Getting Rid Of Mice
Several Methods For Getting Rid Of Mice
There are a number of way for getting rid of mice, ranging from the better known (the mousetrap) to the somewhat unusual (the barn owl). We'll investigate several methods so that, if you have a mouse problem, you can see which method might work best for you. We won't go into the barn owl approach, great for out of doors, not for in the house.
Several things can make getting rid of mice a bit of a challenge. For one thing, the House Mouse (Mus musculus) is a rather cute little fellow, and some people are reluctant to trap or kill one. In fact this, the most common of the mouse species, can make a good pet; it is used in research work, and is even raised to be fed to larger animals, such as snakes. It can be a pest though, and while actually a very clean animal, can spread disease. The mouse however takes somewhat of a bad rap because of rats, who are generally far greater pests, and greater spreaders of disease. The most feared disease attributable to the common mouse is hantavirus, a deadly virus found in mouse feces, primarily in the southwestern United States. But mice can contaminate food, and in large numbers can be quite destructive to both crops and packaged food goods.
Do You Have A Mouse In The House? - Very often the first sign of a mouse in the house is catching sight of a tiny moving blur out of the corner of your eye. By the process of elimination, there is nothing like what you think you saw in the room, or in the house for that matter, so you figure you've seen a mouse. Discovery of a resident mouse this way is somewhat uncommon, as mice are generally diurnal or nocturnal creatures. But they do venture out from time to time in broad daylight. You aren't apt to see them running diagonally across a large room. They tend to stick close to a wall or go under furniture where they feel a bit more secure. Besides, a mouse has rather poor eyesight and is unlikely to head straight across a large room if it can't make out what is on the other side.
Another sign of a possible mouse infestation (we'll use the term infestation whether talking about one mouse or hundreds), is a scratching and rustling in the walls. A cat or dog may pick up on this well before you do, and if you see your cat studying a place in the wall day after day, there's a good chance of there being something in there. That doesn't mean the mouse has yet gained entry into an interior room, but it is capable of squeezing through a very small space, or with some creative gnawing, making the opening a little larger if it needs to. If you do locate a mouse hole, don't be overly surprised if it appears to be a perfectly round hole. Mice seem to have a talent for gnawing near perfect circles at times, so the round mouse hole you see in cartoons isn't that far fetched.
There are a couple of other things you can look for if you suspect mice are present. In getting rid of mice, it's helpful to know their travel routes, or at least the areas they might tend to visit. That will save you the effort of putting traps in every room, effective, but possibly overkill. Signs to look for include droppings of course, and chewed on items (which will predominately be near floor level but can be anywhere a mouse is able to get to). Scuff marks along a wall next to the floor are another possible sign. If you're reasonably certain you have a mouse around, some recommend sprinkling a little baby powder or talc on the floor in several places, checking later for tiny footprints. If footprints show up, and they are much larger than 1/2 inch across, you probably have a rat instead of a mouse.
Let's assume though that you're at least fortunate enough that the tracks, or other signs, indicate your visitor is a mouse. The first, best thing to do is to make your home a bit less attractive to the mouse, in other words, clean up! This means sweeping and vacuuming to get crumbs or other goodies off of the floor, cleaning kitchen and pantry shelves for the same reason, and making certain that all food items are safely tucked away or secured with lids. The next thing is to examine every possible nook and cranny for a hole or crack that a mouse could get through. Remember, it doesn't have to be very big. A quarter-sized hole usually provides plenty of room for a mouse to squeeze through. While you're at it, take a tour around the perimeter of the house looking for the same thing. Holes and cracks in concrete can usually be patched with a bit of mortar or cement. Steel wool is also an effective patch; mice won't chew on it, or try to remove it. This activity may only take a few minutes if you live in an apartment or a new house that is fairly small. If you live in a big older house, particularly one with a basement, this could well be an all day job. Getting rid of mice can involve much more than just setting a trap out. So this preparatory work should have its own rewards. Besides, as you go through the exercise, who knows what you'll find that needs fixing!
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