One of the most common type of rodent we home owners deal with is the House Mouse.
The house mouse is slender, has a long bare tail, its ears are almost bare of hair and its belly is lightly colored. The house mouse does not need to drink water. It can obtain all necessary moisture from its food. It can squeeze through openings that are only 1/4″ wide. It can climb very well, can jump straight up about 18″ and can swim. It likes to stay against vertical surfaces. The house mouse is a very curious animal. It will quickly investigate objects that are placed within its environment. If all of its needs are meet, food, shelter and sufficient moisture, it may not travel more than 10′ from its nest. It is a creature of habit and follows known pathways and prefers undisturbed areas.
The house mouse can cause several problems for home owners. Gnawing by mice can be an expensive problem. Mice have incisor teeth which grow continually. Gnawing is a way for them to keep their teeth worn down. Mice have been known to chew through wood, hard plastic, boxes, furniture and electrical wires.
So what can you do to help prevent these unwanted guests? Here are some possible steps you can do to help. You need to make your home as uninviting as you can. Remove any piles of debris or material that are stacked near or adjacent to your home. Mice use these areas to scurry to quickly when seeking an area to live. Keep large shrubs trimmed properly and keep ground covers such as ivy away from the exterior of the structure. Inspect the exterior of your home and look for areas as small as 1/4″ that would allow a mouse to enter. These could be areas such as cracks under doors, around windows, holes where pipes or wires enter your home, or screens that are torn or missing on the crawl space areas of some homes.
These openings must be closed. Steel wool can be used in small holes. Repair torn or missing screens and damaged wood.
The house mouse prefers to eat grains and nuts so anything made with these products are very enticing. Dog food is a perfect example of a delicacy mice love. Store the dog food in sealed containers. If mice cannot find food in your home, they will not stay there.