Mice Infestation: Signs and What To Do

Mice look fuzzy and adorable but, they are full of diseases. The rodents spreads diseases like listeria, salmonellosis, and hantavirus through urine, saliva, droppings, and nesting materials. Such diseases are deadly and you stand a risk of catching it if you have a mice infestation. Asides spreading disease, they damage home appliances and furniture. That is why it is so important to take all possible measures as soon as you see the first signs of mice infestation.

1. What Are the Signs of Mice Infestation?
   
   • Rodent Droppings
   • Check for Gnaw Marks
   • The Foul Odor Is Present
   • Runways and Tracks
   • Check for Nests
2. What to Do If You Have Mice Infestation?

What Are the Signs of Mice Infestation?

There are a lot of signs that indicate mice infestation. For instance, if the rodents are never seen during the day but seen at night then it means the population is not too large and using baits and traps can come in handy here. However, if you see rodents during the day, then you may have a serious infestation problem. Here are some other signs to look out for:

Rodent Droppings

Most fresh droppings are moist and dark and as they age, they begin to dry out and become gray and old. These droppings crumble easily if touched. The best place to check for droppings is cupboards and drawers, under sinks, and other hidden areas. When you see large deposits of droppings, it means nesting or feeding areas are nearby. You can inspect the areas to determine the level of infestation or activity of the rodents.

Check for Gnaw Marks

Aside from droppings in hidden areas, you can expect to see gnaw marks if you have an infestation of mice. Unlike droppings, gnaw marks are lighter especially if they are newer. As they age, they become a lot darker. You can check food packaging for these marks as well as the structure of the house. Those are two areas you will likely find the marks. You may also need to determine how long they have infested the area by checking the marks. New marks are lighter and could indicate a continuing infestation. Such marks may also determine if you have mice or rats. Rats are responsible for larger marks since they have bigger teeth. However, it is still possible to graduate from mouse infestation to rat infestation.

The Foul Odor Is Present

Dogs and cats as well as pet rats or mouse can become excited and active if they come in contact with areas where rodents are present. Most times, this is a result of a foul odor that rodents produce. It often occurs when rodents enter a house newly. If you spot your pet pawing in an area where it hasn’t shown interest before then get a flashlight and inspect the place for mice.

It is easier to know if the infestation is large from the odor. You can also tell that the infestation is active by the ongoing stale smell.

Runways and Tracks

When rodents are active in the house, they leave a distinctive track or runway. However, these tracks may begin to get fainter as time passes. Runways or tracks are easily detected with blacklight or flashlight held at the suspected area’s angle. Look out for: 

• footprints
• smudge marks
• droppings
• urine stains

If you suspect that an area is filled with rodents, try putting a thin layer of baby powder or flour on the spot. This will expose any active rodent population as their trails will show on the powder.

Check for Nests

Rodents often use different materials like fabric, shredded paper, or dried plant matter to build their nests. Check the area for the presence of: 

• odor
• gnawing 
• tracks 
• odors
• fresh droppings

If you find any of the above, then it shows that there is an ongoing infestation in your house.

Rodents are attracted to organic waste, piles of trash, and other kinds of food waste for nesting and food. If they are present near the structure of the home. A simple inspection can determine how serious the problem is to know how to get rid of it and prevent the problem in the future. What can you do when you find mice infestation in your home?

What to Do If You Have Mice Infestation?

Before planning to go with one control or extermination methods, you should identify the pest population properly first. Noises can also indicate an infestation, but insects also make noises within the walls, so you need to be sure first to know the best action to take.

Start by identifying the feeding sites as well as the entry points. After identifying them, you cut off the food supply and stop their movements from one point to another. Be sure to store your food sources in tightly sealed glass or metal containers. Trash cans can also attract these pests so they should be sealed completely. Clean all sinks, countertops, and the kitchen floor. Ensure that you do not miss any entry or exit points. Crevices, holes, and cracks should be sealed using concrete or steel. All other open areas around gas lines, pipes, and dryer vents should be sealed as well. No matter how small the holes are, they could still become entry points for rodents so do not disregard them.

The extermination methods for homes vary from poison to traps. However, you need to be careful about the method you choose. Snap traps are dangerous for house pets and even humans when they are improperly fixed. Glue traps are used for mice but must be placed properly to be effective. Also, live traps will require the homeowner to dispose of the rodents when they are captured and many people do not like this. One thing these traps have in common is the fact that the user needs a certain level of knowledge of the behavior of mouse and habits to use them properly.

Poison can also work in the circumstances but also carry extra risk. When it is not placed properly, using poison can affect wildlife, pets, and even people. 

Mouse infestations are dangerous to humans and annoying too. Mice eat human food sources while destroying paper, cartons, boxes as well as plastic. Also, the saliva, urine, and feces of mice are known to harbor bacteria and viruses like salmonella and hantavirus. This is why it is crucial to call mouse exterminator if you notice the signs of mice infestation. The sooner you get rid of the mice, the better. The pests have a rapidly growing population and are difficult to get rid of. if you cannot handle it by yourself, then you can call an exterminator to get it done.

The Best Baits For Mouse Traps And How To Use Them

To some extent, catching mice resembles fishing – it’s all about taking the most attractive bait. Having the best bait is the shortest way to the best catch. There is an erroneous opinion that mice are drawn to any food products. However, if rodents dislike the bait, you may be completely dissatisfied with the result of the mouse hunt.

1. What are the best baits?
2. What baits are bad?
3. Precautions
4. How much bait you should use?
5. Where to place it?
6. For how long?
7. When you should change the bait?
8. What if mice don’t take it?
9. What should you do if mice eat the bait without triggering the trap?

What are the best baits?

