How Do You Tell If You Have A Lot Of Mice In Your House?

If you have a lot of mice in your house, you'll hear it, right? Not necessarily. There is a reason people say, "Quiet as a mouse." Okay, maybe you will or maybe you won't hear them, but you'll see them, right? There is a chance you'll see one mouse if you have a high population of mice living in your home. But, even with a large population, it is possible to not see a single mouse. Mice hide from sight and are typically active at night. If you want to tell whether or not you have lots of mice in your house, you'll need to go looking for evidence of mouse activity. That's our subject for today. We'll tell you where to look and what to look for inside the hidden places of your home. As always, we're here if you need help with your pest problems. EnviroPest provides industry-leading pest control solutions in Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Northern Colorado. 

Mouse infestations require a bit of detective work

If you have a lot of mice in your home, you'll have a lot of evidence. You just need to know where to look. Let's start at the bottom and work our way to the top.

Utilities
Mice often go in and out of a home through gaps around plumbing and other utilities. If lots of mice are doing this, you'll see black marks around pipe gaps and mouse droppings in the area. Their fecal matter (i.e., mouse poop) looks like black rice from a distance.

Kitchen
When mice enter your home, they're likely to come out of your wall voids and check out your kitchen. Look in the back of the cabinet underneath your sink. Look for black marks around pipe gaps and droppings scattered about.

Pantry
Mice are likely to check out your pantry. If they're in your pantry, you may see droppings on the floor near the walls and black grease marks on your baseboards. You may also see holes. In this unique location, you may see two other signs: Mice can leave footprints on shelves that have food powder or dust, and they can leave holes in food packaging for you to find.

First Floor
You may detect a mouse problem on the first floor of your home without looking for them. Mice chew on wires in walls, and this can cause your lights to go out. If you're having an electrical issue, you may have mice in your walls. You might also notice an increase in pest activity. The holes created by rodents, and the food they store in structural voids, can lure other pests into your home.

Pets
Dogs and cats can smell and hear better than you. Watch your pets for odd behavior. Dogs may scratch, sniff, or whine when they detect mice. Cats may crouch and stare into gaps.

Storage
Mice love junk piles, clutter, and general disorder. If you have closets or storage rooms that are a bit messy, you may find evidence of mouse activity. Droppings are your first sign. You may also detect grease marks, damage to fabrics, a scent of urine, or soft materials packed together in a nest.

Attic
You'll find the most evidence of mouse activity in your attic.You may see or hear mice when you inspect your attic spaces. There’s also a chance you’ll smell them. Mice leave their urine as they explore, and they can create urine pillars that are more than a little bit gross. While you're up in your attic, look for nests, damage to stored items, damage to the structure of your home, droppings scattered on insulation, etc.

When you find lots of mice in your home, what should you do about it? While you can certainly attempt to capture them on your own, you should know that it is difficult. Mice have behavior patterns and natural abilities that help them avoid traps. Plus, when applying DIY rodent control, partial control solutions are often used. 

How to get control of mice 

The best way to remove mice from your home and keep them out is to hire someone with the training and experience to get this tough job done right. If you're in the Denver-Boulder metro, Colorado Springs, or Northern Colorado, contact your EnviroPest service team. 

Our highly-trained pest control specialists routinely deal with mouse infestations. They have field experience and will get the results you want. Give the rodents in your home their eviction notice. Reach out to EnviroPest today for rodent pest control service, or to get started with a home pest control plan that includes rodent management. We're here to help!