Deer Mouse or House Mouse?
Two of the most common rodents in North America, deer mice and house mice have many similarities. However, it is useful to know how to distinguish between these species. In addition to having slightly different looks and habits, each pest comes with its own risks to people's well-being.
Deer Mouse vs. House Mouse Appearance
One major difference between deer mice and house mice is coloration. House mice have uniformly gray fur, while deer mice have white feet and undersides with brown upper bodies. Deer mice also have larger eyes and ears.
Behavioral Differences
Habitat
Unlike house mice, deer mice prefer to live outdoors in forests, grasslands, or farms. They tend to only venture into urban or residential areas surrounded by their preferred habitats. The small size of deer mice allows them easy entry into homes to build nests or store food.
Damage
Both types of mice cause similar damage in a home. This includes chewing up furniture, mattresses, clothes, and other materials to build their nests. They also have nearly identical droppings. However, deer mice are more likely to hide food stores, which can help to identify a deer mouse vs. a house mouse infestation.
Disease
The pests differ in one crucial way in their effect on human health: Hantavirus is a disease carried by deer mice, but not house mice, and can be fatal in some cases. Other mouse diseases, such as salmonellosis and leptospirosis, may come from either species.
Deer Mouse and House Mouse Removal
Homeowners dealing with a deer mouse or house mouse infestation should contact pest control experts. The professionals at Critter Control can develop and implement a plan to handle either species of nuisance rodent.
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Customer Reviews
It has been very effective at reducing the number of mice, lizard, and snake sightings. During one visit Edgar removed a rattlesnake he came across. We may see a snake maybe two to three times during the spring and summer months, but it has been far less than before.
Serivces:
Wildlife & Rodent Control in San Diego
Full service. Excellent job of extracting raccoon, cleaning all animal waste, sanitizing, and spraying anti-parasitic substance. They closed all potential ports of entry, though the work did not match the vinyl, and it looks kind of tacky. They added blown insulation, which added a lot to the cost. They provide a one year warranty against animal intrusion, with an option to extend the warranty at the end of each one- year period. They were willing to work with me one the price. I will probably extend my warranty, and will definitely use them it the future.
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Chattanooga
I was really impressed by these guys. Got a call within a few hours of making an inquiry. Had a rep out to inspect the situation by the end of the week, and when they laid out the timeline they kept if not exceeded listed times.
Rob, Travis, and Jim were all professional, polite, and courteous and after months of hearing squirrels in my ceiling they are gone and the repair to my flashing looks excellent. Can't recommend these guys enough.
Jeff was incredibly professional and helpful. I'll use them again and would recommend them to anyone.
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Detroit, MI
Critter Control did a great job of evaluating our house for sites of entry after we found bats and a squirrel in our attic. They completed their work promptly and professionally.
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Seattle, WA
We heard some noise from the corner of our house. Concerned that it could be inside we called for an inspection. Jessy arrived as scheduled and conducted a complete inspection of our home. Based on a recording we made he determined we had a tree frog on our roof. I was pleased that we didn’t have any rodent in our house. And his inspection could a few spots I can tighten up around my house. I am very happy with the outcome.
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New Hampshire
We have a vacation home in
Western Mass and haven’t been there much during the pandemic as we live and work in Atlanta, GA. On our most recent visit we noticed that we had some rodent intrusion as well as some un-welcomed wildlife who decided to make our vacation home their home.
We contacted Critter Control and Mr. Cahoon was quick to set up an appointment as we wouldn’t be in town very long. He came out and assessed our issues. He informed us of our options to both eradicate and control future intrusions. Keeping in mind that wildlife is wildlife! He quickly got to work eradicating the rodents and wildlife from our home and addressing the intrusion issues. We feel much better leaving our vacation home for periods at a time knowing that Mr. Cahoon and Critter Control did their job and did it right! Thanks again!
We bought an old cabin last spring , it was used for years as a summer vacation cabin, therefore maintenance wasn’t a priority. After our project to remodel started, we found evidence of
mice droppings.
We immediately called Critter Control and they came and gave us a reasonable estimate to remove all remnants and insulation. They sanitized and replaced with new insulation and sealing up points of entry .
Seeing their professional work made us feel confident and secure that the problem was solved ! Everyone we worked with continued to show professional and respectful work. Highly recommend this company! We continue to use critter control monthly to be sure we are mice and bug free!
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