It comes as no surprise that this time of year mice are looking to come indoors. It’s getting cold and they would like a warm place to rest. However, how safe is it to have a mouse infestation and children in your home together? And next, how do you safely exterminate mice without harming your children or small pets? Let’s start with some basic facts about mice.
Mice can reproduce quickly. You’ve heard it said, “if you see one mouse, you know there are many more.” It’s true, female mice can give birth as early as two months old and are able to have babies at a pace of every 3 weeks. Each female mouse can give birth to typically a dozen babies each time. That’s a whole lot of mice in one year if not properly taken care of.
Mice can carry as many as 200 human pathogens (bacteria, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease). Pathogens are spread through touching a mouse that is infected or by breathing in the fumes from mice urine. Even the smallest amount of mouse urine can trigger allergic reactions. Diseases from mice are also spread through bite wounds and from water or food contaminated by mice waste products and even through bites from fleas and ticks.
It’s easy to see by just these simple facts that mice and children do not mix. So how do we safely exterminate mice and keep our children safe? First off, mouse poison should not be used in your home where there are children and small pets. Poison allows the infected mouse to die in your home. Not only does a dying animal start to smell but mold will also start to grow. This will cause a host of other issues for you. What we do suggest is first find out where the mice are entering into your home. Mice are able to get into a space as small as a dime so be sure to seal all cracks and crevices around your home. Once the areas are sealed it’s time to start exterminating the mice.
We have found that the most effective way to kill the mice that are in your home is by using simple snap traps. Look for common mouse trails in your home (along walls) or where droppings are found to strategically set your snap traps. Once you start to trap the mice, be sure to discard of the mice properly. After the mice have been trapped and exterminated, be sure to cleanup and disinfect your home.
The next thing we suggest is to prevent mouse entry back into your home with bait stations outside. Our bait stations are maintenance free and provide protection year round. Pets and children are not able to get into the bait stations making them safe for your family. Learn more about these bait stations here.
If you are concerned with a mouse infestation and would like to safely exterminate mice, give us a call at 920.455.0373. We are able to inspect your home for FREE, confirm the species of mouse and recommend a course of rodent control treatment to keep your children and pets safe.
Most of us prefer not to have mice in our homes and with good reason. Mice can carry many diseases and a mouse infestation could be making you and your family sick. Today’s 7 tips to keeping mice from entering your home will keep you from having a mouse infestation. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and now is the time to plan before fall heads into town to protect your home and family from mice.
