The arrival of the colder months means you'll start spending more time in your home to take shelter from the elements, but you may not be the only one to seek shelter from the elements in your home this winter. Mice look for warm shelter in the winter, and they might decide your home looks like the perfect place. Here's what you need to know about mice in your home – how they get inside, what they want, the potential dangers and risks associated with mice in your home, and finally – what to do about them.
How Mice Get Inside
The common house mouse is about two inches in length and weighs about an ounce. They can enter a home through a crack or a hole just slightly larger than a pencil – which means they have a variety of ways to get inside. Mice often get in through cracks in the foundation or through cracks around the places where pipes enter the home.
What the Mice Want From You
Mice seek a warm place to live throughout the winter months where they will have access to food and water. Even if you keep your home meticulously clean, mice will probably find a crumb or two to eat and have access to enough water to survive. They can chew through bags of rice or cereal in your cabinets and help themselves to the dripping faucet under the sink.
Potential Dangers of Mice in Your Home
Mice gnaw on just about everything. They will chew on anything made of wood, wires, PVC piping, and furniture. There have been cases where mice chewing on electrical wires caused house fires.
In addition to the potential structural damages to your home caused by mice, there are health risks to humans who come in contact with rodent droppings or to people who are bitten by a mouse. Mice carry disease and bacteria and can transmit both to humans. Diseases transmitted through mouse urine and feces include salmonella, Hantavirus, and leptospirosis. If you are bitten by a mouse, you are at risk for infections, the plague, or rat-bite fever.
What to Do When You Have Mice in the House
If you have a mice infestation or if you just can't stand the thought of dealing with rodents in your home, call Parkway Pest Services for mice control solutions. We'll start with an inspection of your home and any entry points the rodents are using to get into your house, then take appropriate steps to get the current mice out of your home and seal up the exterior of your home to prevent re-infestation. Give us a call today to see how we can help you, you will be glad you did.