Mouse season is almost upon us. Fall and winter weather sends mice indoors, so as the weather starts to cool off, mice are going to start looking for new warm, cozy homes indoors. And that warm, cozy place they find? It could be your home.
Mice can squeeze into the tiniest holes or cracks in your foundation to get inside. Once there, they’ll wreak havoc on your property and put your family and pets at risk.
Here’s what you need to know about the hazardous nature of mouse season.
Infestation
Mice multiply quickly. If you only see one or two mice in your home, you might not think it’s an urgent matter to remove it. But female mice can give birth up to 10 times a year. Each litter can contain up to six babies. And those babies will grow quickly, and they’ll soon start reproducing, too. Before you know it, you’ll have a full-on infestation on your hands—hundreds of mice in your walls, your attic, and everywhere else.
Contamination
Mice are not clean critters. If mice get into your home during mouse season, expect to be cleaning and disinfecting—everywhere. Mice will leave urine and feces all over the place—in your food, on your food surfaces, and everywhere else they go.
Your whole house could potentially get contaminated. And this could lead to the spread of parasites and diseases.
Parasites and Diseases
Mice and other rodents have been responsible for spreading over 35 diseases worldwide. Over 10 million people have died due to rodent-borne diseases in the past century. The little critters that now call your house their home could be carriers of serious and even deadly diseases, bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can harm you, your family, and your pets.
Breathe in dust that’s been contaminated with mouse urine and droppings, and you could get a viral infection called lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM), which can cause neurological disease.
Get a bite from a rodent tick, most commonly found on deer mice, and you could also find yourself with Lyme disease.
Salmonella can be passed through rodent feces contamination, rat-bite fever can be spread through bites and scratches, and hantavirus can be spread through the feces, urine, and body fluids of mice. You also have to worry about typhus, Rickettsial, and even the plague!
Property Damage
Though many types of wildlife can damage your home, mice are arguably the worst culprits of property and structural damage. They will chew through and damage your insulation and your possessions when nesting. These activities create cold pockets in the insulation, which drastically reduces its effectiveness. They’ll get into your home’s electrical wiring and gnaw on the cords’ insulation, putting you at risk of malfunctions, short circuits, and even deadly house fires.
Mice will even gnaw through the framing on your home to get inside. They’ll also chew on your water pipes, potentially causing costly flooding.
And you know what’s even worse? You could have to pay the thousands of dollars to repair and restore the damage done, right out of your own pocket. Most insurance carriers do not cover damage caused by mice.
Prevention
This mouse season, protect your home and your family from mice. Inspect your exterior and seal up any holes or cracks—even the smallest ones. Get a home inspection through a wildlife control company if you’re not sure where to look for entry points or vulnerable areas.
Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to mice. Preventing these critters from getting into your home in the first place can help ensure that you don’t become the victim of a serious infestation, that you don’t risk the health and safety of your family, and that you don’t have to pay for costly repairs for damage done.