why mice are actually dangerous to your home – and how to get rid of them

Do you have rodents infesting your home in Vancouver? If your answer is yes, you’re not alone.

Vancouver has the most amount of pest control requests for mice in all Canadian provinces. The others in the top five include Surrey, Victoria, Burnaby, and Richmond.

We all know house mice are harmful, but you don’t know the half of it. They’re bad news disease carriers since the dawn of time.

Looking for great mice control in Vancouver? You’re in luck.

Are mice harmful? What can you do about them? Here’s everything you need to know about mice.

what are rats and mice?

The mice in house spaces are different from the typical mice you see at the pet store. They live in dark, cramped spaces between drywalls and consume trash, creating hard-to-repair damage in many homes and properties.

Due to their nature as scavengers, they tend to go through the trash and other garbage. They feed on our leftover foods and other organic waste to survive.

There are over 60 species of mice and rats in the world. The common house mouse is endemic to the Vancouver area. It lives with its cousins, the Norway brown rat, and the Roof rat.

If you want to differentiate the three species, there are a few ways to know.

norway brown rat

The Norway Rat is brown in color and tends to get large. It can weigh up to 17 ounces and grow between 12 – 18 inches — which is the size of a small cat.

Norway’s brown rats have a thick and heavy body, with a broad nose and coarse fur. Their tail is short and hairless. They tend to eat almost anything available and create burrows and crawlspaces.

roof rat

The roof rat is grey to black in color and weighs up to 8 ounces in their maturity. Their slimmer compared to their Norway brown counterparts but still bigger than the mice in house floors.

Roof rats have large eyes and ears, a narrow, pointed nose, and a long, dark-colored tail. Their primary diet consists of grains, vegetables, and fruits. They like to live in wide spaces like trees, ceilings, or attics around 100 feet from their food source.

the house mice

The house mice, on the other hand, is the smallest of the three but is as harmful. They weigh around 3/4 of an ounce and grow up to 7 inches. They’re brown or black and have large ears and fine fur.

A house mouse will eat anything and live in your house. They will create mouse holes or live in corners. This pest likes to be near food and water sources, which makes them live nearby at around 10 to 30 feet.

are mice harmful?

Are mice harmful? For sure.

They have a few ways that make them very dangerous pests. They’re invasive and are health risks to everyone in your home. From mouse droppings to how many mice can live in your home, you’re putting yourself at risk without help.

One of the most significant harms mice can cause in your house is that they become disease carriers. Due to their unsanitary living conditions, they carry various diseases that can be dangerous to you or your loved ones.

Hantavirus can spread through urine and mouse droppings. The well-known Bubonic Plague comes from fleas in the rodents’ fur. Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection, comes from mice urine and mouse droppings through infested waters.

House mice tend to grow in numbers at a staggering rate. Every mouse can have around five to six young per litter and up to eight litters a year.

How many mice will you get in a year? In theory, a single mouse can have 40 to 56 litters a year. As long as there is food to sustain them, mice can create an indefinite horde.

Every square inch they touch can become disease-infected. The food you ingest, the surface you touch, and the entire house can have different diseases.

what to do with mice in your home

There are a few things that you can do to take care of your rodent problem. It’s a matter of keeping your place clean and hygienic, which is a crucial step.

cleaning your home

When you can, remove as much clutter and rubbish from your home as possible. A clean home is a bane to mice, so remove places they can live in so they cannot breed further.

Trim trees and bushes from your property. Clean mulch and clear canals as much as you can. Remove dense overgrowth and pile things like firewood and lumber away.

repair your house

Look for places where they can live in your home. They tend to live between drywall, sheetrock, and corners. When you can, repair your home and seal out any crevice they can go into as their habitat.

deny them food and water

Food and water are essential to house mice’s survival and reproduction. Dispose of your garbage properly, using proper separation and even composting techniques. Remove rotting fruit, nuts, and seeds from your home and backyard.

Repair leaking pipes and faucets, as well as puddles of dirty water. Fit garbage cans with the proper lids.

remove their traces asap

Mice are territorial. Clean their traces as soon as you find them to prevent diseases. Mouse urine and mouse droppings need to be removed as soon as you can.

Clean dirty spots with bleach and cleaning solutions. If you find dead litter or rodents, dispose of them as soon as possible.

call your local pest control expert

If you think you have a large infestation of mice, it’s crucial to contact your local pest control expert. Inform them of the trouble and receive a quote for the work.

Rodent experts will not only clear your area of mice but also find rodent nests and prevent future cases.

expert mice control in vancouver is a phone call away

Are mice harmful? They are, but they don’t have to be.

There are ways to deal with them yourself or with an expert. All you need is to be proactive and stamp them out as soon as you see any signs of their existence.

If you want to have an expert help you with superior mouse control in Vancouver, talk to us at Natura Pest Control.

Natura Pest Control does the job right with our licensed technicians and top-of-the-line products. Remove rodents, no matter how many mice you have infested your home.

Natura Pest Control is the right team for your needs. Simple, effective pest control is right for you. Call us today and discuss with us how we can save you.

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