Although mice are often portrayed in cartoons as cute and furry creatures that live alone, these little pests can cause more problems than their size would indicate. This is mostly due to the fact that they prefer to live in community. If you’ve spotted a mouse in your house or on your property, you certainly need to be on the lookout for its friends and family members!
Mice Background and Basics
Mice are disgusting creatures that can carry and spread more than 35 diseases. Preferring to forage at night, mice are nocturnal animals that can multiply quickly and infest a residential area in a very short amount of time. Not only do they carry germs that can harm your family and pets, they also can cause physical destruction to your property and the inner-workings of your home.
Although mice are fairly docile and usually avoid humans, you can look for signs of their presence. Urine and fecal stains on carpet or walls may indicated that mice are inhabiting your home. Also, chewed holes in the walls or baseboards, or chew marks on furniture can be signs that mice are present.
Because mice have very weak eyesight, they use the edges of the room to navigate their way around. When they do this, their dirty bodies can leave smudges or greasy marks of the walls and baseboards, particularly along the paths that lead to and from their entry points.
Mice like to keep hidden in out of the way places, such as behind walls, in attics or crawl spaces, in closets or pantries. Anywhere they can build a hidden nest with access to food and a bit of water, mice will be happy.
Read Also: 7 Facts You Didn’t Know About Mice
Signs You May Have a Mice Infestation
If you see one mouse, then you can be almost certain that there are more because mice don’t typically live alone. If you see a mouse during daytime, it’s quite likely that you have many, many more mice living somewhere hidden. When mice populations outgrow their resources, smaller, weaker mice are often forced to search for food during the day, because there’s less competition.
If you see a mouse in an open area like the middle of the floor, that also probably means that you’ve got a big group of them hiding out in a more secure place. As populations grow, the community of mice forces some members out of the burrow at odd times in order to forage.
Also See: What Attracts Mice to Your Houston Home?
Mice Breeding Patterns
In order to keep your home free from mice, it is helpful to understand their breeding patterns. A female mouse can have as many as ten litters per year, and each litter contains about five or six little ones. This means just one female mouse can produce 60 new mice each year!
At only two months old a young female mouse can have her own offspring. That means some very serious multiplication in just a matter of a few weeks. That’s why it’s important not to delay pest control practices if you suspect you might have an infestation.
Complications from Mice Infestations
Rodent and mice infestations can cause a variety of complications. Outdoor and house mice both tend to live in groups, which means they are likely to cause more damage together than one rodent might cause on its own.
When it comes to damaging your property, mice are not at all discriminating. In fact, they will chew on just about anything they can sink their teeth into. This includes gathering soft stuff for their nest such as clothes, linens or soft furniture. In addition, they’ll chew on and damage your insulation, as well as gnawing through electrical wiring which could potentially cause a house fire.
If you find any signs that you have a mouse problem, your best bet is to contact a professional pest control company without delay.
