A friend told me a long time ago that when he was still working in a restaurant in Chicago, the thing he most dreaded was going down to the stock room because there was a large mouse, though smaller than a rat, that would go running around as he was minding his own business. They would eventually name the mouse “OMG," because each time it would show up everyone would go "OMG!”
These kinds of stories, though funny, are true in so many American homes and businesses and are actually no laughing matter. Truly, mice are cute enough to be pets, but they are not pets because they are so dangerous.
You can tell if a neighbor has mice infestation problems by their nightly shrieks. Mice only show up at night, being the nocturnal creatures that they are. They usually forage for food when the sun goes down, when everyone else has gone home from work or school. Mice strike fear among millions of people mainly because they are icky, but this fear serves them well. After all, mice are not the kind of creatures we should get near to. They are disease vectors, carrying with them several bacteria and viruses that are dangerous to humans.
If you are like millions of other people who have mice infestation problems, do not worry. The leading pest control company in the Triad area, Go-Forth Home Services, have taken it upon themselves to guide you in getting rid of the mouse in the house. Read on.
Overview
The first step in stopping mice infestation is to learn how to identify them and to know their behavior.
The mice you see in your home are commonly referred to as the house mice. They are gray in color and cream colored bellies. They have pointed muzzles, large incisors that are constantly growing all their lives, large rounded ears, and have four legs. They can grow to as long as 3.75 inches long excluding the tail. Their tails are actually longer than their bodies and are hairy. They have very flexible bodies; so much so that they can squeeze through a hole the size of a nickel.
The lifespan of a house mouse is just 1 year when they are living outdoors because they are always hunted down by predators that rely on them for food. Those who nest indoors—like in human dwellings—can live up to 3 years.
Mice are very intelligent creatures. They are inquisitive and like to explore their surroundings. But then, they avoid confrontation and quickly run away when they sense danger.
Since mice have poor eyesight—or probably just a part of their strategy since they are intelligent animals—they normally crawl beside walls and are never comfortable crawling out in the open.
Social Life
Mice are like humans too; social life is important to them. Mice live in a single nest. They love to play with each other. They cuddle when they sleep.
Scientists who have studied mice behavior have learned that mice have emotions too. It has been observed that mice laugh when they play. They get lonely and sad when left alone. When they lose a fellow mouse, they get depressed.
Mice have voracious appetite for sex. They reproduce early and very quickly. A female mouse is already sexually active and can already reproduce by the time it reaches 5 months of age. It can give birth every 3 weeks. This is why their species is very successful no matter how intense the efforts are in eradicating them.
What Are The Dangers Of Having Mice Around The House?
Mice are capable of giving you headaches without them really trying. They can certainly put a dent to your wallet because they can cause a lot of damage in your home. Mice are chewers, and they chew on books, boxes, cardboards, papers, and clothes. They are known to also chew on furniture and chew through walls. Mice can be fire hazards as well because of their penchant for chewing on electric wirings and gas pipes. They are very dangerous indeed.
Mice can also transmit various dangerous diseases. Transmission occurs when our food and water are contaminated with their droppings, urine, saliva, and vomit. Ingesting contaminated food will make us sick. Aside from that, if these things are stirred and get in the air, we might accidentally breathe them in, which would have the same effects as ingesting them.
And of course, the stress levels brought on by mice cannot be overlooked. A lot of homeowners report a high level of anxiety each time they find out that they have mice hidden in their house somewhere.
How Mice Can Affect Businesses
A mouse, no matter how small and cute it is, can bring any established business down with its presence alone. A single mouse can do damage on anything as long as they can chew on it. Businesses are just as vulnerable as households—especially those involved in food manufacturing as well as restaurants. Mice are very dangerous to these businesses, so much so that they are required by law to make sure that they are taking steps to prevent mice infestation in their place of business.
A mouse will chew on stored food packages, boxes, raw meat, vegetables, fruits, notebooks, books, cardboards, and papers. It can also chew on the gas pipes around the kitchen, as well as electrical wirings. A single mouse can really be a fire hazard.
A mouse can contaminate food and water inside a food manufacturing factory or a restaurant through its droppings, urine, or saliva. This can cause several diseases to both the customers and the employees.
At a time when all phones have cameras and a click of a button can send pictures visible to the world in a second, a mouse has never made such a huge impact as it has right now. A picture of a mouse in a kitchen or dining area, for example, will quickly make one restaurant lose its customers—and worse, a shut down order from the local government.
Mice As Health Risks
All mice are health risks. They are carriers of several nasty diseases that they unfortunately are happy to transmit to humans despite the fact that they share our homes, eat our food, and drink our water for free. Among the diseases they spread include leptospirosis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, salmonella, and Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis.
The most common way we get these diseases is by getting into direct contact with mice droppings, urine, saliva, and vomit. Droppings can spread bacteria through the food we eat or even breathing in the air. Simply cleaning up mice droppings could spread the bacteria in the air, making the air hazardous for you and your family.
Signs Of Mice Infestation
Here are the signs to look out for. When you see them, you need to act quickly to eliminate mice in your home or business:
- Presence of rat droppings. These droppings look like little black pellets and you will find lots of it because mice poop a lot. This is a sure sign of mice infestation.
- Chew marks on books, food packs, cardboards, boxes, papers, electric wirings, and gas pipes. Mice have incisors that are constantly growing, and in order for their incisors to stop growing, they need to chew on something. This makes them very destructive.
- High pitched squeaking sounds. Mice like to make noises when they play.
- Seeing a mouse means you have many more hidden somewhere. Mice live in groups inside their nests.
You have to move fast in getting rid of mice. Remember that they increase in numbers very quickly. Waiting too long would make it very difficult for you to eliminate them.
Control
Here are some tips on how to get rid of mice in your home or business:
- Throw away your garbage regularly. Then make sure to put a lid on your trash can to cut them off from one of their food sources.
- Seal off cracks, crevices, and holes by caulking. The reason is that these could be used as entry points by mice. They can fit into holes the size of a nickel.
- Sweep and mop the floors regularly. There may be bits of food down there that mice love to eat. Always clean your tables and kitchen sinks too.
- Fix leaky pipes and faucets.
- Remove clutter to prevent mice from hiding in it.
Finding the best pest control management is important if you want to completely eradicate these troublesome pests in your home safely and efficiently. For their pest control needs, people form North and South Carolina trust only one name: Go-Forth Home Services.
The best pest control company in the Triad, Go-Forth Home Services. Will help you get rid of mice whenever you cannot handle them anymore. Say goodbye to all types of pests with Go-Forth Home Services. To request for a free quote, call Go-Forth Home Services now. Their friendly operators are standing by.