When selecting the best bait, one has endless opportunities. Still, it is preferable to take the foods, that contain a lot of fat, protein or sugar. The bait should also be fragrant because it is smell that produces the first impression on mice, which do not normally rely on their vision. So, what are the most popular bait options for the mouse traps?

Peanut butter

Peanut butter contains a lot of protein; it remains fresh and fragrant for a long time, thus improving your chance of having that ugly little mouse trapped. Sticking to the trigger is yet another advantage of peanut butter that enables you to come up with better spots and angles when placing the mouse trap.

Vanilla extract

Rodents are naturally drawn to this strong scent, so it is effective to use a cotton ball with two or three drops of vanilla extract as a bait. Once placed in the mouse trap, it begins to produce a pleasant odor that lures mice and rats.

Chocolate

Surprisingly enough, chocolate is much better bait than cheese. It is a myth that mice are strongly attracted to this traditional lure and will neglect more exquisite treats. Not only vanilla extract, but also chocolate can be a great delicacy for the little pests. UK-based manufacturer of pest management products from Cheshire, Sorex Ltd company, has even created an effective mouse trap that smells of chocolate and does not require any additional bait.

Sunflower seeds

Sunflower seeds are rather hard, so mice need to gnaw the covering first. The mouse being busy, it is a good moment for the mouse trap to be triggered. All you need to think about is how to arrange the sunflower seeds, which rodents just cannot resist. For this purpose, you will need a mouse trap that has small container or a food tray.

Maple syrup

A few drops of maple syrup will emit a strong luring smell. They can be sprinkled on cotton balls or grains. It is important, however, not to use too much maple syrup as it may have the opposite effect. This bait is as effective as vanilla extract.

Bacon

Do you remember the awesome smell of freshly fried bacon? Hooked under the trigger, a piece of bacon or some bacon grease can lead the mouse to the trap due to its strong scent. An important tip would be not to take canned bacon because its smell is much weaker and may fail to attract rodents.

Hot dog

Much is said about tiny pieces of cooked hot dog working well as a mouse trap bait. To know for sure, one has to try.

Pet food

A lot of pet owners have reported that rodents are attracted to the places where pet foods are kept. It goes to prove that pet supplies can also be used as mouse trap baits.

Other options

Marshmallows, jam, caramels, candies, nuts and seeds also work good.

It sounds weird, but dental floss, yarn, cotton, and similar products can attract female mice. The reason is that they need nesting materials and can be trapped attempting to remove them from the trigger.

What baits are bad?

Obviously, you should not use as a bait anything that smells like peppermint, ammonia or naphthalene. Such products deter mice and usually used as mouse repellents.

Contrary to popular belief, cheese is also bad bait for mouse traps.

Cheese

Any pet shop owner or professional mouse exterminator will tell you that mice are not actually attracted by cheese. Moreover, some cheeses have specific odors that mice do not like at all. Such smells are too strong for the rodents’ sensitive nose and may even repel them. In fact, cheese dries out quickly and gets stale in a mouse trap. Very soon it will turn into a useless mouse trap bait that no rodent will want to eat.

Precautions

Using gloves (medical gloves, the ones for food preparation or washing dishes) is highly recommended when setting a mouse trap. Mice can easily detect every detail of that complex smell the bait emanates, so their senses will tell them to stay away from the bait. To be on the safe side, put on gloves before you bait the mouse trap, and rodents will not be scared away.

How much bait you should use?

Using a lot of bait may not be a great idea. You are not going to feed the mice, are you? Take a small portion of bait to draw the rodent into the trap. Its smell must be strong enough to spread all around the area. Its primary function is to help the mouse find the trap easily.

Where to place it?

The correct answer will depend on the type of the mouse trap chosen. If you prefer to use a snap trap, you should put the lure on the trigger pedal. As a rule, this simple mechanism has a few pointed metal elements, so the bait is attached to it easily and securely. Choosing a sticky bait is another obstacle for the mouse that is obviously hoping to steal the lure without disturbing the mouse trap.

“Trap and release” mouse traps, as well as electronic traps, must be baited at their far end. Such traps are humane and either keep the mouse inside or subject it to electric current the moment the rodent enters and provided that the mechanism works well. The deeper the mouse reaches the better.

The mouse should not be able to eat the bait staying outside the trap or being not deep enough to set it in motion. The worst scenario for you is when the rodent feeds and goes. Do not undervalue the role of proper baiting in catching mice.

For how long?

If your house has faced the problem of grave mouse infestation, replacing the bait will be a frequent activity, since pests will constantly get trapped.

If just occasional mice are exploring your area, they may not even try to eat the lure, so you can leave it for a few days. If the bait is still there after several days, this can point to a wrongly chosen place for setting the trap. Are you sure the trap is located where mice are most active? If the location is good, but the mice show no interest in your treat, you must substitute the bait with a fresh one more often.

Mice are really fond of fresh food that has an appealing smell, so you always need to keep the bait fresh. At least do not let the it become stale, otherwise it will never attract mice. Start the day with checking your mouse traps. Also, when it is hot outside, you must hook fresh bait more often than in cold months.

When you should change the bait?

Make it a rule to change the bait each time the little gray visitor is caught. Sometimes, mice gnaw the bait without getting trap triggered. Other rodents may get repelled by the traces their predecessors have left, so it is better to prepare a fresh bait for them in this case.

Replace any mouse trap bait that has not been touched by mice for several days, otherwise it will spoil.

What if mice don’t take it?

Suppose you know the area is infested by mice, but the bait remains untouched. You should try to find an explanation. One of the possible reasons is that mice know another place where food is lavish and easier to get.

The key to solving the problem is to remove all other food supplies in the area. Experiment with various baits and replace them more often, if the rodents do not seem to be interested.

