How to recognize Native Mice?
There tree main mouse species. Two of these belong the Peromyscus genus. It is the Deer Mouse and the White Footed Mouse. These two species are often encountered in houses and buildings. The third specie is the Common House Mouse less seen in suburbs or in country regions.
Both the Deer Mouse and the White Footed Mouse are both truely native mice. They have morphological similarities. The Common House Mouse has been introduced a long time ago by boats, travelers from Asia and Europe.
Similar features of the Peromyscus :
Both native mice have approximately the same size. The mouse measures 15-20 cm long with its tail and weights 15 to 30g. The nose is thin and elongated, ears are bigs and eyes are black and proeminent. Brown back with whitish tummy and sides, white legs and feet. Young mice less than 40 days are dark grey. At that age, people often confuse them with voles. Voles do not get into houses, in Canada.
Distinctives features
Deer Mouse : Its tail is longer than its body and is blackish on top and white underneath. The tail ends with a few whitish hair. White Footed Mouse : Its ears have a whitish ridge. The tail is shorter than the body. The tail also does not end with whitish hair.
Common House Mouse :The top back is brown, the tummy is dark grey. Only the tip of the toes is white. It is the same size and weight than the native mice.
Call an expert Ask an expert » Get a quick quote »Do Mice represent a risk for me or my belongings?
Mice are nocturnal. They can cause serious damage during the night in the pantry, tearing plastic bags, carboard boxes, to get acces to food. Mice contaminate food and surfaces by their urine and droopings. Also, mice can carry diseases such as Hanta Virus and Lyme disease. It is strongly recommanded to have all your pantry and all their road surfaces desinfected, especially in the kitchen, once mice have been stopped and caught.
Mice need to wear their evergrowing incisives. They have to gnaw almost any hard enough material they encounter such as wood, PVC pipes , plastic of electric wires. They can be accounted for short-circuit and coul cause electrical fires. Mice often make tunnel and holes in insulation wool. Over time, mice make new holes in wool. Over the years, this can reduce the efficiency of the insulation materials in the attic and in walls. This could have an impact on heating costs.
Call an expert Ask an expert » Get a quick quote »What are the signs of Mice presence in my house?
You become aware of their presence often when you hear them; scratching, walking around, gnawing, squealing sounds. They are active at night. The mouse is the most active at the beginning and at the end of the night, between 21h00 and midnight and between 4h00 and 6h00 in the morning.
Finding droopings is another sign of their presence. The excrements of the mouse are the size of rice grain. Feces are dry and black but become greyish with time. They are 5 to 8 mm long and about 2 to 4 mm wide. The size and the width are variable depending of the age of the mouse. Occasionally you may detect a urine smell. Smell could mean there are a lot of mice or a nest is nearby.
Call an expert Ask an expert » Get a quick quote »What should I do if I have Mice ?
A mouse is never alone, usually there is more than one. Do not let mice establish themselves for too long in your house. You should call SOS Bugs Pest Control for a thorough inspection by our biologist. He will examine and check for signs of mice presence inside under sinks, pantry, bathrooms, electrical and heating rooms, storage room and in the garage, etc. We also inspect the outside to find cracks, damaged siding and all other potential entry points. Our biologist will estimate the infestation degree based on these observations.
SOS Bugs Pest Control offers rodent proofing service. We block all outside openings with a variety of material such as : metal screen, copper mesh, mastic, silicon, etc. Once rodent proofing has been done, mice are eliminated inside the house with traps. It takes us an average of 7 to 10 days to get rid of all mice. No more mice after.
SOS Bugs Pest Control, does not use nor recommand rodent poisons. The use of poisons allow mice to continue to enter in your house. It produces dead mice in insulation wool that contain germs. Most poisons takes more days to kill a mouse, during those days, mice still make poohs and urine inside.
Tips to do before our arrival :
- Store your food in hard plastic containers
- Store your pet food in solid plastic boxes
- Do not leave pet food accessible in the garage or basement
- Remove your garbage bags daily and put them in the garbage bin
- Clean the toaster zone and the toaster itself
Mice can be challenging to get rid of and come back every year. SOS Bugs Pest Control offers rodent proofing to get rid of mice once and for good. Call our pest control company for professionnal and efficient service. We can do the rodent proofing work in spring, summer or fall. Call at 819-328-7017. A simple call and you will see !
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