Health is one of the greatest gifts a person can enjoy. When you have a healthy body, you can do what you want and have the energy to do it. Maintaining your health requires eating healthy foods, staying hydrated, getting physical exercise, getting plenty of rest, avoiding dangerous substances, and making wise life choices to reduce stress as much as possible. If you are not careful, you can begin to make choices that will slowly deteriorate your health: overeating, becoming inactive, and abusing substances.
Your environment plays a role in your health. A house and the surrounding property that is not maintained can affect your health by attracting insects, rodents, and wildlife. Mice are a rodent that invades Reno homes regularly, and they can cause many problems for homeowners.
If you suspect mice are in your house, you need the Reno pest control professionals from Celtic Pest Control. We are your local, family-owned pest control company that has been removing rodents from the Northern Nevada areas since 2015. Our highly-trained technicians know how to protect your family against the dangers rodents can cause. We hope you will continue to read this article to learn more about mice and what you can do to protect yourself.
Signs Of Mice On Your Reno Property
Mice are elusive creatures who are active while humans sleep, and although you might not see them during the day, they leave these signs of a mouse infestation in the house:
- Gnaw marks: Mice chew incessantly to prevent their ever-growing incisor teeth from becoming too large. Chewing on nearby objects is the way they keep the teeth worn down to an acceptable size. Items mice will not gnaw on are glass and thick metal.
- Droppings: Mice eat three grams daily or up to 15% of their body weight. Mice are omnivores who consume anything from bacon to cockroaches. Seeds and grains are their favorites, and all that food results in a high output of about 18,000 fecal droppings on surfaces throughout the home. The droppings are dark, moist rod-shaped pellets with pointed ends that turn hard and grey as they dry.
- Burrows or nests: If the mice are outside your Reno home, you will see holes next to the foundation, under concrete slabs, along walls, in wood piles, and areas of low vegetation. If the mice are inside your home, you will find four to six-inch ball-like nests in the basement, attic, utility closets, or garage consisting of insulation, shredded paper, and clothes. Mice usually stay within 50 feet of their food source; if you find a nest, food and water must be nearby.
- Urine stains: Mice do not need water but can get enough hydration from the food they consume; however, they will drink water if it is available. Either way, mice urinate as they travel to and from their nests. In addition to releasing excess water, the urine contains a pheromone that signals the presence of food to other mice. Once a mouse has found food, it begins to invite others into your Reno home.
- Odor: The urine mice produce has a strong smell. The aroma becomes noticeable when a large mouse infestation is in an area of the home.
- Oil marks: Mice have oily fur that attracts dirt and grim as they forage in sewers, drains, compost piles, garbage containers, and over animal feces. When they enter Reno homes and move along the walls, objects, and entrance holes bumping against surfaces, they leave dark grease marks.
- Sounds: If you lie in bed at night or remain motionless in your recliner for several minutes in the dark, you may hear scratching sounds from inside walls as the mice move in their nests. Other areas you may detect noise is the ceiling as the mice run through the attic or a loft.
- Tracks: These are in dusty and muddy areas outside along fences, ditches, building foundations, and where mice burrow. If they come inside the house after a rainstorm, you may find muddy four and five-toed prints in the home.
- Live mice: Mice have a hierarchy in their nest; if the nest is large, the low-ranking mice are the last ones to forage for food which may result in some mice still active during daylight hours.
Investigate your Reno home for these signs of a mouse infestation in the attic, garage, basement, kitchen, and utility closets. Look specifically inside cabinets, under appliances, inside holes in the wall, under debris, and in dark recesses of the house and property. Be sure to examine any outdoor buildings you have on your property.
Can Mice In Your Reno House Make You Ill?
When you encounter a mouse, it quickly runs away and hides in the house. So, you may think it is not a threat because you do not physically contact the mouse, but that is not true.
When mice forage in sewers, drains, rotten garbage, compost piles, and animal feces, they attract the bacteria and viruses lying on the surfaces of these areas on their fur. The diseases mice carry are leptospirosis, tularemia, and salmonellosis. Different mice species carry other disease-causing pathogens like lymphocytic choriomeningitis (house mice).
