Two days after Halloween I happened to unroll a mat that was sitting above a cupboard to find mouse droppings. I have always been so cautious not to leave open containers of food out I am not quite sure what attracted them. That is when I realize those pesky little creatures had found their way in and out of the Halloween treat bowl that was high up on the cupboard. The mice we attracted liked the starbursts and laffy taffy that the kids had acquired. Not only did they leave a trail of wrappers to let us know they visited but everywhere they were in the kitchen shared the same tell tale sign…mouse droppings. It looked like I was in store for a class on mouse removal 101.
I knew what was attracting the mouse to our home so I removed that source immediately. I knew now that he had found a warm environment where he would continue to search out leftover snacks. I had to get rid of him and make sure he wasn’t the informant for his siblings. I went out and purchased a non-lethal live trap so that when I caught him I could release him back into the great outdoors. Of course his new home was to be far away from ours. Within hours of purchase the trap had caught our little bugger. To be extra cautious we kept the trap live for several days in hopes of catching any mouse siblings should they appear. We were lucky and our mouse removal was relatively uncomplicated.
If you find yourself with bigger more complicated mouse problems it is best to call professionals in mouse removal out to help you. However, if you are a do it yourselfer there are several steps involved in hunting, capturing and preventing mice from living in your home.
It is almost always easy to spot a mouse infiltration. They cannot hold their feces until they have left the premises. You will see the evidence before the actual mouse that is almost a given. They aren’t very tidy either. Any food left out will become mouse snacks. It is best to rinse all dishes so that food isn’t sitting in your sink. I also recommend using air tight containers to house any and all food substances that could attract mice. The less inviting your home is for a mouse the less likely it is that they will visit.
Another thing to do is to make sure that all entrances into your home no matter how small are blocked. Our mouse found his way in through a closet. The closet had a small hole that led to our crawl space. One corner of the exit was not sealed and the mouse used it as a tunnel to the promise land. It is very simple to fix issues like these. We took some spray in installation and filled the hole. This also works if your plumbing exits have small opening around them. You will be amazed at how small a hole mice can actually climb through.
There are many inexpensive tricks that you can try for smaller infestations. If you find yourself with an uncontrollably large it is best to call in the mouse removal experts. There are many lethal and non lethal methods in mouse removal. One thing to remember if you are going to live trap the mice is that they will find their way back into your home if you don’t release them far enough away and if you haven’t prevented their entry. Many home owners prefer glue traps, zapper traps and catch traps. These traps are used to capture the mice and then to dispose of them. Devices such as ultrasonic plug-ins have been popular in recent years until the federal trade commission rendered them ineffective. Poison can be used but is not advisable if small children or pets play in the area you are treating. For the DIY that likes to have a little fun with their rodents find a bowl, grease the inside, fill it with water, place a treat in the middle and watch the mice swim.
Whatever your method of mouse removal make sure that you follow it up with adequate prevention methods. Nothing is worse than thinking you have solved a minor problem only to later on down the road realize it was much bigger than first anticipated. When you first discover your rodent friend it is best to find its route of entry and main living quarters. Then once you take care of him you can move on to eliminating his home and making sure yours is free of any mouse sized entries.