Signs of Baby Mice in Your Home
The most obvious sign of a problem is when you witness a mouse skedaddling across your floor. Mice prefer nighttime, darker spaces and not to be alone. So, if you see a single mouse, starvation has likely driven it out. The population in your walls, basement or attic has grown so large that individual mice must venture out alone so they don't starve. Also watch for other signs of mice in your home:- Droppings, often under appliances and in cupboards
- Mouse urine, frequently staining carpets and giving off a foul odor
- Holes in plastic, food packaging, wood and attic insulation
- Scratching and scurrying sounds from the ceilings and walls
More Babies to Come
Once a few mice are settled in a home, the babies will keep coming. And coming. Consider these facts:- Litters typically contain five to 12 pups.
- Mice can be pregnant 10 times a year.
- A single female can birth nearly 300 pups over her three-year lifespan.
- Females go into heat every four or five days and breed all year long when indoors.
- Males and females begin breeding at five to six weeks old.
- Mouse pregnancies last about three weeks.
- A mother can nurse one litter while being pregnant with another.
- Mice have multiple partners, so there's no chance of monogamy limiting mouse populations.
Getting Rid of Baby Mice
To get rid of baby mice, you must remove an entire population. However, baby mice start life weak and defenseless. Newborns are deaf, blind and hairless, but they mature within days. For example, a newborn's ears develop when the baby is a week old. After three weeks of life, a mouse stops nursing and starts eating solid food. If the mice are in your house, that solid food comes from you: your cereals and bread loaves, for example.Ways Mice Can Get Into Your House
If a huge population of mice lives inside your home, it's unlikely all of them entered from outside. Chances are, the majority of the population was born inside your house. However, these factors could have contributed to the first mice entering your home:- Gaps and cracks around the foundation, pipe fixtures and electrical outlets
- Accumulation of nesting materials such as cardboard boxes, old clothes and linens out in the open (better to store them in rodent-proof containers)
- Improperly stored food (use airtight containers for sugar, cereal, flour and other items)
- Food crumbs in the kitchen and other areas of the house