A gray blur momentarily catches your attention. Turning your head you see nothing, and shrug it off as a momentary shadow. A few days later you notice little squeaks accompanied by scratching sounds behind a cabinet, and notice some blackish rice-grain sized pellets in your pantry. As the evidence mounts you finally come to the only logical conclusion: a mouse has gotten into your house!

Movies and cartoons often portray mice as innocent little fuzz-balls that would never cause  harm. Don’t be taken in by these idealized depictions…especially when dealing with mice in your house. It’s one thing to see a field mouse scurry along a garden path and quite another when they’re chewing holes in your furniture, gnawing wiring, and pooping all over your food storage area.

Though not usually aggressive, mice are known for their resiliency. They just don’t seem to have any “quit” in them. What causes this relentless behavior? They’re simply looking to meet basic life needs. I guess you could say that In that sense they’re not so different from humans!

Their quest for security really accelerates when seasons change. Faced with the prospect of freezing or starving during cold-weather months. they switch focus from living off the land to locating a suitable indoor habitat.

As a species, mice have been endowed with some remarkable traits. They can scale walls, walk across highline wires, and swim through sewage pipes to gain entrance to your house through the toilet. Incredibly flexible skeletons allow them to squeeze through dime-sized gaps between doors and frames, bricks and framing, around pipes, next to air vents, etc.

Once inside, mice typically look for the darkest unoccupied spaces they can find. Air ducts, wall cavities, attics, spaces around appliances and water heaters are particular favorites. They often build nests using paper or cardboard in these areas.

Does one mouse mean an infestation?

Generally speaking, yes. As social creatures, mice live in colonies, and they reproduce quickly. An infestation can easily develop before you actually see one of them. Their “sleep in the day, eat at night” life cycle means you’re not likely to see a mouse until the group has grown large enough that one dares to venture into the light. Even then, you might not actually see it as mice move very quickly and are good at blending into backgrounds.

Can mice cause problems in my house?

Definitely! Studies reveal mice carry more than 35 diseases that are harmful to humans. Infections are spread through their droppings, urine, or even through their bites. Even if the mice are well, they can carry bacteria-laden fleas, ticks, and other parasites that can cause illness.

Health issues are only one reason to be concerned about mice. Structural fires have resulted from mice gnawing through electrical wires. Furthermore, they are known to make messes and damage stored personal property ranging from financial documents (remember…they use paper to build nests!) to family heirlooms.

How can I tell if mice are living inside my home?

Despite their reclusive, nocturnal life cycle, mice leave some distinctive “calling cards” that indicate their presence. You just need to pay attention! Watch and listen for the following signs in food storage areas, along floorboards, in basements, cellars, attics, crawl spaces, spare rooms, and other infrequently visited places.

– Rustling or scratching sounds in your walls or under floorboards

– Small irregularly-shaped holes in food containers, cardboard boxes, or fabric

– Droppings that look like small dark seeds or black rice

– An unusual ammonia-like odor

– Piles of soft shredded materials in rarely used areas of your home

   (under cabinets, behind appliances, in basements, etc.)

– Tiny gray, white, or brown hair

­- Chewed holes around pipes and wires

How can I prevent mice from coming into my house?

You need to take a proactive stance to discourage pest infestations of any kind. The following preventative measures will make mice think twice about trying to break into your place. As an added benefit, these steps will keep other vermin from making attempts as well!

Indoors –

– Avoid leaving unopened food out, particularly if it’s in paper or cardboard boxes. This includes pet food.

– Move leftovers into sealed containers after meals.

– Store garbage in rodent-proof containers and don’t let trash collect indoors.

– Regularly clean grime and debris under stoves, refrigerators, cabinets, and pantries.

Outdoors –

– Keep your grass trimmed and remove debris such as leaves, cast off fruits from trees, etc.

– Trim shrubs and trees so that limbs don’t touch your walls or roof.

– Drain standing water.

– Don’t throw table scraps into compost piles.

– Use rodent-proof bird feeders.

Create an airtight environment –

– Seal holes and crevices. Remember, mice can squeeze through holes as small as a dime!

– Install weather-stripping to seal doors that don’t make good contact with frames.

– Repair damaged roofing and use wire mesh to close gaps in the eaves.

– Cover vents with galvanized wire mesh to block entry without affecting airflow.

– Check places where pipes, wiring, and other utilities enter your home.

Mice are as persistent as they are adaptable, and will even outsmart your mouse traps over time. Homeowners often fall into a cycle of buying new traps thinking the old ones didn’t work, when in reality, they’ve entered a ‘mouse trap-trap’, going through new traps only to learn they weren’t effective, either.

The truth is, without professional pest control, there’s virtually no stopping mice from coming back again and again, especially once a colony has been established. I’m saying this to save you a lot of trouble! By the time you’ve tried multiple DIY ‘solutions,’ the colony will have grown substantially. Your best choice is to contact professional exterminators like us to solve your mouse problem for good! Contact KC Pest Control at (405) 679-8729 today to consult about mice or any other pest control issue you have!