Think about other bait options and leave a new lure in the mouse trap. If the solution does not seem to be effective, exchange the bait for some other product and try again. Remember that fragrant foods should be your top priority – feel free to try chocolate, vanilla extract or freshly cooked bacon.

What should you do if mice eat the bait without triggering the trap?

Occasionally, you will come across a wise little mouse that will be able to eat peanut butter or another bait without getting caught. In such case, there is a little trick that helps to catch the smart rodent.

You should prepare a special bait using dental floss and some foods that can be spread over it, such as peanut butter - just tie dental floss to the bait pedal and cover it with butter. Now, while enjoying the fragrant bait, mouse will have its teeth tangled in the dental floss. When trying to release itself from the floss, the mouse will put more pressure on the bait pedal, thus triggering the mechanism. This simple trick always works great.

How To Set A Mouse Trap

Setting a mouse trap is not as easy as it seems. You should definitely know how and where to place traps in order to make your mouse hunt effective. Hiring a professional mouse exterminator will cost you few hundred dollars, so reading this article to learn how to set a mouse trap definitely worth your time. Here are step-by-step instruction with all tips and tricks you should know to get rid of mice in your house.

Step 1: buy mouse traps

The first thing you should do is choosing the type of mouse trap you will use. The most famous and common type is snap trap - the one with wooden base and spring that snaps down metal mechanism. This is cheap and reliable product, that is often sold in packs of 6, what could be a great deal for those, who have serious troubles with mice. In addition, there are electronic, glue and live-catch traps are available.

Traps can also be disposable and reusable. Disposable ones are more expensive option, since they require buying new trap for every mouse, but they allow to avoid dealing with dead mice, what can be a problem for someone.

Step 2: buy gloves

In case you don’t have gloves, it is highly recommended to buy them before handling with mouse traps. Since mice detect scents pretty well, your smell on bait and trap may sometimes scare them away, so it will be better to use gloves when you set a mouse trap. But the main reason is that mice carry dangerous diseases, so it is necessary to use gloves in order to protect yourself from infection, when removing dead mice from reusable traps.

You can take any medical or industrial safety gloves, just don’t forget to get rid of them after handling with dead mice.

Step 3: find all mouse locations

The next step is one of the most important. It requires a quick eye, attention and understanding of mice behaviour. You should locate all rodent zones in your house, where mice nest and eat, as well as their routes between these areas. Look for such signs as holes in the walls, footprints, droppings, urine pillars, grease marks and strong ammonia-like smell. At night, listen for scratching noises and the pitter-patter.

The most popular locations of mice are: garages, attics, basements, secluded corners, ceiling or wall voids, various crawl spaces, places near heat sources, between furniture and under cabinets etc.

Step 4: prepare bait

Contrary to popular belief, cheese is not the best bait for mouse traps. Mice like seeds and nuts, so you need some food that has strong smell of this kind to attract them. Peanut butter is considered the best choice, but other products such as hazelnut spread are also good. Snap traps need baits that stick to their triggers instead of just lay on them in order to not let mice just pick up bait and run away, so using some kind of butter is highly recommended, if you set a snap trap.

For other types of traps, when you need to just lure mice, you can use sunflower seeds, chocolate and even inedible materials that mice use to build nests, such as yarn, twine, cotton balls etc.

Step 5: set the trap

Victor® Metal Pedal Mouse Trap is used as example to explain how to set a mouse trap.

Open the package and take the mouse trap. You will see the arm bar fixed with a staple.

Release it and move to the back, thus making it hanging over the trap.

Take a small amount of bait you have prepared in previous step with a toothpick, Q-Tip, knife or any other tool that will mask your scent and place it on the bait pedal on the trap.

There are few important things you should know. First, you should not place big amount of bait, because mouse can just lick it without pressing the pedal. Second, make sure that the bait is stuck to the pedal and it will not fall, when mouse will touch it. And finally, if you have noticed, that your mice are too smart and eat your bait without triggering the trap, there is a trick that will help you. Before placing the bait, take some dental floss, loosely wrap it around the pedal and tie. After that, place a small amount of bait again. Now, when mouse will eat the bait, it will pull the dental floss thus pressing the pedal and the trap will get triggered for sure.

After you have placed the bait, take the kill bar, pull it back and hold with your thumb.

Next, take the arm bar and put it on the kill bar.

Latch it into the notch you see on the pedal with bait.

Now you can release the kill bar very slowly. Make sure that the notch really holds the arm bar, otherwise the kill bar can hit your fingers very hard.

Step 6: place it

The main reasons why people fail in getting rid of mice are using not enough traps or placing them in wrong locations.

It is highly recommended to use several mouse traps even if you have only one or few mice in your house. Placing them in different locations will greatly increase your chances to catch the rodents. In case you have big infestation, you may need dozens of mouse traps placed all over your house.

Put them on the mice ways near previously located rodent zones. Mice don’t like open areas and prefer to move unnoticed, so they usually run along the walls and near or under the large objects, such as cabinets or sofas. It is recommended to place traps 2-3 feet from each other and sometimes even in pairs.

If you have kids or pets, try to place mouse traps in hidden areas, so they won’t harm any of them by accident.

When setting traps along the walls, make sure to place them right near wall, so they block the way and force mice to explore them instead of just passing by. The end with bait must always face the wall, so mouse could discover the food in the first place.

Step 7: check your traps regularly

You should check all you mouse traps at least daily, but doing this 2-3 times a day will be much better.

If you are using some kinds of humane traps, that don’t kill rodents, you should release them as soon as possible before they died of hunger, dehydration or suffocation. If you have some device that can trap several mice together, it is even possible that they can eat each other after staying long time in closed space. So, if you want to keep them alive in order to release them into the wild, check traps as often as possible.

