The most common mice in the U.S. include:

• Deer Mouse
• White-Footed Mouse
• House Mouse

The house mouse is the most common in populated areas. These creatures are small, slender rodents with large ears, sensitive noses, and small eyes. Their fur is typically dusty brown or dull gray on top, with lighter shades along the chin and stomach. Rodents have hairless tails that are long and scaly, and their feet are well-equipped for grasping, burrowing, and climbing. What they lack in eyesight, they make up for with their other senses and continually explore their environments to memorize the locations of food sources, hazards, safe hideaways, and escape routes.

Any areas with sufficient food sources and hiding places make good habitats for clever and adaptable house mice. Capable of living in a wide range of climates, they are commonly found in farms, houses, and businesses. House mice have been found in corn fields, fast-food restaurants, the open arctic tundra, and underground coal mines over 1,800 feet below the surface of the earth. In the wild, house mice tend to burrow underground, while in human habitations, they often reside in walls, furniture, or appliances. Their nests are made of shredded fibers, paper, or cloth and are constructed in dark, sheltered locations where people seldom go.

Yes, house mice are one of the most common types of infestations, as they are always ready to take advantage of the food, water, and safe shelter your home or commercial building provides. Throughout the warmer seasons, they scamper through the bushes in your yard, but they most often look for a warm place to nest as the weather turns colder in fall. Since they can squeeze through a gap as small as a dime, almost every home and business is vulnerable.

The EPA estimates that mice cause $20 billion annually in damages to homes, businesses, and farms.

• Structural Damage: Mice will gnaw on wood, insulation, drywall, and electrical wiring. This can cause an electrical fire as well as damage to the structural integrity of the building if the infestation is severe.
• Food Loss: Mice contaminate food with their urine and droppings, causing a financial loss when it needs to be replaced.
• Damage to Possessions: Mice will gnaw on furniture, cardboard containers, and personal belongings to build their nests. If you have keepsakes, heirlooms, or other personal items stored in your basement or attic, their replacement might not only be expensive but impossible.
• Reputation Loss: If you own or run a business such as a restaurant, hotel, or retail establishment, a mouse infestation could irrevocably harm your business’ reputation.

Through coming into contact with their urine, feces, and hair, several serious diseases can be contracted, including hantavirus, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and even plague.

Mouse-proofing homes can be extremely difficult, as the rodents are small and dexterous. The best way to prevent mice from entering is to secure food in rodent-proof containers, seal up obvious gaps and cracks along building exteriors, and maintain a sanitary household or business area. Since mice reproduce year-round, populations can grow quickly if not controlled or eliminated. Your Critter Control specialist will be able to identify where and how your property is vulnerable to a mouse infestation and can put exclusion tactics and habitat modification techniques in place.

DIY mouse control works to a certain extent. It will lessen the infestation, but there are some issues to be addressed.

1. Any bait or rodenticide used needs to be placed cautiously, as there are risks to people, pets, and/or customers.
2. Baits and rodenticides often leave mice dying within your walls, creating a terrible stench that will last for weeks.
3. It is nearly impossible to gauge if the infestation has been thoroughly removed. Even one or two mice left in your home or business can quickly grow back to a full-blown infestation again.
4. DIY measures do not adequately address the long-term exclusion methods needed for adequate future prevention.

Snap-style mouse traps, multiple-catch treadle door traps, and glue boards can be effective methods you can use to catch mice. However, glue boards are inhumane as they leave the mice to suffer a slow death. Not only do Critter Control specialists have up-to-date tools and extensive knowledge regarding mouse behavior, but they are also educated in humane methods of house mouse removal that keep you, the homeowner, safe.

Pest control experts use a holistic approach to getting rid of mice that includes assessment, removal, exclusion, and restoration. This thorough approach ensures the entire infestation is gone, the infested areas have been restored, and a program is put in place to help prevent an infestation from occurring again.