Identifying Mouse Droppings & Safely Cleaning Them

yes

Where there are mouse droppings, there are mice. If you are finding mouse droppings in your home, you have a mouse problem. Mice are not just troublesome pests; they can also be dangerous to humans because of the bacteria and viruses they can spread. On top of that, mice populations can grow very quickly, making your problem even worse. Because of all this, it is important to take steps as soon as you know you have mice.

Solve all of your house pest problems here.

Getting Rid of Mice

In order to get rid of your mice problem, you need to figure out where they might be feeding. What in your home are they eating? Any food on the counter needs to be sealed in containers with tight lids; don’t leave your bread out, put it in a bread box or your refrigerator. Find a trashcan that seals. Keep your floors and counters free of crumbs.

You also need to identify entryways: How are the mice entering your home? Look for cracks, holes and crevices and then seal them shut. Look to see if you have any open areas around pipes, gas lines and or dryer vents. These all need to be sealed as well. No matter how small the hole seems, a mouse can get into your house through it.

Need help exterminate house mice?

Extermination Options

To get rid of the mice in your home, you have a number of options. You can use several different kinds traps or baits.

You can try snap traps, but note that they can be dangerous to your pets if you do not put them in secure places. You can also use glue traps, but with the same caveat: place them correctly to keep them away from your pets.

Snap traps are triggered when the mouse goes into it for the bait. These kill the mouse by breaking its neck.

With glue traps, or sticky traps, the mouse runs onto it, sticks, and will die of dehydration or starvation.

If you don’t mind dealing with live mice, you can use live traps. These traps will capture the mice, alive, and then you have to let them out.

To effectively use any of these traps, you have to no know where your mice are; you need to know their habits and where they tend to ‘show up’. For example, do you hear mice running around your kitchen at night? Is there evidence of mice in your drawers? If so, plant traps in these areas to successfully get rid of the problem. Since mice are nocturnal, you will have to be vigilant and listen for their nighttime activities to plant your traps (or just look for their leavings during the daytime!).

Uncover rodent droppings in your kitchen? Get help now!

If you use baits, make sure to read directions and properly place the bait. Just as with traps, there can be a risk to both people and pets if they are placed incorrectly. You can purchase tamper-resistant poison bait stations if you have children or pets in the home, to keep them away from the poison.

Many people also swear by mothballs. You can leave mothballs in areas where you have seen mouse droppings, and hope that these will ward off the pests. However, mothballs are toxic to both humans and pets, so use with caution.

Or, you could just get a cat to get rid of your rodent problem!

When mice infestations get out of control, it is often best to call in a professional exterminator to deal with the problem.

Potential Health Problems with Mouse Droppings

As previously stated, mouse infestations are not just annoying, they can be dangerous. Since mice feed on your food and destroy your things in order to construct nests, they will leave behind urine, droppings and saliva which could be contaminated with salmonella or hantavirus.

Published
Categorized as Droppings

By David Jackson

I enjoy learning about new pest control strategies and sharing what I learn at NeverPest.com. I aim to create a reliable resource for people dealing with all sorts of pest issues.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.