Mouse season is nearly upon us. As a property owner, it’s important to understand mouse season and what it means to you. Being informed can help you reduce health risks, save money, and save on hassles.
Here’s what you need to know about mouse season.
1. Early Summer to Late Fall Is Mouse Season
Technically, mouse season begins in early summer, which is just a few short months away, and ends in the late fall. This is when you’re most likely to experience mouse problems in the home.
Only 20 days after mating, mice give birth to five to six babies, on average, per litter.
Don’t think you can wait a few months before being proactive, though. Indoor mice can and will breed year-round. And they can produce up to 12 litters throughout the year. In a short amount of time, a small mouse problem will lead to a full-blown infestation.
2. Mice in the Home Pose Health Hazards
If mice have made their way into your home, it’s important to act immediately. As we mentioned above, the problem can get out of control very quickly. The more mice are living in your home, the biggest the health risks.
We’re currently in the midst of a deer mouse epidemic in southern Ontario. These mice are carriers of the hantavirus, which can progress to Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome if contracted. This virus can pose fatal.
In addition to hantavirus, mice are known carriers of murine typhus, tularemia, chorio-meningitis, and many other serious diseases.
Coming into contact with the urine or feces or an infected mouse in your home can pose hazardous to your health.
3. Mice Will Cause Structural Damage to Your Home
The problems mice cause aren’t just health related. If that weren’t bad enough, in a short period of time, mice can also cause significant structural damage to your home. They’ll chew and gnaw on everything in sight, including drywall, siding, wallboards, pipes, electrical wiring, and even soft concrete. They’ll also spoil and tear apart your insulation, leading to bigger hydro bills.
The longer you wait to solve your mouse problem, the costlier the damage will be. And your homeowner’s policy likely won’t cover the damage.
4. You Must Be Proactive with Prevention
No one wants mice in the home. Though they seem harmless and innocent, they’re anything but. Now is the time to be proactive before mouse season starts and mice begin to look for a safe place to mate and raise their babies.
Mouse-proof your home to prevent entry. Mice only need a dime-sized hole to enter your home, so perform a thorough inspection or call a wildlife removal company to do so. You need to find any and all holes and cracks that might allow mice to get inside. Check your doors and windows, your pipes, and your roof. Seal up any holes and reinforce vulnerable areas.
It’s easier to prevent a problem from occurring than deal with the aftermath of an infestation.
5. Suspect You Have Mice? Act Now
If you suspect mice have already made your house their home, don’t wait. Act now. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to a potential mouse infestation. Call humane wildlife removal experts to inspect your home, determine the extent of the situation, humanely evict the animals, decontaminate, and repair the damage made by the mice.
Don’t waste time and money on DIY mouse removal solutions or exterminators. They won’t solve the problem in the long term. Traps and poisons are inhumane and ineffective. They’ll only catch a few mice, while the rest will continue to thrive. Plus, these strategies don’t help you prevent reoccurrences. And in the meantime, the mice will continue to breed, pose health risks to your family and pets, and damage your home.
Do you need wildlife removal services? Request a quote today!