Using kill traps also requires regular checking, because after some time dead mice will start stink , decompose and spread harmful bacteria. Don't forget that mice carry dangerous diseases, so quick removal of dead mice from your house will prevent you, your family and pets from various infections.

In addition, for both kinds of traps, humane and kill, even if they didn’t work, you should regularly check baits to make sure they still there. In case you use some butter as a bait, it is recommended to change it from time to time, because fresh butter will smell stronger and attract rodents better. Also, if the trap cannot catch mouse during long time, you may try another bait or move it to another location.

Step 8: dispose the mouse

When the mouse is trapped, you should get rid of it immediately. Don’t forget to use gloves in this step to protect yourself. Make sure the rodent is really dead, because if it’s still alive, it might be dangerous. If so, don’t touch mouse itself, take it along with the trap.

You may want to release it somewhere in the wild, but don’t forget that it can come back to your house, so make sure you’ve gone away far enough. Mice have perfect navigational instinct, some of them can return after being released more than a mile from the house, so you need to go at least 2-3 miles away.

Sometimes alive mouse is seriously injured and suffers, so there is no point to release it. In this case, it is better to just kill it in order to stop its suffering. The best option here is to drown it in a bucket with water.

But in most cases, it will be dead, so you will need just lift the kill bar of the mouse trap over your garbage bin and let it fall into it.

Step 9: place the trap back

Once you did this, set the mouse trap again and place it back to its previous location. There still may be other mice in your house, so you should be on the alert. The fact that the rodent was caught means that you had set a mouse trap properly and in the right place. Don’t remove your traps until you absolutely sure that there are no more rodents left in your house.

Don’t forget that mice are breeding very fast, so you should start your fight against them as soon as you have noticed the very first signs of their presence in your house. It is recommended to have few traps prepared in advance for such cases, and to get rid of mice immediately after they appear without giving them the slightest chance to damage your property.

Mouse Exterminators: What They Do, How To Hire And Price

The easiest and in many cases the cheapest way to get rid of mice or other rodents until they do any substantial harm or cause any danger is to hire a professional exterminator. Finding an expert in this field would not be a problem and depending on the scale of mice infestation he can save you a lot of time and money.

1. Why getting rid of mice is so important
2. Why you need professional mice exterminators
3. When you should hire a mouse exterminator
4. Best season to call mouse exterminators
5. What do exterminators do?
6. How to choose?
7. Possible problems with mouse exterminators
8. How much does it cost?

Why getting rid of mice is so important

First of all, mice can cause a lot of human diseases, one of which is known as Hantavirus. Secondly, mice can easily destroy different things in your home, like food, books, and even furniture. That’s why it is so important to get rid of mice the next minute after you realized you have at least one of them.

Many dangerous diseases are transmitted to humans via contaminated mouse feces or urine. The most common are the following:

• Salmonellosis
• Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
• Tularemia
• Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis
• Leptospirosis
• Rat-Bite Fever

Why you need professional mice exterminators

Very often people don’t realize that they have problems with mice until they face a full-blown infestation. It happens because mice are highly intelligent creatures that can hide and stay unnoticed for a long time.

Mice extermination includes several important stages: tracking down, identifying possible entries and exits and zeroing the nests. If you scare the mice away from your house with one of your hunts they can move to another house, stay there for some time and then come back later. Therefore, to ensure that you will not have recurring mice problems it’s strongly advisable to address a professional comprehensive exterminator.

Of course, you can use mice traps and try to solve the problem by yourself, but an important thing to remember is that proper placement of the trap can only be done when knowing all the entries and exits and tracking the movement of the mice, which is extremely difficult without professional help. Even if the trap works, the problem of getting rid of the remnants remains.

Therefore, it is always safer to call a professional mice control company when dealing with these tiny but intelligent and evasive rodents.

When you should hire a mouse exterminator

Some people would ask for the professional help of exterminators only after a week or two of unsuccessful efforts to get rid of mice. Also, many people will not be concerned after seeing a mouse or two in their basement or attic because mice are small and seem not to cause any trouble. However, the important thing to remember is that mice can carry dangerous bacteria, parasites, and diseases. Moreover, they spread very quickly, because one female mouse is able to give birth to 50-60 mice a year! So, the best thing is to act immediately and not let the small pests infest all your house.

Best season to call mouse exterminators

The main thing you should know about mice and their behavior is that they react to the environmental changes and accordingly adjust their behavior which increases their chances of survival. An increase or decrease in mice population also depends on the season.

For house mice breeding starts in early spring, so in the late spring, their population increases when new mice reach their physical maturity. This usually happens from 5 to 7 weeks after their birth. This is why most sightings of mice are reported from April to June. Also at this season the temperature and the number of food sources are growing, so accordingly do their chances of survival.

But, as the temperature falls down and natural food sources run out, mice naturally seek for the shelter and food in human houses or other buildings where they like to nest. That’s why the second increase in mice population and sightings is usually in October and November. Most people would report noticing the signs of mice and their nests in their homes at this time.

In order to have success in fighting with mice, one should consider and take advantage of these seasonal peculiarities and changes in mice behavior not only to eliminate mice from the house but also to ensure that they won’t come back. What you should expect from professional mouse exterminators is to develop a customized plan to control mice invasion and population for your particular home.

Even if you don’t see any signs of mice nesting in your house at present, remember that it’s better to take preventive measures and winter is the right time to start. If you do this in winter, you will have fewer mice in spring and this will avert possible infestations next year.

If you take preventive measures against mice infestation in spring and summer, you will receive double benefits. You will have no troubles with rodents during warm season when the population is naturally higher and it will help you avoid infestation in autumn when mice are looking for shelter and nesting places.

