5 Signs of Mice in Your Home

Be on the Lookout for These Rodent Signs

Eeek! Fall’s here this weekend and mice are moving indoors!

How can you tell you have a rodent problem?

1. Droppings

|Mouse droppings measure a few millimeters in length, are black and look like grains. You’ll find them in the places where mice are the most active in your house. Don’t forget that these droppings aren’t just messy – they’re dangerous to the health of your family members and pets, too. Pick up the droppings carefully when you are cleaning. Vacuuming and sweeping can break them apart and cause more contaminating particles to spread throughout your house.

2. Gnawed Furniture

When mice are building a habitat or trying to burrow into a new area, they will gnaw at your walls, baseboards, cabinets and furniture. These holes will not only damage or destroy your pieces of furniture, they can also cause significant concerns about the structure of your property. If a mouse gnaws at your property’s wiring, electrical problems can be an issue. Significant wire damage can even cause an electrical fire.

3. Sounds

Do you hear a scurrying sound above you or around you? Mice may be running up and down your walls or across your ceiling. Make sure to look for access points in the basement, attic and perimeter of your house that are allowing mice to access the structural framework of your house.

4. Smells

Have you ever had a pet hamster? You know how that cage can smell if you don’t take care of it enough. Imagine what happens if you let a mouse problem go unnoticed. You’ll be able to smell the musty presence of mice, dead mice and their droppings. Your pets may notice it as well. If you smell a difference and notice your cat or dog repeatedly drawn to a new area of the house, they may have found the location of where your mouse problem is at its most severe.

5. Seeing One

You’re thinking, “Of course seeing one is a sign. That is so obvious.” But some people think that catching the mouse or two you’re seeing will stop the problem. Where there’s one mouse, there are probably many, many more hiding in the walls and dark, ignored spaces of your property. House mice can have an average of five to ten mice per litter (sometimes more!) and reproduce multiple times a year.

Mouse will be moving indoors as the weather gets colder. Have a mouse problem, or want to protect your house from getting one this fall? Contact us today!