse touches the bait, the trap snaps shut and the mouse is caught without being injured. You have to check the trap regularly, especially on hot days, so that the mouse doesn’t die of thurst. Then I carry the mouse to a park, a green space, or something similar, as far away as possible so that it can’t find its way back. It doesn’t have to be killed or maimed; it can continue to live elsewhere where it won’t bother anyone.
Well, I do this too, but I always have this video in mind:
I’m confused. I live in a 3 story townhouse. All hallways are inside. One mouse was on the tile just inside my entryway on the middle floor. The only thing near is a coat/broom/vacuum closet which didn’t have any obvious mouse droppings. The second mouse was on the lower level at the base of the stairs. This level has a main rec room, bathroom and utility/HVAC/laundry room and again I didn’t see anything obvious although I really didn’t want to look because every shadow on the lower level started to look like another dead mouse. I have seen nothing in my kitchen which is at least 20 feet away from where the first mouse was but I assume that is where they are likely to go. I have also seen nothing on the third floor which are the bedrooms and bathrooms. (Yes i live alone in a 3 bed/3 1/2 bath townhouse-when I bought it I figured that would give the best resale value and doesn’t everyone need 3 showers and 2 bathtubs?)
I guess i feel like I’m a townhouse or condo, there is space that is yours and space that is shared, and i meant, are they inside your space. But maybe they can crawl under the door between the hallway and your kitchen.
Have you asked your neighbor if they are poisoning mice?
Wherever they go, you will see droppings. So if you didn’t see any droppings in the kitchen, they probably aren’t there.