Not only your home or other buildings require examination and active measures. Your yard can also seem appealing for the rodents so you need to take a good care of it. In spring and summer make sure to keep it trimmed and clear any debris in autumn and winter for more effective mice control.

What do exterminators do?

The first thing exterminator will do is examine your house for any signs of infestation, including runs and entries and identify the type of the rodent you have. Next, they will seal off all the entries and depending on the scale of infestation will set traps or use mouse poison. To ensure that the removal was successful good mouse exterminator will always do a follow-up visit.

How to choose?

To make sure that you choose really professional team, first of all you should do a small research in order to make list of all possible companies. After that, call them and ask some important questions:

• Do they visit houses for free estimation?
• What methods they use to kill mice?
• How many visits mouse exterminators need to do the job?
• How will they get rid of the dead mice?
• Do they offer a guarantee?
• Do they have some plan to prevent mice return?

You should insist on your home visit for expert assessment to estimate the job before hiring them.



The last but not least thing to consider before choosing the mouse exterminator company is the price and here you should remember that the cheaper does not mean the better. If you want to protect your house from the future infestations you may have to pay more, for example for fixing any cracks and holes through which mice might come again. But remember, that having paid for this once you will save much more time, efforts and money in the future.

Possible problems with mouse exterminators

Although the most effective way to get rid of the rodents is to call exterminators, there might also be some problems. Sometimes even the professionals do not guarantee a 100% successful result because of the following reasons:

• Mice are not exterminated completely
• Infected areas are not fully treated
• All the access points are not located properly
• Usage of penetrable materials
• Disinfection from mice bacteria and germs is not done.

How much does it cost?

The price of mouse extermination depends on the size of the house and the scale of infestation. The price can vary from $40 to $300, not including additional fees to repair damaged pipes and wires. Hiring professional mouse exterminators for such price is not cost-effective if you deal with only one or several mice, but it is absolutely necessary to cope with big infestation.

Price can vary depending on the company, but keep in mind these 3 main principles:

1. This kind of work is highly specialized and requires licensing and liability.
2. The quality of job will most likely depend on the price, so don’t expect a good job from cheap companies
3. There is no one price for every case and every situation is different.

No one wants to overpay and everyone wants to have the job done properly, of course, but there are some things you need to be aware of. First of all, any reputable mouse extermination company spent a lot of money on licensing, liability insurance, and a lot of other business expenses, so they would like to cover it with a little bit higher prices. Secondly, if you choose the cheapest company for the first time, you will probably end up paying more later. Mice problems should not be ignored because of the damage and health risks that they cause. Mouse extermination is actually an investment in your home or other property safety.

How To Keep Mice Away With Mouse Repellents

Are you tired of rodent hunt at your home, on the farm or in barn? Want to know how to get rid of mice? There are numerous different ways including mouse traps and poison, however not all of them are safe for you and your environment. Mouse repellents are the safest way to get rid of mice without any harm to animals or humans. In this article you will find information about the most popular ones.

Peppermint oil

One of the safest and natural ways to get rid of a mouse is peppermint oil. It can be used both indoors and outdoors and recognized as one of the most effective methods. Take several cotton balls and put a few drops of the oil on each of them. Then leave these balls near the places where you have seen mice and where you suppose they live. The disadvantage of this oil is that it dissipates quickly, so you need to change cotton balls with fresh repellent several times a week.

Mothballs

Mothballs are also considered to be an effective mouse repellent. You need to take them from the box and place in the area where mice live. Make sure that no pets or children will have access to these places. They must never be used in non-ventilated areas since they can be very dangerous. Accidental ingestion of mothballs by children or pets will lead to heavy sickness and in rare cases even death.

Mouse deterrent spray

Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence that any mouse deterrent spray available on the market is effective. This happened because there are no government regulations or requirements regarding this type of product, i.e. there is no need to prove that it is effective before it goes to the market. However, even trusted e-commerce websites advertise a different kind of mouse deterrent sprays. In most cases, these products are sold as an effective way to get rid of mice. However, they just irritate rodents for a couple of seconds with the help of natural oils and other chemicals, so will not help you to get rid of them once and for all, simply because mice are adopting to them fast.

Ultrasonic mouse repellers

Ultrasonic mouse repellers are devices which use high-frequency or ultrasonic noise to repel and shoo all pests, such as rats and mice which are usually living at home. Homeowners vexed by mice are often interested if ultrasonic repellers are really effective and able to help them to get rid of mice.

These devices use ultrasound, which has a frequency of more than 20,000 Hz. Such frequency level cannot be heard by a human. The sound which is emitted by ultrasonic repellers is aimed to cause a different kind of symptoms among pests, like convulsions, confusion and in some cases death. This process is known as an audiogenic seizure response. Under its influence mice will leave the area to find more friendy environment.

However, scientists report uncertainty if such products for pest control are helpful or not. The pest control professionals and scientific community are still debating about the ultrasonic mouse repellers efficiency.

Mouse Poison: How Does It Work And Possible Problems

Although most people still think that mice poison just chokes the mice and rats to death, in fact, it works in many different ways that you should know about.

Anticoagulation

This process makes mice silently but painfully die from anemia and internal bleeding because of inhibited blood clotting. By destroying blood vessels in the mouse’s body it leads to a reduction of blood flow to the most important parts of the body, including the brain. Death comes gradually in a couple of days after injection. For the proper work of anticoagulants, they require high concentration, therefore the doses must be high and repeated. However, mice can also sense the poison and simply will not fall for the bait, so using too high doses of the poison on a single bait can be ineffective. For better work mice should be fed with the poison repeatedly.

