Mice Control

Removing Mice

            Removing a mouse can be tricky because of how small and abundant the animals are, but there are some steps you can take to reduce the problem and prevent it from happening in the future.

• Removing food sources: You should focus on removing food sources, whether you currently have mice or not. Things like an open garbage can and exposed pet food can attract pests to your home. That’s why you should take the time to remove these items to stop the animals from invading your house in the future.
• Sealing entry points: Mice use small holes to get into people’s homes, so you can prevent the pests from getting inside by sealing all such entries. This can be tedious and difficult because of how difficult it is to spot the holes.
• Setting traps: The best way to get rid of a large number of mice is with the use of traps. There are many traps to choose from, ranging from snap traps to live traps. You can choose whichever one matches your needs and place them near a mouse nest.
• Cleaning up: After removing a mouse infestation, it’s important to clean up your home and sanitize the infected areas. This gets rid of any harmful bacteria or viruses that might still be in your home.

Here on Colorado’s Front Range, mice are some of the most prevalent pest animals that we deal with. That is especially true during the fall and winter as mice seek to escape the cold weather inside a warm home. Winters here in Colorado can be rough, but that doesn’t mean we want unwelcome visitors in our home – especially when they can cause extensive property damage and spread diseases. 

The common house mice that live in Colorado are relatively small – weighing just over half an ounce and typically measure between 2.5 and 4 inches long. What’s more surprising is that a mouse can squeeze through a hole that is the only ¼ of an inch in diameter. That means that if you can fit a pencil through the hole, a mouse can get through it too!

How to Deal with Mice

Having a mice infestation can cause serious problems to home and business owners. Once a mouse is inside your home, it will cause issues almost immediately – they will get into your pantry and eat your food, chew on wires and cause a potential fire hazard, make nests and start reproducing, and leave disease-causing feces and urine throughout your house. 

Mice can be so difficult to deal with because of their extremely high rate of reproduction. A female mouse will typically have between five and ten litters every year, and each litter will consist of five or six offspring (although they are capable of having up to 12 in a single litter). This means that a typical mouse could birth over forty offspring in a single year!

Preventing Mice Infestations

Because mice are great at squeezing into tight areas, keeping mice out of your house takes some persistence. We recommend a three-step method for preventing a mouse problem on your property. 

Food: Mice are often attracted to food that has been left out overnight. Keep your food sealed and in the pantry whenever possible – although mice can still get into your pantry and chew through food containers.

Access: While it is difficult to catch every possible access point, you can focus on vents, pipes, foundations, doors, and windows. Minimizing access points can go a long way toward preventing a mouse problem.

Trash: Mice are not picky eaters, so keep your trash sealed in a container as well as your food. Properly secured trash will make your home less attractive to potential invaders. 

Other ways to prevent a mouse problem include setting traps or investing in a cat that will drive away mice in your area. But none of these steps will guarantee your house stays mouse-free; if you are experiencing a problem you should consider contacting a professional pest control company to address the problem.

After we have sealed your house and trapped any remaining mice, we will address any needed cleanup – including dealing with potentially harmful feces and other biological waste. Potential negative health impacts of mice include hantavirus and other serious conditions – making the decontamination process just as important as the pest removal. 

These pests may not seem that bad at a glance, but they can cause all sorts of damage. These include:

• Spreading diseases: Mice commonly carry many diseases, and they can lead to salmonella and other illnesses. These pests also carry fleas and other parasites, so you should keep your distance from them.
• Damaging your home: Mice have sharp teeth that they use to chew through many parts of your home. Wooden furniture, wires, and pipes are all potential victims. This can lead to fires or severe water leakages.

Professional Mice Removal

Mice can damage your home, cause diseases, and quickly compound the problem through reproduction. If you suspect your home might be playing host to mice, it is important to contact a professional wildlife or pest control company. At First Choice Wildlife Services, we are experts at dealing with all the implications of a mouse infestation.

Similar to bats, mice can enter a hole as small as ¼ inch to enter your home, burrowing into undisturbed small cavities. Mice and rats can ruin a home’s electrical wiring, sometimes leading to fires while posing extreme health risks to humans due to their disease-causing droppings. First Choice Wildlife Services will clean and disinfect nesting areas while completely inspecting and potential entry points.

We service locations all across Colorado, including Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, Boulder, and Denver. You contact us anytime at 970-460-4044.

DIY Mouse Removal

If your prevention steps weren’t enough to stop mice from taking up residence in your home, a professional wildlife or pest control service can help you deal with the infestation. When dealing with a mouse problem, we start by conducting a thorough inspection to determine the various access points in your home. Once your house has been sealed, we set traps to capture any remaining mice.

We never use poison to deal with mice for a couple of reasons:

1. Poisoned mice often die slowly, making many poisons an inhumane option
2. Poison kills slowly and often a dead mouse will get stuck in your walls and cause unpleasant odors Poison can be dangerous to household pets and children

Call First Choice Wildlife Services

            It’s often time-consuming and difficult to remove a mouse infestation on your own, which is why we’re here to help. Mice are one of our most frequent problems, so we have ample amounts of experience removing them.

            Make sure to give us a call if you live in Boulder, Denver, Fort Collins, Greeley, or Loveland in the state of Colorado, as we’re always ready to help.