Living With Mouse Neighbors
If you find a sick, injured or orphaned mouse, learn what to do here!
A variety of mouse species call Pennsylvania home. These small members of our wild community are important for the health of numerous other species. Even though they are commonly seen as pests, mice need our kindness, too! Snap traps, glue traps and rat poison are indiscriminate and can cause injuries or death in any animal that comes in contact. Lethal methods of rodent control cannot provide permanent solutions to the problem and cause unnecessary suffering for wildlife.
Should I Be Concerned About Diseases if I See Mice in My Yard?
Mice, like all animals, can carry disease. But the fear of contracting a disease from them is disproportionate to the actual threat. Mice are primarily nocturnal, so you will rarely cross paths with a mouse. Sighting a mouse does not immediately indicate infestation, and they will avoid coming in contact with you. If you do see a mouse, they’re likely being attracted to a food source provided by humans either intentionally or unintentionally.
Indoors, a large mouse population can result in large amounts of urine and feces, which can be harmful for human health. The following section covers how to remove mice from indoor spaces.
How Can I Safely Remove Mice Living in My House or Building?
Mice can make a home inside of yours if they found a suitable habitat and are attracted to a food source. The best long-term solution to prevent mice from entering your home is exclusion. You can exclude mice by blocking entrances before they get inside. If mice are already inside, you should still block their entry points. Search the perimeter of rooms for gaps under baseboards or in walls where you’ve seen evidence of mice. These little creatures can squeeze through openings the size of a dime. You can also place baby powder around the perimeter to visualize tracks and find entry points.
Once you’ve found the entry points, block them with mesh, metal screening or any other barrier that prevents entry. You can further secure these barriers with expanding plaster or caulking. Remove or secure any food that attracts animals to your home. Food sources can be small piles of crumbs! With all of the entry points sealed and food attractants removed, set baited *live* traps for the mice. Check these live traps at least once a day. If you find any mice in the trap, release them outside the building. If you’ve properly excluded the mice, they will be unable to re-enter your home.
When your traps no longer capture mice, clean the area of any remaining feces. Then, do a final inspection of the perimeter to ensure no new entry points have been created and that all the previous entry points are still sealed.
Although this process is time consuming, it is the only permanent and humane solution to a mouse problem.
Do you still have questions after reading the information above? Contact us or a local wildlife rehabilitator!
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Resources
Answering the Call of the Wild by Erin Luther. Toronto Wildlife Centre