Signs Your Home Is Infested With Mice And How An Inspection Helps Get Rid Of Them

You can have an infestation of mice in your home and never see one of the creatures darting around, but they will leave clues. If you do see the mice, especially during the daytime, that could indicate you have a particularly bad infestation. Whether you've seen mice or not, you should take steps to eliminate them since they are unsanitary pests. Start with a residential mice inspection by a professional. Here's when to suspect you have a mouse problem and why having a professional inspection is important.

Signs Of A Hidden Mice Infestation

Mice are usually most active at night when activity in your home has settled down. When your home is otherwise quiet, you may hear their claws scraping inside the walls as they scurry around. They might make chirping or squeaking noises. You can even hear them gnawing on wood or other objects. Noises may come from the attic, behind walls, inside the cupboards, or behind the refrigerator. If the mice are particularly active, you may hear them knock things off shelves and tables as they hunt for food. Besides unusual sounds, bad odors are another indicator of a mice infestation. You may smell their urine or musty body odor.

Why An Inspection Is Important

One of the most important parts of an inspection for mice is to determine where they are entering your home. This is vital because their entry points must be sealed, or the mice will keep coming back. Another part of the inspection is to look for mice droppings and signs of damage. This helps the inspector determine if the rodent is a mouse or rat and how many animals could be present.

The inspection will include walking around the perimeter of your home looking for signs of activity where the mice can enter as well as inspecting the inside of your home in secluded areas such as inside cabinets and in the attic. With all the information gained during an inspection, the pest control company can devise an effective means of eliminating the mice from your home.

Eliminating the mice takes a combined approach of removing their nesting and food sources outdoors, sealing your home so they can't get inside, and trapping the mice inside your house. Once your home has been cleared of mice, another inspection may be done to look for new signs of rodent activity and to ensure the eradication was successful. Getting rid of mice isn't always easy, since the creatures are so tiny and can wiggle through very small holes. Hiring a rodent control professional is often necessary when you want to get rid of a heavy infestation of mice as quickly as possible.