As the mice scurry through your Reno home, those disease-causing pathogens fall off and contaminate surfaces. Since mice often find food sources in the kitchen in open garbage cans, the garbage disposal, and the pantry, they pollute pots and pans in the cabinets, utensils in the drawers, and cooking and eating areas. Later, when house members use contaminated utensils or eat food from foul surfaces, the bacteria can spread to them. If you see mouse droppings in the kitchen, they are polluting your kitchen.
Mice not only carry disease, but they transport fleas, ticks, mites, and lice into Reno homes. These insects, particularly fleas and ticks, spread disease when they bite or latch onto hosts in the house. Fleas spread some of the same illnesses but also transmit bubonic plague, murine typhus, tungiasis, bartonellosis, and tapeworm. Ticks bring diseases like Lyme disease and others into the home.
Dried mouse droppings are also a vector for disease transmission. As the fecal matter dries, it flakes off and becomes airborne. Inhaling these particulates may cause allergic reactions, especially in children. According to a John Hopkins University study, children with allergies are more susceptible to mice allergens in the house.
The Safest Way To Get Rid Of Mice Inside
Many people purchase traps to catch mice but mishandling a dead mouse or a bite from a mouse caught in the snare puts the homeowner at risk of contracting a disease.
The best way to get rid of mice is to use our professionals at Celtic Pest Control. After we interview you to understand the problem, we thoroughly inspect the interior and exterior for hot spots, entry points, and attractions. Based on our findings, we will seal entry points, strategically install bait stations, and work with you to eliminate enticements to the property.
Natural Mouse Prevention Tips For Reno Residents
Mice in your Reno home expose the family to diseases, may damage the wiring in the walls and appliances, and create an unpleasant environment in the house. To keep mice out of the house, we recommend the following:
- Seal all cracks: Mice can squeeze through a quarter-inch opening. Check for gaps between incoming wires and pipes, along the roofline, and around window and door frames. Do not use caulk; cover these openings with sheet metal, mortar, or a quarter-inch wire mesh.
- Protect vent openings: Use the quarter-inch wire mesh to cover the crawlspace, chimney, and attic vents.
- Install sweeps: Install door sweeps under all exterior doors, including the garage doors.
- Remove lawn debris: Eliminate leaf and wood piles, old tires, and junk from the property. If you burn firewood, store it 20 feet from the house and elevate it to allow for airflow. Take outdoor pet food bowls and store them in airtight containers at night.
- Cover garbage containers: Keep lids closed on garbage cans inside and outside the house. If possible, do not store the garbage cans in the garage to minimize attraction to that area of the house since it provides access to the home. If you must keep the containers in the garage, keep them tightly closed. Do not leave garbage bags exposed in the garage or outside.
- Repair holes: Fix openings in all window and door screens.
- Remove excess water: Provide proper drainage to puddles and ditches, and fix outdoor and indoor leaky pipes or faucets; eliminate bird baths and other water-collecting items.
- Vacuum the house: Keep the interior clean; use a wand attachment to suction crumbs from corners and the pantry area.
- Store food products properly: Keep food products, including pet food, in sealed plastic or glass containers. Remove pet food from bowls at night before bedtime.
These tips are natural mouse prevention methods that deter mice from entering your house or property. Using these tips and our rodent control services from Celtic Pest Control will guarantee a mouse-free environment safe for your family and pets. Contact us today and schedule a free evaluation.
What Celtic Pest Control Customers Are Saying
"My overall experience with your company was very good. They were on time and professional. They did good work and answered all questions we had. From the first point of contact with your company, we have had a good experience. Great customer service. We will use them in the future and highly recommend them!"
Schedule a Free, No Obligation Evaluation
Complete the form below to schedule your no obligation estimate and evaluation.
How Can I Tell If My Reno Home Needs Carpenter Ant Control?
Are you putting up with carpenter ants in Reno? Let Celtic Pest Control help you retake control of your home. These pests won't respect boundaries otherwis...
Why Professional Squirrel Control In Sparks Is Worth It
Squirrels cause a lot of trouble on Sparks' properties. Learn how to get rid of them with help from Celtic Pest Control.