Your home is likely an inviting place for the common house mouse, which can squeeze its way into cracks and holes no wider than a pencil. While these animals are typically not aggressive, they can carry harmful diseases, such as hantavirus. Skedaddle mice control in Milwaukee is ready to answer your questions about this issue, along with any you may have about our cleaning and mouse removal process.

1. What Are Hantavirus Symptoms? 

While hantavirus is rare in the United States, the risk of catching the disease can increase when mice reproduce in your home. Deer and house mice are usually the most common types of mice that may try to nest inside your house, especially during the winter months.

After exposure, you or anyone living in your home may experience a variety of different symptoms, including:

• Upset Stomach
• Fever 
• Muscle aches 
• Headache 

If hantavirus symptoms are identified early, you can recover within several weeks to a few months, depending on the severity of the case.

2. How Is Hantavirus Spread? 

The hantavirus disease is transmittable to humans when they come into contact with wild mouse droppings. This virus can also spread through rodent saliva, which they leave behind on items they gnaw, such as wood and drywall. They may also leave it behind through what is called rubbing, when mice create their own pathways in your home and rub along wires and interior walls, shedding the virus with feces and urine as they travel.

3. How Long Does the Virus Live? 

While old mouse droppings usually do not carry the risk of hantavirus, it can live actively on surfaces where mice have left saliva and feces for up to three days. Their urine also sheds the virus, which can spread even once the liquid has dried. When mice are disturbed, the virus that lives in their nesting material can become airborne and travel through your heating and cooling ducts, making the cleanup much more dangerous for homeowners than it is for trained professionals.

4. How Do You Remove Droppings Safely? 

Our mice removal involves a variety of processes that remove all mice and their droppings from your home. We recommend this type of cleaning because of the hazard wild mice can pose to you if you try to clean up droppings or remove nests on your own. We employ high-grade breathing equipment as we assess the issue at your home and use filtered vacuums as a part of the cleaning process.

If the mice issue is located in your attic, we can assess, clean, decontaminate and restore any damage left behind by mice. This includes a thorough cleaning and removal of droppings, nesting material and any litters that may be present.

5. How Do You Handle Live Mice? 

If you happen to find a nest of mice in your home that includes pups, it is wise to avoid handling the creatures directly. Adult mice can become defensive when protecting their babies, and even young mice can carry and spread hantavirus. Our Milwaukee mice control professionals have the experience to humanely handle any live mice they find and then clear out the nest to ensure the space is safe. We can also offer you solutions for keeping mice out of your home in the future.

6. Can My Pets Catch Hantavirus? 

While you may think a dog or cat makes for effective mouse disposal, allowing them to come into contact with live mice or mouse nests could put them at risk for hantavirus. Both dogs and cats can catch this disease and because the symptoms may be harder to identify in animals, it could cause severe illness and even death. Protect your beloved pets by calling in our experienced wildlife removal technicians to remove mice from your home instead.

Whether mice are hiding out in your attic or behind your home’s walls, the hantavirus they carry could put your family at risk. Contact us today for further information about our cleaning processes and how to keep mice away from your home and loved ones.