Mental phosphides

This poison is made of Zinc Phosphide and can be used for killing not only house mice but for field mice as well. Unlike the previous one it’s a single-dose poison which doesn’t require high concentration, so one bite of the bait is enough to kill a mouse or rat. It works because of the acid that reacts with substances inside a digestive system of the rodent producing toxic phosphine acid. It’s a very strong and very effective rodenticide that works very quickly and gives the highest chances to get rid of mice.

Hypercalcemia

These are one of the most effective and deadly poisons that kills mice and rats just in a couple of hours after ingestion. Often it is made of a combination of two or more various poisons and it also doesn’t require high concentration for a fatal effect, one bite is enough. It consists of very toxic substances that cause the rise of levels of calcium and vitamins. As a result, the crystals of calcium are created inside the lungs, blood vessels and kidneys of a mouse and damage these organs seriously. It ends up with kidney failure and internal bleeding which results in a very painful death.

Possible problems with mouse poison

Using mouse poison is one of the most effective and quickest ways to get rid of mice in your house, barn or other infested places, as compared with mouse traps and other methods, therefore most of the people use it nowadays. Although it’s one of the easiest ways, it’s definitely not the best one.

First of all, it is dangerous not only for mice but for humans and other animals also. People who have children, pets or farm animals must be especially careful. Even the adults can accidentally suffer from it.

You should also remember that mice poisons kills the rodents, and most likely they will die in the house inside the walls or in some other areas which are hard to get. So it will not be easy to get rid of their remnants which will eventually give a horrible smell. Moreover, dealing with rodents’ remnants you dispose yourself to a risk of catching one of the diseases they carry.

If you have doubts that you can cope with all these problems, we strongly recommend to hire a professional mouse exterminator to get rid of these pests safely and for sure.

Mouse Traps Reviews And Useful Tips

There are numerous ways to get rid of mice. These include repellents, poison, and most widely used methods: mouse traps. It is well-known that mouse traps are the most effective way to catch these pests, if you use them correctly. Here you will know what types of mouse traps are exist and how you can use them efficiently.

Snap Traps

This is one of the most commonly used and effective mouse traps. It usually consists of a wooden (in some cases plastic) base, supplied with a metal mechanism loaded with a spring which is snapping down by the mouse activity. It is either trap it or kill. The lure is placed on the mechanism which reacts to the pressure change. It is activated when mouse tries to take a lure.

#1 Snap Trap: Snap-E 

This trap includes steel elements and durable polystyrene, so they can be used for decades. Baiting these mouse traps is easy due to a special baiting cup. Snap-E products are designed in a way that prevents the appearance of odors and stains, typical for common wooden mouse traps.

The strike bar and the tripping paddle are large in sizes and guarantee trapping rodents from all sides. Besides, these mouse traps are easy and safe to clean and dispose, so you will not have to touch the mouse.

Trapping and killing mice in this kind of traps is likely to leave blood spots in the trap. One should also think about placing this trap beyond pets' and children's reach to avoid injuries. However, this is true about all kinds of traps.

PROS

• Reliable due to the use of strong materials
• Stainless and odor-free
• A preformed baiting cup
• Sanitary and easily disposable 

CONS

• Not humane, mice can be killed with a lot of blood
• May be dangerous for pets and children 

Electronic Traps

This is a modern type of traps, which is very popular and easy to use. It entices a mouse and kills it immediately with an electric shock.

#1 Electronic Trap: Rat Zapper Classic

One of the best electronic mouse traps, characterized by simple baiting and effective trapping. This product does not use poison or any other harmful substances, killing rodents in a humane and environmentally-friendly manner with the help of electricity.

All you must do to dispose the trapped rodent from Rat Zapper Classic is to tip the product and let the mouse or rat fall out. While doing so, you don’t even have to look at the victim.

This electronic mouse trap is widely used both in private households and in business or commercial areas.

Killing mice is efficient due to the use of anticoagulant block and diphacinone ingredients. The product set includes a resealable pail.

The trap’s red light indicator signals the user that a mouse or rat has been caught.

PROS

• The trap is easy to use: all you need to do is to insert batteries, place the bait and switch it on
• Rat Zapper Classic humanely kills rodents with an electric shock, which is strong, quick, and deadly
• To dispose a mouse, one does not have to touch or look at it 
• Safe and clean. The mouse trap does not contain poisons or chemicals and leaves no blood stains (however, it still has to be placed away from pets and children)

CONS

• Rather costly in comparison with other traps
• Requires changing batteries, since the product is not equipped with an AC adapter

Glue traps

This is the simplest type of traps, which don’t have any mechanical or moving parts. It sticks a mouse on cardboard or plastic board and doesn’t let it to escape. It is the most arguable type of traps among people and considered to be the most cruel mouse trap available. This is because they are not usually killing a mouse, and if you leave them for a long time mouse will die just from hunger.

#1 Glue Trap: Catchmaster Peanut Butter Scented Mouse Glue Board

Glue traps are not poisonous; they are placed in a flat position and attract rodents due to their strong peanut butter scent. Catchmaster glue boards look like a sticky sheet which is equally effective for catching mice and rats. Catchmaster products are an excellent choice for restaurants and cafes, office buildings and homes.

This mouse trap contains no harmful ingredients, such as pesticides, rodenticides, or poisons. Instead, Catchmaster Glue Boards capture mice with the help of adhesive glue. These sticky glue boards have an appealing peanut butter fragrance that mice cannot resist.

Catchmaster glue traps are not toxic, have a long shelf life and retain their efficiency for a year. According to a popular opinion, these are the best sticky traps for rodents.

Accidental trapping of pets and other animals is not excluded, but the unexpected catch can be released from the glue board painlessly, if you apply household vegetable oil.

