Learn signs of rodent presence, how to remove these unwanted pests, and how to keep mice out of your house for good without using poison.
Signs of Rodent Presence
When a mouse or rat decides to visit, it often goes unseen—at least at the start. Usually, signs that rats or mice are present include:
Small dark droppings of feces that look like tiny grains of rice and are found along walls or in places where food materials are present Areas of destruction, such as chewed holes in boxes and bags of dry goods in a pantry, in pet food bags, or in bags of grass seed in the garage Rub marks or gnawed areas along baseboards or near any holes in the floors, such as where radiator pipes come through Small nests filled with shredded paper or wood shavings in hidden areas beneath cabinets or in unused drawers
11 Ways to Keep Mice Out of the House
The fall season, when rodents seek to get in from the cold, is an especially good time to run your inspection tour. Mice can enter by squeezing their way through cracks as small as 1/4-inch in diameter, so block foundation cracks with a masonry repair material, and inspect joints around windows and door sills for cracks that might allow rodents to enter. Make sure weather seals along the bottom edges of garage doors are in good shape. If your garage is insulated, it may become a cozy home for a rodent. Check your attic, as well, since rodents love the warmth of insulation. However, there’s no completely effective rodent-proof insulation on the market as of yet, although spray foam insulation may help keep rodents at bay. Feeding birds is an admirable hobby, but you shouldn’t be surprised when mice and rats are drawn to the ground around your feeders. If you must feed birds, keep your feeders as far from the house as possible. Dry pet foods are mana from heaven for rodents, so store them in tightly sealed containers well above the floor. If possible, keep these utility containers as far from your house as you can, put them on platforms above the ground, and as an added prevention, secure lids with bungee cords or heavy rocks. Shrubs along the house should be planted a few feet away from the foundation, and make sure to keep the soil level low enough that mice cannot squeeze their way up behind the siding. Rodents will have no incentive to take up residence in your house if they don’t smell any source of food. If you have a pet bird, sweep up scattered seeds that have fallen on the floor under the cage. Get into the habit of closing your garage door immediately after entering or exiting with your car, and also keep side entry doors to the garage closed. Keep sliding patio doors and basement windows closed, or at least protected with screens, to prevent rodents from entering. Never leave a garage door, or other entries open overnight, as the dark hours are when rodents are especially active. The best live traps are chamber-type devices with a spring-loaded door that snaps shut when the mice enter in search of food. Avoid sticky trap designs, since mice have been known to chew their own feet in an effort to free themselves from the adhesive—these traps are by no means humane. If you have no qualms about killing mice, then traditional spring traps are a good choice; they usually kill mice very quickly and without much pain to the creature. However, a young, aggressive cat, or a dog species such as a terrier with a reputation for hunting small animals, can often catch rodents before they can take up housekeeping and form nests to reproduce.
Although these rodents are similar in appearance, rats (Rattus spp.) are considerably larger than mice (Mus musculus and other species).Mice can grow to about 8 inches long, including the tail, while rats can grow to as much as 19 inches, including the tail.Mice have sparse hair on the ears, a pointed snout, and are typically light gray-brown or black in color with white or buff underneath.Rats have hairless ears, blunter snouts, and are typically a darker gray in color.Rats are more secretive creatures, likely to hide in walls, while it’s common to see mice curiously exploring.Both rats and mice can start fires by gnawing on electric cables.
The best method is to put the live trap into a heavy plastic bag and take it to a park or field at least 2 miles from your home before releasing the mouse. But be aware that house mice (Mus musculus) released outdoors will quickly seek indoor shelter again—if they are not snatched up quickly by owls, hawks, foxes, prowling house cats, or other predators. Thus, it is debatable if live trapping is indeed more humane than kill traps. And your neighbors may have something to say about your practice of releasing live mice into the neighborhood.
