It is not uncommon to think that you’ve taken all the necessary steps to mouse-proof your house and wake up one day to hear some scratching noise coming from somewhere behind the wall or the attic.
Mice can squeeze themselves into the tiniest cracks and holes and if you’re worried about them getting near you, climbing walls, or even getting into your bed, this post might be of help, so check it out to learn more about keeping such rodents at bay.
One of the biggest fears when it comes to mouse infestation regards the diseases they can transmit. Knowing that your place is their newest host is thus an unsettling scenario. Given their size, these little animals can get into many places including cupboards where there is food or storage rooms where they can do all sorts of damage.
If you want to know more about how these rodents can get into your house, what they are capable of, and how to prevent them from reaching your home, read on as we’ve covered all that in today’s post.
Entry points
Considering their size and their ability to climb and squeeze themselves into the tiniest places, mice will easily find a way to get into your house. Unfortunately, even the structure of a new house can allow them to get inside. Not to mention older ones. Regardless of the way a house is built or its age, it is still a target when it comes to mice.
Existing holes are a great way for mice to enter your house. Even when a house is new and there are no holes, they will use their teeth and do what they know best in order to create new ones. Therefore, your place is more likely to get visited by mice if there are weep vents large enough for them to squeeze in, especially since such vents should never be sealed completely.
You may use plastic covers for these vents but the powerful teeth of rodents will get through that as well. Other gaps they could use to get inside your house are the ones between building materials such as the gaps between soffit and bricks. Window and door frames that are poorly sealed, roof vents and the holes cut for utility and HVAC lines can also allow mice to get inside.
As far as mice are regarded, they are quite ingenious when it comes to finding a way to enter your house. There are various ways for them to do that and thus it might be better to have an experienced professional see your place and identify all the potential entries.
Can rats and mice climb?
The short answer is yes. They are equipped with everything it takes to climb and run on many types of surfaces. Thanks to their claws and sharp nails, they are able to latch onto bricks, wood finishes, and shingles, just to name a few.
Unlike glass or smooth surfaces, uneven ones are preferred because they offer good grip. Since it is almost impossible not to have such surfaces in your house, if such rodents get inside, they might climb if needed. Think of beds and objects that are made out of wood. They offer spaces where mice can grip their claws into and thus easily climb.
Now, there are little chances for mice to climb on beds. If your place is heavily infested with mice, there is food on your bed, or the sheets are dirty, then you might see them climbing it. They will also climb wood walls, brick walls, and just about any surface that is uneven and offers good traction.
Health dangers posed by mice
Many of us get scared only when imagining a mouse, not to mention when seeing one exploring one’s room or bed searching for food. The chills of such visuals are further supported by the many health dangers these rodents come with. Rodents are associated with various serious health risks.
They can, directly and indirectly, transmit a variety of viruses and diseases including the Hantavirus which can lead to Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) that can be fatal, Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM), plague, tularemia, salmonella which leads to salmonellosis, and rat-bite fever.
If you’ve come in direct contact with a rodent’s feces, saliva, and urine, you’ve been bitten, or you’ve simply touched a mouse and you notice any unusual symptom, it is best to see your doctor and run some tests.
Plus, bites from infected ticks, mites, and fleas that have lived or fed on a mouse pose serious health risks. If you experience any of these unfortunate cases, see your healthcare provider as soon as possible.
How to keep mice out of your house
The most serious dangers of a mouse infestation are the health risks described above. Not to mention that they can do lots of other damages. They are called rodents for a reason and they won’t hold back from chewing on anything they find enticing in your house.
Plus, they can visit your kitchen while you’re asleep and touch your food or the items you use to cook or carry out various household chores. The worst part is that, if you can notice such nocturnal visits as far as food is regarded, you cannot do that when it comes to usual items that show no traces of being touched by a rodent, and here is the risky and tricky part.
To make sure you’re not exposed to such risks, it is best to take all the necessary steps to make your place the least welcoming when it comes to mice. The first thing to do is to check your house for holes and cracks that could be the perfect entrance for mice and cover them as much as possible if any.
As we’ve said earlier, there are some vents that cannot be entirely sealed, that’s why you need to resort to other products and methods to keep rodents out of your home. The market now offers all sorts of traps and products that will help you mouse-proof your place and do so easily.
A popular choice is an ultrasonic repellent as it involves no chemical ingredients and can repel not only rodents but other pests as well. As the name suggests, such a device will emit ultrasonic waves to discourage mice, roaches, spiders, fleas and other unwanted visitors from reaching your house.
Using such a product is not only safe but also easy. You just have to plug it and let it do its job. Just make sure that the one you choose covers a large area. Sometimes, you might have to buy two or more such items if you have a bigger house and garden. You will find various models for different and budgets.
To make sure that pests find no way to reach your place, it is best to use multiple products designed with such purposes in mind. For example, you could also use the now classic mouse trap. The only downside is that, unlike ultrasonic repellents that simply discourage them from advancing toward your home, traps will kill them and some people are not comfortable with that.
Plus, when you use traps, you should take a few safety measures when removing the dead mice from them. You can go for other less aggressive ways, though. Not leaving food exposed or in places where the mice can smell and see them is an easy thing to do and involves no chemicals or unpleasant outcome for the mice.
If you’re not sure that you can cover all that, you might want to resort to professional pest control services to fully mouse-proof your house and make sure no uninvited guests pay you a visit.
Bibliography:
4) Diseases transmitted by rodents
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