PROS

• Mouse glue boards are set up easily
• They do not cause any physical damage to rodents, so no blood
• Such traps are safe for children and pets

CONS

• May be not effective for big rodents since they can escape
• Can be used only once

Live-Catch Traps

A lot of mouse traps types allow you to catch a mouse without killing or doing harm to it. These traps allow you to set it free into the wild. These traps are usually similar to the ones used to catch larger mammals. These are cages with doors which are activated by triggers. They lock mouse inside making it caught alive.

#1 Live-Catch Trap: Havahart X-Small

This trap is ideal for catching mice, rats, chipmunks, weasels, and squirrels, when they interfere with people’s life and cause damage to their property. Havahart X-small traps are made of sturdy wire mesh reinforced with steel and can be used for years.

Designed by expert trappers, these rat traps are recommended by animal control officers. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a better live mouse trap.

This mouse trap has smooth internal edges, so you will not get injured while disposing rodents or setting the trap in an appropriate place. To reduce the chance of stealing baits to a minimum, manufacturers have designed a smaller opening of the mesh.

PROS

• Solid structure: stainless wire mesh reinforced with steel
• This trap is humane, since mice are trapped rather than killed
• Escaping and bait stealing are highly unlikely
• Quick trapping due to a triggered gravity action door  
• Special door and handle design to protect users

CONS

• Not very sensitive trap door 
• Lack of instructions for the user

Tips to trap a mouse

The most important thing when you are trying to catch a mouse is the location of your mouse trap. Without a proper location, the “hunt” won’t be effective. The trap should be placed where mice are nesting or running.

The next thing you should consider is a number of traps you need to place. The more traps you place the more effective they will be. Place traps within two-three feet interval.

Place two mouse traps together with a one inch space between them. This is an effective practice for the snap and glue traps, and by doing so you will be able to catch a mouse which is trying to over jump your traps.

Use aggressive trapping approach. Place as many traps as you can the first night. Usually, during the first night, more mice are get caught.

As for the bait, you need a small amount to lure a mouse. Use bait with high protein level, for example, peanut butter. If mice are building their nest, they can be also attracted by cotton, string and other things they use like building materials.

And of course, always monitor mouse activity and place traps until the activity will stop.

Read more: How To Set A Mouse Trap

Advantages Of Mouse Traps

These are few reasons why mouse traps are more preferable as compared to poisons:

• Mouse traps contain no chemical or hazardous substances
• The results are quick to come and more effective
• Using no rodenticides means mice will not die in inaccessible areas and produce an unpleasant smell in the house
• Removing killed mice is very simple

How To Choose A Mouse Trap

Think of the important tips given below before purchasing a mouse trap for your home. Following these instructions, you will never regret buying an ineffective mouse trap.

• Efficiency - is the mouse trap efficient in catching rodents? Does it fail when trapping mice?
• Durability - how long will the mouse trap keep working without any problems or failures? If you choose an unreliable but fairly cheap mouse trap, you will have to buy more traps very soon. 
• Cleaning - how difficult is to clean and dispose the trapped rodent?
• Usability - is it easy to use, does a user manual or an instruction guide come together with the mouse trap?
• Safety - how safe is it to use? Safety is an issue with both snap traps and electronic ones - you do not want to suffer snapped fingers or electric shock. Is the product provided with any safety mechanism?

How to Get Rid of Mice: Best Remedies in 2020

Most of us have faced the problem with rodents at least once and there’s no need to explain how troublesome is to get rid of mice. Especially when they breed so quickly threatening your house with a real infestation. Besides the fact that they can chew wires and cause other damage to your property, mice are carriers of numerous parasites, bacteria and even viruses which сan be very dangerous, including lymphocytic choriomeningitis, listeria, salmonella, and hantavirus. They affect human brain and you сan become infected by simply inhaling the dust which contains mice urine or droppings. Fortunately, there is a couple of reliable methods to get rid of mice.

1. Ways to Get Rid of Mice
   • Mouse Traps
   • Mouse Poison
   • Mouse Repellents
   • Cat or Dog
   • Professional Mouse Exterminators
2. Home Remedies to Get Rid of Mice Naturally
3. Getting Rid of Mice in Walls
4. How to Get Rid of Mice in Attic
5. How Long Does It Take to Get Rid of Mice

Ways to Get Rid of Mice

As soon as you notice the first signs of mice in your house, such as claw and gnaw marks, trails of small poop pellets, food debris and shredded paper, you should start acting. 

1. Find and eliminate all their entry points. Check basement, vents, utility pipes and chimney openings. Patch all holes that are larger than 1/4 inch with caulk and steel wool. 
2. Store all foods in the glass or plastic airtight containers in places mice can't reach. 

The steps above will keep other mice off your house. The next step is to eliminate those who entered before. You can use the following:

Mouse Traps

The most popular traditional way to get rid of mice at home is to use mouse traps. There are few types of mouse traps, such as snap traps, electronic traps, glue traps and live-catch traps. Seems quite easy but there are some tips you should know. Everybody knows the image of a mouse eating cheese from a famous cartoon, but in fact, the best baits for mouse traps are peanut butter, vanilla extract, chocolate, sunflower seeds, nuts, maple syrup, jam, and even bacon. Even inedibles, such as cotton balls, yarn, twine, and dental floss may attract mice, because they are used for building nests. Make sure to place traps near the possible nesting areas, around mouse holes, or along the walls 2-3 feet apart and remember that pests like dark places, so kitchen, attic and garage are the most expected to be infected.

Pros:

• cheap (starting from $5)
• reusable (you can save it and use during years, in case problem occurs again)
• kills fast (mice do not suffer)

Cons:

• need constant monitoring and removing dead mice (this can be nasty)
• effective only against a small amount of rodents and cannot help in case of infestation
• not safe, your child or pet can get injured

Mouse Poison

It is considered to be the most effective way to get rid of mice, but you should be careful when using it and remember the following: poison doesn’t drive mice away, it kills them, so you will need to get rid of the remnants, otherwise it will give a horrible smell. Mouse poison can also be dangerous for humans and pets, so don’t forget about precautions, especially if there are pets or children in the house. Use gloves when cleaning your house and disinfect your home properly after everything is finished.

