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To get rid of mice in Houston and stay ahead of them,
here's what you should know:
The House Mouse or House Mice are the most common and economically important rodent living in close proximity to humans. Mice are more numerous than rats in both urban and suburban towns.
Identification:
The House Mouse is a grayish color and weighs up to one ounce. A mouse can look similar to a young rat but the rat's head and feet will be unusually large in relationship to it's body. And adult mice droppings will be 1/8th - 1/4 inch long as opposed to rat droppings which are 1/2 - 1 inch depending on the rat species.
Mice Entry:
Mice live nearly everywhere outdoors and could enter a home or building through very small openings of just 1/4 inch. If you can get your little finger in an opening, a mouse could squeeze in. Mice can enter at any time but can be chased inside due to a disturbance of a nest site because of nearby construction or clearance of a yard debris nesting area.
In the fall, as their normal supply of seeds and plants diminish, they may invade buildings looking for new food sources. As a result, your home may be explored as a prime new feeding source. Mice excel at climbing and are able enter little holes around garage doors, vents, screens and utility lines around the building perimeter as well as from around the roof areas.
Mice Biology:
The House Mouse is a small rodent usually about two inches long weighing about an ounce. The female mouse is ready to begin motherhood in approximately 5 weeks. In a year's time she's capable of producing about 8 litters of six newcomers or nearly 50 new mice annually. Of course, it is important to quickly eliminate mice activity as populations can rapidly accelerate and get out of hand. The life span of the House mouse is approximately one year.
Mice are very social and curious creatures and readily explore their territory. Rats are generally a much more cautious rodent. Mice are nocturnal like most rodents and prefer to feed around dusk and again just before dawn. Mice are nibblers and will go for seeds and cereals if available.
Color:
Various shades of grey.
Mice Habitat:
House mice are found throughout the United States from busy, crowded, metropolitan areas to quite, sparse rural areas. They are more populous in the urban and suburban communities where food sources are more abundant. Mice are more prevalent in homes and buildings than are rats basically because their smaller size allows them to gain entry more easily than rats. Mice can squeeze through a little 1/4 inch opening whereas a rat requires 1/2 inch or larger hole to make entry.
Mice prefer to nest within 20 feet of their food source in dark, secluded areas where they won't likely be disturbed. Indoor nesting areas are under or around any area close to their food. Outdoor mice nesting sites may include stacked firewood, brick piles, out buildings, stored items and in and under various yard debris.
Health Hazard of Mice:
Mice contaminate and destroy food with their chewing and droppings and are associated with health risks due to diseases of salmonella contamination and leptospirosis.
Mice Control and Prevention:
Eliminating as much as practical all the potential harborage sites outdoors will aid in minimizing nesting areas. Reducing any yard debris will be helpful.
Avoid placing food sources outdoors which could attract mice such as pet food, bird seed and stored grass seeds. Pet food stored in the garage or out buildings should be in rodent proof metal containers. Many folks find using galvanized garbage cans in the garage as rodent proof storage for pet foods works very well.
Exclusion by sealing up entry holes with chalk, steel or copper mesh, sheet metal, hardware cloth and/or foam sealant will help avoid the invasion of the house mouse. Having good weather stripping on the bottom of doors is also important.
Since there are so many small entry points from the foundation to the roof line, total exclusion could be a huge undertaking. But, doing whatever exclusion possible will help. Sealing up the obvious holes at the ground level would be a good starting point.
Professional Help for Mice:
Our professional service technicians are trained to quickly eliminate mice infestations - and in a family and pet friendly manner. And our regular preventive services will help detect rodent signs to maintain preventive control.
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Protex Pest Control - Houston Experts since 1978.