Signs Your Home Has A Mouse Infestation

With the spring here, animals of all sizes are leaving their burrows and becoming more active. Among these animals are tiny yet bothersome mice. Despite normally living outdoors, mice searching for food and shelter will gladly use your house as their own, and one mouse can lead to a major mouse infestation. Here are some signs you might have a mouse in your house.

Mouse or rat? And which kind of rat?

As well as the common house mouse (which averages three to four inches as an adult,) you also have to worry about rats. Just like mice, rats can invade your home and cause all kinds of problems. There are two common kinds of rats in the United States you might have to worry about:

• The Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) can be found all across the U.S. These rats have a large and bulky body covered in coarse, brown fur, sport a scaly, short tail, and can grow to 16 inches long. Despite the name, it’s believed that the Norway Rat originated from China. Norway rats are also known as brown rats.
• The Roof Rat (Rattus Rattus) makes its home in the southeastern states and western coastal regions, where it can be found high in trees and homes. They’re sleeker and slimmer than Norway Rats, have long hairless tails, and, despite their common name of black rats, can vary in color from black to light brown.

The signs.

If there are mice in your home, there are several signs that can signal a mouse infestation:

• Droppings. Poop, scat, feces. Whatever you call it, mice leave it. Check for them inside or on top of cupboards and along floorboards. Mouse droppings are about a quarter inch long and pointed on both ends.
• Grease and gnaw marks. When mice rub their bodies against walls, floors, and floorboards, they tend to leave dark smears. Look for them around holes or around corners. You may also find areas where mice have scratched our gnawed at the walls.
• Urine pillars. When an infestation has been around for a bit, mixtures of body grease, dirt, and urine mix together into small mounds up to two inches high and half an inch wide.
• Scratching noises. You can sometimes hear the scratching noises mice make when they move around between partition walls, under floorboards, in false ceilings, and in basements and lofts. Since they’re nocturnal creatures, you’ll most likely hear them at night.
• Nests. Mice use easy to shred materials like paper and cardboard to make their nests and line it with other soft materials. Look in lofts, suspended ceilings, cavity walls, under floorboards, behind fridges, under stoves, and in cabinets.
• Foot and tail prints. In dustier environments like basements, you might be able to see rodent tracks and tail marks. If your home isn’t dusty enough to show prints, sprinkle some flour, talcum powder, or china clay on the floor and check for fresh tracks the next day.
• Mice, dead or alive. A pretty obvious sign of a heavier mouse infestation.
• Strong, ammonia-like smell. Mice urinate frequently and their urine has a strong smell, not unlike ammonia. The smell can last for a while, even after clearing out an infestation.
• Pet behavior. If you have a dog or cat, they might notice an infestation before you do. They might bark or paw at areas where mice are hiding.

Why is Boz Pest Control the best choice for fighting a mouse infestation?

Boz Pest Control has been fighting against pests in Boston and the North Shore since 1988. We’re specially trained to effectively deal with bed bugs, carpenter ants, bees, fleas, rodents, roaches, spiders, and termites, no matter how bad the infestation. When we work with you, we make sure to comprehensively address every situation in a fully effective yet safe manner. If you think you have a pest problem in or near your home, call Boz Pest Control today for same day or emergency service!

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