Pros:

• easy-to-use and does not require special skills
• very effective, allows to get rid of large number of mice
• affordable

Cons:

• not safe for children and pets
• if mouse dies inside of the house, it will stink

Mouse Repellents

There are different kinds of mouse repellents – natural and professional. Natural repellents (like moth balls, peppermint and different oils) are quite widely used but they do not prove to be very effective, so you should better use professional ones. Best of them are sprays and electronic repellents. While sprays are also chemical and require precautions, electronic repellents produce sounds of high frequency that cannot be heard by humans but scare the mice away and are perfectly safe for home use.

Pros:

• safe for kids and pets
• can be used not only to get rid of mice, but to repel other pests also
• it’s humane and sanitary (you don’t kills mice and do not deal with their dead bodies)

Cons:

• you have to select thoroughly (some of the repellents can be ineffective)
• they do not kill mice, just drive away, so they can come back once you stop using repellents
• effective working area is limited (it may not work for the whole house)

Cat or Dog

In case, you don’t want to deal with poisons and mice remnants yourself it is good to have a pet that will protect your home from unbidden guests. In this case cats are more effective due to their inborn predatory drive, however, there are some breeds of hunting dogs that will be helpful. Choose whatever you like the most and make your home safe from mice.

Pros:

• it costs nothing (in case you have cat or dog already)
• this way is natural and ecological

Cons:

• not always effective, especially in case of a big infestation

Professional Mouse Exterminators

If you don’t want to try any of the above or if anything you try doesn’t work you can always address professional mouse exterminators to do the job for you. Pest control services strongly advice to contact them in the case of the slightest signs of infestation in your house. Exterminators will not only get rid of mice without any risk for you and your family, but they will do everything necessary to protect your house from pest invasion in the future.

Pros:

• guaranteed method

Cons:

• expensive

Home Remedies to Get Rid of Mice Naturally

Besides the aforementioned methods, there are easy and affordable home remedies that help get rid of mice naturally.

• Mothballs – known to be a good mouse repellent
• Peppermint oil – also proven natural rodent repellent
• Bay leaves – another option to repel mice
• Onion – its smell is nasty not only for humans, but for animals also
• Instant mashed potatoes - dehydrated flakes expand in mice’s stomachs thus killing them
• Kitty litter or urine – great way to deter mice
• Owl feathers – since owls are predators and natural enemies of rodents, bunch of their feathers can also scare mice away
• Plaster of Paris – when mixed with cornmeal or cocoa powder, it becomes natural homemade poison

These home remedies can help you get rid of few mice, but in case of infestation, it is recommended to use mouse traps or call professional mouse exterminators.

Getting Rid of Mice in Walls

Having mice in walls can be a difficult problem, because getting rid of them there is not an easy task, which requires additional efforts.

First of all, you should try to lure mice out of wall with some bait, so you could eliminate them in open space. It is recommended to place mouse traps with peanut butter along the edge of the wall, where these rodents live, since they usually run there, when getting out of their shelter. If this does not help, go to next step.

There is a simple trick, which will help you get rid of mice in the wall. You should drill a small hole in the wall. The hole must be about one inch size and located about couple of inches above the floor. Take a cardboard box, make the same hole in it and cover the top with some transparent material, for example cellophane. After that, put the mouse trap with strong smelling bait inside and place the box near the wall, making both holes located opposite each other. Transparent top of the box will help you frequently check the trap, in order to quickly get rid of dead mouse and place new bait in case other mice still left there. This self-made device is proven to lure mice out very efficiently, so you will catch them all in just couple of days.

After getting rid of mice in walls, you should thoroughly check for any holes they can use to get inside and seal them, in order to prevent rodents from getting back inside the wall again. Remember, that you can do it only when you sure that there are no mice left inside at all, because if some of them will be trapped in the walls, they will die of hunger and dehydration and smell nasty. Finding and getting rid of dead mice in the walls is much more difficult problem as compared to live ones. In some cases, you may even need to ruin the whole wall for this.

How to Get Rid of Mice in Attic

Attic is a perfect place for mice, especially in winter, because it is warm, dry, quiet and usually has a lot of materials that can be used to build nests, like newspapers, old boxes etc. Having even couple of mice in attic is a big problem, because they breed very quickly in such safe and comfortable places, so you may get real mice infestation in a very short time span. If you hear suspicious sounds above like scratching, chewing or running, don’t hesitate - it’s time to get rid of mice in attic.

Unlike getting rid of mice in walls, the first thing you should do is seal all holes. It is very important to close all entry points, that rodents use to get inside the attic as well as to leave it in order to find food. This will not only prevent the new mice coming to attic, but will also make more difficult to leave it for existing ones. This will cause lack of foods and make them more hungry, thus more eager to baits in mouse traps. So, the next step is to place traps. The quantity depends on number of mice in your attic – the more rodents you have, the more traps you need.

After you get rid of all mice in your attic, don’t forget to clean it in order to remove all droppings and odor. This will help to protect the attic from other mice that can be attracted by the odors.

How Long Does It Take to Get Rid of Mice

This depends on how many of them you have in your house. In case of one mouse, it may take just few hours to catch it or couple of days in worst case. If there are several of them, you will need up to a week or so. And in case of large infestation with dozens of mice, it may take months until you get rid of last rodent. So, it is very important to start fighting with them immediately after you noticed the first signs of mice in your house, when it is still possible to do this fast and easy.