The Common House Mouse

Don’t Let Them Move In!

The house mouse, Mus musculus, is a mammal in the order of rodents also known as Rodentia. The category of Rodentia is a group of small mammals that have large incisors, the top and bottom two front teeth, that always grow their entire life. The house mouse will find small sticks and twigs to chew and file their incisors down. If they do not chew and file their teeth, the teeth grow too large, and they cannot adequately eat, leading to starvation. When in your homes, any house mouse will chew as they do naturally, but on all parts inside, even electrical wiring!

They chew on your property, eat your food, and contaminate the air you breathe.
Do not risk your family’s health with a mouse in the house.

Habits and Habitats

Holes in the ground, about half a foot down, are a significant indication that a house mouse is close. Mice dig naturally to burrow, so when they come inside, they make a big mess. Also great at swimming, house mice can travel through pipes leading from one part of the house to the other.

A house mouse will live peacefully around the exterior of your home with enough food, shelter, water, and plenty of sticks to chew. Outside, they enjoy feeding on insects, seeds, and garden vegetation. Other than a few holes, they leave little to no signs that they are there outdoors until they come into your home.

Entry holes into your interior only need to be the size of a dime for mice to come in. Most often, you can find house mice in areas where there is not much human activity, like attics and garages. They are said to enjoy being close to humans, but they simply want to stay close enough to invade your food sources. They will always have wild animal tendencies but can become tame and docile once they nest for years in your attic, garage, and livable spaces.

Do-It-Yourself Mouse Control

Beware of do-it-yourself house mouse pest control. Remember, setting up traps means taking care of the trap afterward too. The cleanup of dead rodents is unhealthy and can be extremely harmful. Also, If you have pets and they ingest a poisoned dead mouse, it can be fatal for cats and dogs. MasterGuard Pest Control Inc. will place and ensure the safe removal of all rodents and traps during your infestation.

Preventing The House Mouse

Store food in durable plastics or glass jars with locking tops so no house mouse can chew through (even the dogs and cats kibble.) Durably storing food in our kitchens and keeping countertops clear is the most important tip to protect against the house mouse. The house mouse is omnivorous, meaning they enjoy all the same favorite things that we like to eat.

Illnesses Related To Rodents

Do not handle wild rodents; if they bite, they spread many deadly diseases. Contact medical emergency services right away it a rodent bit you to keep track to bite infection progress. Diseases transmitting through other mammals, like pests to humans and pets, are incredibly probable, mainly if the nests are overrunning with mice. Three examples of house mouse-related illnesses are:
Hantavirus – Do not take chances with any rodent in your home. The is no treatment until signs appear, and doctors can only help to occur symptoms because there is no cure for hantavirus.
Salmonella Is more familiar with foodborne illnesses, but rodents are full of germs and contaminate the food we eat.
Rat-Bit Fever If you have contact with rodents and you become sick days after the bite, you might have the rat-bite fever. Treat this illness with antibiotics your doctor provides for you. Without treatment, serious health issues can occur, even death.
Lastly, the infamous Bubonic Plague is curable nowadays with antibiotics within the first 24 hours when symptoms first detected. But please do not wait to seek medical attention if bitten; otherwise, it can still be fatal.

Cleaning Up After An Infestation

Cleaning up after a house mouse mess needs to be done as safely as possible. One house mouse produces fifty to one hundred droppings per day. That is a lot of small black pellets, as well as urine, to clean up after an infestation. Another dangerous product of an infestation is the house mouse will make grease trails from their oily and dirty fur, leaving their scent. They use this scent trail to find their way back to their nest.
So, when cleaning, gloves are a must-have. You can use latex, rubber, or vinyl to clean up, so no residue or fecal matter gets through the gloves soaking into your skin. The next step in cleaning is either bleach or a strong disinfectant and letting it soak before scrubbing. Lastly is to use a paper towel or a disposable rag so you can toss in the garbage after cleaning up. Never vacuum or sweep rodent droppings or the nest. Once the particles from droppings become airborne, people become ill after directly breathing in bacteria from the dust, causing many dangerous diseases. MasterGuard also offers cleanup and disinfection services because of the hazards that pests leave behind.

If you have a house mouse issue, MasterGuard Pest Control is here to clear them out and make sure they do not come back. Contact us to schedule an appointment.