Mice issues tend to be seasonal, with winter and fall being the worst, but mice issues can still happen all year. In this post, we cover the top 3 warning signs you have mice in your home.
Look for mouse droppings and smell of urine
If you suspect that you may have mice in your home, the first thing to look for is going to be droppings from these pests. The droppings may be out in the open, but also could be hiding under appliances, in food storage areas, or near water sources.
Mouse droppings can appear very similar to grains of rice, but they can vary in color from black, to brown, and if it’s very old, even gray. The size of these droppings can range from anywhere from 3/16th of an inch up to 1/4th of an inch in length.
It is also a possibility you have a rat issue in your home as well if you are finding droppings, but their similar droppings are much larger in size. Often these mouse droppings don’t smell, but mice can leave anywhere from 50-75 pellets a day around your home.
When you find mouse droppings, be careful while handling them and use gloves as these droppings can carry a lot of harmful bacteria and diseases. Also, keep in mind that depending on various factors, sweeping them up or vacuuming them up as that could also spread the bacteria around your home.
On top of that, mice will also urinate around your home. Unfortunately, mouse urine does often smell very bad. Mice will urinate in places similar to where you may find droppings, but they can also urinate between your walls and in other hidden areas of your home.
Mouse urine has a strong ammonia smell, and typically if you are smelling mouse urine around your home, there is usually more than one mouse to blame.
Look for gnaw marks and holes
Mice are known for gnawing and chewing on a variety of things throughout your home. Mice often will chew on things like walls, wood furniture, and even wires in your home.
This could lead to very dangerous issues hidden in your walls. Frayed wires can be a major cause of fires in your home, so getting rid of mice before that happens is very important.
Mice also can chew holes in your walls in order to get to hidden places where they can build their nests. In addition to these gnaw marks and holes, you may find damaged or shredded papers, cardboard, clothing, or other similar materials around your home.
Mice and rodents like to build their nests from these soft materials, and when you find these things damaged around your home, it could be a clear sign that there are mice in your home.
Listen for scampering and gnawing noises
Hearing the pitter-patter of little feet are great when they are from your kids or grand kids, but hearing them from mice is another story. This is another common warning sign you have mice in your home.
Mice are very skittish, and tend to hide out of sight when humans are around, but you’ll often hear them before you see them. Since mice like to hide, you might hear these noises more actively during the night or coming from odd places around your home.
Mice will often hide in walls and attics away from humans, so you might hear scampering and gnawing noises coming from your walls. As we stated above mice like to gnaw and scratch and chew things around your home so you might hear that as well before you see an actual mouse.
As a means of prevention for mice in your home, we recommend sealing off entry points, sealing food sources, and proper sanitation. Eliminating mice getting in to begin with and reducing or eliminating food sources can keep mice out of your home.
However, once there is a mouse issue in your home, it can be very difficult to get rid of on your own. Mice breed incredibly fast and one or two mice can quickly turn into dozens. Trapping and removing mice can be a challenge as well, so if you do find you have mice in your home, we recommend reaching out to a pest control service to eliminate the issue before it gets out of hand.
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