Why is a mouse in the house bad?

One mouse in your house often means many mice living rent free with you. This is generally not good as mice can spread disease through when they poop and pee in places you would rather they did not – like in your food. So, yes, mice contaminate food. They can also trigger and, some say, cause allergies and/or asthma.

Mice can damage your property as they like to chew on stuff. Some dangerous examples include chewing through your home’s electrical wires and pipes. It only takes one pregnant female mouse and things can escalate quickly. Now you have a significant infestation.

The best approach is to act quickly and evict these non-rent paying rodents as soon as possible.

Why do mice move into your house?

Mice move in looking for four things:

• Food
• Water
• Shelter
• Warmth

Food that is left out or open, and food left on the floor or in bins can invite a passing mouse to select your home to move into. If they cannot find food, they are less likely to stay.

Water is something we all need. Mice need it too. They do not understand that burst pipes are a bad thing which can be a problem if they chew on a pipe to find water.

Shelter and warmth are both things we humans design our homes to provide. Our homes are (usually) preditor free, comfortable and full of food. Is it any wonder that a cold mouse will find your house inviting?

Who are these mice fools?

In the UK, there are two types of mice we usually encounter.

• The House Mouse (Mus musculus domesticus).
• Field Mouse aka the Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus).

In the wild, mice tend to have short lives of about a year or so. In a safe place, such as your home, they might live for as long as three years. That’s a lot of time to have a lot of babies.

How do you get rid of mice from your home?

There are only two effective ways to remove your mice – kill them or trap them. While reducing food on the floor or other places they might find it, once a mouse has moved into your house only death or eviction will get them out.

To reach the no-mice navanah, you have two options – traps or a cat. However, not all cats are skilled at mouse catching. If your pet leaves you dead mice as gifts, it is safe to say you might not have live mice to worry about. If puss brings home live mice, they might make the problem worse.

Trapping and removing mice

It is relatively straight forward to trap and remove mice from your home. It is usually cheaper to do this yourself but if things get bad you may need to pay a professional to remove your mice.

In the next section, we explore trapping mice.