Everything You Need To Know About Mice In Your Alexandria Home

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Everything You Need To Know About Mice In Your Alexandria Home

December 15, 2020 - Mice

House mouse on a jar

Finding a little furry mouse around your Alexandria home might not seem like that big of a deal, but the truth is that mice are not an animal you want in your home. Although some people keep these tiny rodents as pets, mice that infest homes are filled with germs and can cause property damage making them more than just a nuisance pest.

The common house mouse is one of the most frequent pests in Alexandria and the surrounding areas. This is because mice have a rather dependent relationship on humans that they’ve developed over thousands of years. Mice know that being near people will provide them with food, water, and shelter, but this close proximity is bad news for us because of the many diseases mice can transmit.

What Do Common House Mice Look Like?

The first step in dealing with mice infestations is to know how to identify the common house mouse. These mice are about 6-8 inches long, including their long tails, and are brownish-grey with cream-colored underbellies. They have large ears and long tails in proportion to their bodies, and their noses are triangular. You can tell them apart from rats because rats are larger and have shorter tails and blunter faces.

The Many Dangers Of The House Mouse

It can be easy to underestimate the damage and dangers of house mice because they look relatively insignificant, but don’t let their size fool you. There are many health and safety risks of an infestation that you need to be aware of, such as:

  • The fact that the mice themselves can carry many diseases including hantavirus and salmonella.
  • That the house mouse can also carry parasites, such as fleas, that can transmit other illnesses including the Bubonic plague.
  • The ability mice have to chew through many materials including wood, wires, and pipes which can lead to safety issues around your home.
  • The allergic reactions and asthma attacks that mice can cause especially for people with other illnesses and young children.
  • The fact that house mice are extremely prolific and an infestation is hard to control.

Five Mouse Prevention Tips

The best way to keep yourself and your family safe from the risks of a mouse infestation are by preventing them in the first place. Keep in mind that these mice can fit through holes the size of a dime, so it can be difficult to completely remove access points. However, you can follow these steps to reduce the likelihood of house mice entering your home:

  1. Seal up small cracks and crevices using steel wool and wire mesh as mice can’t chew through these materials.
  2. Keep kitchen areas cleaned as accessible food sources attract mice. This includes regularly sweeping and mopping as well as doing dirty dishes frequently.
  3. Make sure to take out the trash often and to cover all trash cans with fitted lids.
  4. Mice and other rodents are also attracted to damp environments, so ensure your home has good ventilation and fix leaky plumbing.
  5. Store pet food indoors and in a mouse-proof container.

The Most Effective Way To Remove Mice

Mice are an extremely difficult pest to remove once they’ve established themselves in your home. One female mouse can have over 100 pups per year, so mice populations grow exponentially. Mice are also adept at hiding in many out-of-sight areas. So, the best and safest way to remove a mouse infestation is by contacting the experts at Matar Termite & Pest Control. With nearly 30 years of experience in the area, our team provides residential pest control to handle any rodent infestation no matter how severe. Find out more, or schedule an inspection, by contacting us today at (571) 483-3575.