House mice might seem like cute creatures, but they can cause significant damage to your home and illness in your family. After entering a home, mice create a nest and scurry around for food at night. Often gray or brown, these Providence rodents can grow to about four inches long.
It's much easier to prevent mice from entering your home than to get rid of them. For this reason, you should know why mice enter homes and how to detect them on your property. If mice do enter your home, pest control in Providence can help. Keep reading to learn more about how to avoid a mouse infestation.
How To Tell If It's Mice Lurking Around Your Property
Mice are small and have a natural ability to hide from homeowners. However, these rodents provide clues that they've entered your home without visual evidence.
Some of the signs of mice in a house include:
- Droppings: Mouse droppings are smooth with pointed ends and are around 1/8 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch long.
- Tracks: You can find mouse tracks in the dust around your house.
- Gnawing: Mice have to constantly gnaw to keep their teeth filed down and will leave holes in walls and ceilings.
- Grease marks: The oily fur of mice result in grease marks as they come into contact with walls or entrance holes.
- Nests: Mice make nests from cloth or shredded paper, which you'll find in utility closets, attics, garages, and basements.
- Sounds: You might hear mice scurry around at night looking for food.
- Smell: You can often smell urine or a musky odor when mice are in your home.
It's essential to get rid of mice as soon as possible. Once a mouse finds a place to live, they signal other mice, and more will show up.
It's Very Dangerous To Have Mice In Your Home
Mice can create several problems in your home. The constant need to gnaw can cause damage to buildings. They start fires by gnawing on electrical cables on the floor and can damage structures, books, furniture, and appliances.
Even more of a concern is that mice spread diseases. They contaminate homes with their urine, feces, and hair and leave droppings on food or other surfaces that humans contact. They can also bring fleas, lice, mites, and ticks into your home.
Some of the common diseases spread by mice in a home include salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and tularemia. Providence rodent elimination services can help to avoid these problems.
Factors That Attract Mice To Your Home
Mice are usually attracted to a home when it gets cold outside. These rodents enter small holes or cracks in search of food and shelter. However, removing attractants can cause mice to look elsewhere.
Common factors that lead mice to enter a home include:
- Open food
- Dirty dishes
- Water sources
- Trash or clutter
A clean house is the best way to avoid mice entering your home. If the mice don't see food or shelter, they'll look elsewhere.
Call The Pros At The First Sign Of Mice In Your Home
If you recognize signs of mice in your home, deal with the problem as soon as possible. Our trained professionals at Encon LLC will complete a full inspection of your Providence home and provide the best solution to protect your property and family. Call Encon LLC today if you need Providence pest control to deal with an infestation in your home.