Although they may look cute and furry when they appear in an animated movie, having mice roaming about your home is not a pleasant experience. Rodents are filthy, germ-carrying mammals that invite themselves into your house and make themselves very difficult to get rid of! Even if you thought you knew everything about mice, there are a few things that you may not know. And learning these things could be important when it comes to mouse and rat control.
1. Mice Are Avid Breeders
A female mouse as young as two months old can begin breeding and is able to have up to twelve babies every three weeks. Even if you’re not great at math, you know that adds up to a huge number (around 150) per year, and that’s only from the one mouse, not counting the fact that her babies will have babies and so on. If you suspect that you have a small mouse problem and have thought about delaying rodent control, you may want to think again before you small problem turns into a giant infestation.
Read More: 7 Signs of Rat Infestations in Your Home
2. Mice Live Short Lives
Although the average lifespan of a lab mouse or pet mouse in captivity is around two years, the lifespan of a regular house mouse is only five months or so. Even so, just waiting around for a mice to live out his expectancy is a terrible idea, as their ability to breed prolifically in their short lives means mice turn into big problems in a very small amount of time without proper pest control.
3. Mice Teeth Never Stop Growing
There is a reason that these critters are so utterly destructive with their chewing. Not only are mice very, very hungry mammals, but their sixteen teeth never actually stop growing. So they continually gnaw on things in order to keep their teeth down to a manageable size. In fact, if they didn’t keep chewing to wear their teeth down, they could grow up to five inches in a year. Actively working at rodent control will keep those mice from wearing their teeth down on the valuable pieces of your home!
4. Mice Eat Just About Anything
Those rapidly growing teeth mean that mice are able to chew until their hearts are content. They eat much and they eat often! Between 15-20 times per day, in fact, mice are scurrying about looking for a snack. This is why they work hard to set up a nest very near a food source, like your pantry or kitchen cabinets. And even when they aren’t eating your food, they spend a whole lot of time contaminating it. This is obviously one of the ways humans can contract disease from mice and a critical reason they must be controlled.
5. Mice Can Squeeze Almost Anywhere
Although they seem sort of fluffy, mice are able to squeeze themselves into the tiniest of cracks that you would not imagine they could. Their skeletons are flexible and a typical house mouse can fit through a hole as small as a dime. And because they are gymnastically inclined, mice are able to run, climb, jump, swim, and basically defy gravity by any means necessary in order to get into your home. And their keen sense of curiosity, combined with an avid appetite, means that they are constantly going places where humans don’t want them to be.
6. Mice are Filthy Germ Spreaders
Up to 200 human pathogens can be spread just by the common house mouse. Hantavirus, listeria, and Salmonellosis can all be spread either through mouse droppings, saliva, urine, or nesting materials, and these diseases can be deadly. So a mouse or rat exterminator is certainly your best bet when considering the health and safety of your family.
Read More: The Dangers of Pests to Your Health
7. Mice are Home-Bodies
Although they are curious little critters, mice don’t like to stray very far from their nests unless absolutely necessary. In fact, they’ll usually stay within about 25 feet of their homes, which means they usually try to build their nests fairly close to a regular food source. And that means they are often near your kitchen, spreading diseases where your family eats.
Although fascinating creatures in the wild, the discovery of mice in your home should be cause for quick action to solve the problem. Sealing off entry points and removing food sources is a critical way to prevent mice, but in case of an existing problem, your best move is to contact a mouse or rat extermination professional who can help you with your rodent control problem quickly and safely.
