Mice might make cute pets, but when they’re unwanted, they’re absolute pests. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for mice to make your home their home and what’s even worse is that you probably won’t notice right away.
Mice can carry diseases and destroy parts of your home, leaving you vulnerable and potentially with a pretty hefty repair and extermination bill. So what’s the trick to fend off a mice infestation? Catch them early.
If you can identify signs you have mice in your home, you prevent the infestation from getting worse. Here are some early indicators that you might have a rodent problem.
You Notice Food Packages Are Tampered With
Did you open your pantry and notice holes in your food packages? That’s one of the most common signs you have mice. Once they’ve found their way inside your home, your food can become their food.
If you notice tampered food packages, know that they are no longer safe to eat. Throw out the food, switch to pest-proof containers, and contact a pest control company immediately. View these pest control services for your home.
You Smell an Odor
If there is a pungent or musky odor in your home that hasn’t been there before, that’s a good sign you have mice. This is due to the droppings and urine they leave around and outside of the nest site.
Mice also have a body odor that can smell up your house. A very strong odor may be an indication of a dead mouse in the home as well.
You Notice Gnawing Marks
Since mice’s teeth never stop growing, they have to wear them down constantly. This means gnawing on objects around your house. Gnaw marks on writes, furniture, and wooden items are a surefire sign of a mice infestation.
You Spot Grease Smears
Mice’s fur naturally produces grease that can leave stains on anything they come into contact with. Look on the walls, siding, and baseboards for discolored areas or grease smears.
Holes in the wall with grease smears around the edges can also indicate a mouse living in your house.
You See Droppings
Not only is this a sign of a mouse infestation, but it’s also a potential health hazard. Rodent fecal matter can spread diseases that can be deadly to humans, including salmonella, rat-bite fever, and bubonic plague.
Droppings look like small brown grains of rice and can be anywhere in the house, especially in an attic or basement.
You Spot a Live Mouse
If you see a live mouse inside your home, that almost guarantees that you have an infestation.
Mice are mostly active at night, so seeing one during the daytime may indicate that the nest has become overpopulated. And that means there might be a lot more where that mouse came from and a large mess to clean up.
Signs You Have Mice You Shouldn’t Ignore
Mice are pretty sneaky creatures, and if they decide to make your home theirs, it can take a while to notice. It’s essential to know the signs you have mice to save yourself from having a larger mice problem.
Small changes in your home might indicate that you have a rodent issue. Be sure to be vigilant. As soon you notice any of these signs, call a professional to have the mice removed from your home.
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