House Mouse Control

House Mouse Identification

House mice are about 2.5 to 3.5 inches long from their heads to the ends of their bodies. The length of the tail is just as long as their entire body stretching about 2.75 to 4 inches long. They vary in weight but will weigh about half an ounce to 1 ounce. House mice do not have a fuzzy appearance; instead their coat of fur is very smooth. Usually they are a grayish brown color on top. Some mice are light brown on top. The colors of the bellies are light gray to a creamy white color. However, living conditions can affect the color of their fur and so most of the time the color of house mice will vary on the location of where they are invading. Their snouts are points and house mice are known to have beady, small eyes. Their ears protrude out and are large with a little bit of fur on the ears. They have short and broad feet that are usually light in color compared to the rest of their body. They have a long tail that is uniformly dark in color.

Signs of House Mouse Infestation

There are several key signs that should alert homeowners of a mouse infestation:

• Droppings: The feces of rodents in the house will give homeowners an idea of what species of rodents are infesting the house. The droppings of mice are fairly rod-shaped and are about 1/8 of an inch to about 1/4 of an inch.
• Runways/Rub Marks: Generally, mice will use the same paths of travels. Also, due to their poor eyesight, they will travel along the walls and use the corners where the walls meet the floor as a guide. Active runways are not covered in dust or other build up materials like cobwebs. Moreover, active trails will have signs of mice infestations because they will leave behind fresh droppings on those runways. Often times, they will also leave behind rub marks. The rub marks that are made by the mice in the house are much smaller than those that are made by rats.
• Gnaw Marks: Mice are always shaping their teeth and in order to maintain the health of their teeth, they must constantly chew on surfaces. Gnaw marks can be found on the surfaces that are commonly travelled by the mice. New gnaw marks are fairly rough whereas older gnaw marks are smooth.
• Footprints: It may be more difficult to find tracks or footprints that are left by mice. However, their footprints can be identified by the shape of their feet. The front foot leaves behind a 4-toed print and the hind foot will leave a 5-toed print. Newer prints are clearly distinguished whereas older prints will be less clear and hidden by dust build up.
• Damaged Materials: Mice will gnaw on almost anything. They will also try to get into pantry foods. Damaged materials may consist of appliance wiring, the feet of furniture, open seed or cereal boxes, and etc.

How to Effectively Get Rid of House Mice

There are a few things that homeowners must remember for control to be effective. Effective control will be based on the habits or behavior of the mice. Most of the standard rodent control methods will work for house mice, however, consider some of the following tips when planning a house mouse control program:

• Mice are social animals and can behave in a territorial manner. However, their territories are fairly small since they like to stay close to their food source. Therefore, when placing traps and bait, it is important to place them accordingly and to place them within the territory.
• House mice will leave behind feces in the areas where they travel and especially where they feed. Mouse droppings are also the key in finding where there is the most activity and should be where trapping and baiting should be concentrated.
• When traps, glue boards, and mouse bait stations are introduced inside and around the home, homeowners should make other active changes like moving around certain materials in the home. This should happen because mice are very inquisitive and also sensitive to their surroundings. When materials are moved around, they are more likely to explore the surroundings to create new paths of travel. This will make trapping more successful than normal.
• House mice are attracted to a certain type of food and are nibbling eaters. Place a little bit of bait in small amounts on top of traps and glue boards so that you expose the traps to them. Homeowners should change foods until a preference is found. Usually, house mice will be attracted to such foods as salted peanuts, fresh pineapple, prunes, or whatever the homeowner notices that they are feeding on at the time. The same bait should be used until the feeding stops.
• Water requirements for house mice will always increase when the weather temperature rises. Water baits are a great way to kill house mice when the weather is hotter. Liquid baits can be sweetened with juices that will furthermore attract the mice to the bait.
• When you have a house mice infestation outdoors, keep in mind that cycles of reproduction are seasonal. Control efforts should prove to be more effective during the low periods of reproduction which is going to be between the months October and January.