Mice?

While performing Morris County New Jersey home inspections. I often receive questions about rodents in the home.  Mice are seek out places to stay warm, find a food source and live comfortably. The typical home is a good place for common mice to live as they tend to prosper living close to humans. House mice ingest and contaminate food products for humans, pets, livestock, or other animals. If you have a dish of pet food that is available inside your house or garage, this is like calling the mice to dinner.

Rodent droppings, fresh gnawing and small footpints or tracks are indicators you have mice in your home. The common mouse is one of the most trouble causing rodents in the United States. They are very small and can enter the home in an opening or gap as small as a dime. Common mice can do very well under many conditions. Mice can be found in and around homes and commercial buildings as well as in open fields. The common mouse is found in our area but there are several different species of mice such as the deer mouse and field mouse and they can carry diseases most notably the hantavirus. Which is a respiratory disease that has flu- like symptoms and salmonellosis a form of food poisoning.

Mice can cause considerable damage to homes and property. They shred materials for nest building hiding in draws, cabinets, small spaces, wall cavities, and in attics hiding in the insulation.

Mice are nocturnal and are more active in the evening looking for food, but they also can be seen in the daytime. If you see several mice in your home during day light hours there is a high likleyhood that you have a high mouse population in the home.

Exclusion and sanitary practice is the best practice for keeping mice problems under control. Seal all openings both large and small in and around the home will help keep mice getting in. Caulk, insulation or just about any building materials can be used to help seal the areas and keep the mice out.

Keep garbage away from the home, keep the dog food tightly covered containers and trimming shrubs back so there is not a reason for them to nest outside close to your home is helpful.

If you only have a few mice in your home a simple mouse trap may be the best solution. They are safe, effective and inexpensive and can be baited with peanut butter, bacon, cheese or dried fruit. There are good reasons to use traps, you can confirm the mouse is no longer living, and no poisons are used in the home.

If you have a significant mouse population controlling mice can be challenging. Poison is probably the best product for the job but caution and common sense is required when using these chemicals. Use caution and follow the instructions to the letter when using around pets. Do not handle mouse bait with bare hands this will cntaminate it causing the mice to avoid it. Always use caution and wear latex gloves when handling the dead mouse and anything contaminated in the area and clean the area with a disinfectant.

Home inspectors Morris County NJ

Home inspectors Morris County New Jersey