If you’ve ever opened your garage or turned your light on late at night to see a dark figure scurry across the floor, chances are you have experienced a mouse problem. The house mouse is the most common rodent we deal with here in New Braunfels. House mice routinely sneak their way into our homes in search of food, water, and shelter.
House mice are a shade of gray with a cream-colored belly. They grow to be about 4 inches long, and their tails can reach that length also. They have rounded bodies with hairy ears and a pointed muzzle.
The Dangers Of Mice
Don’t let their fuzzy ears and cute whiskers fool you; mice are a dangerous and destructive pest. Like all rodents, they have incisors that are constantly growing, which means they have to chew constantly to keep them healthy and sharp. Mice have been known to chew through wood, drywall, PVC pipe, and live electrical wires. This can cause extensive damage to your home and put you at risk for fires and floods.
If that isn’t bad enough, mice are also responsible for the spread of a variety of diseases. Some of the diseases mice spread include:
- Hantavirus
- Salmonellosis
- Leptospirosis
- Rat-bite fever
They can also contaminate food, trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks, and introduce other pests like fleas and ticks into your home. Keeping mice out of your home is an important step toward protecting your household’s health.
Mouse Prevention
As fast as mice breed and as hard as they are to find, the best way to eliminate a mouse problem is to prevent one from occurring in the first place. This is difficult because mice are very resourceful. A full-grown mouse can squeeze through a hole no bigger than a dime.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to prevent mice from making their way into your home. These steps include:
- Seal any holes larger than a dime or wider than a pencil.
- Keep your basement, attic, and other less-used rooms free of clutter.
- Install door sweeps on exterior doors.
- Store food in airtight containers.
- Clear crumbs and wipe up spills quickly.
- Store firewood 20 feet from your home.
- Keep trees and shrubs trimmed and cut back from your walls and foundation.
- Inspect boxes, groceries, and decorations for signs of mice before bringing them inside.
For help keeping mice out of your home, contact us today. At Pinnacle Pest Defense, we can inspect your home for signs of mice and help you identify areas that may be conducive to an infestation down the road, so you can stop it before it starts.
Eliminating An Infestation
A mouse infestation is not an issue to be taken lightly. With all the dangers that come with mice and the diseases mice spread, it is important to eliminate the infestation quickly and thoroughly.
When you have mice in your home, you may try to get rid of them on your own. While baits, traps, and other DIY mouse control devices you get from the local hardware store may catch some mice, they don’t get to the root of the problem. While you are wasting your time catching one or two mice, there are a lot more of these pests hidden where you can’t see them, and they are breeding quickly.
For quick and complete elimination of a mouse infestation, trust the professionals. Call Pinnacle Pest Defense today. Our trained technicians can get to the root of your mouse problem, eliminate the infestation quickly, and help you make changes around your home to prevent mice from coming back in the future. Trust us to keep your home free of mice and your family safe from the issues they can cause.
