Mice are such small and seemingly helpless creatures that if you see or hear them inside your home, you may think that it is not worthwhile to have them removed. However, mice can cause destruction disproportionate to their diminutive size. It can be difficult to know if you have a mouse infestation in your home, but if you do, you should call for mice control in Pickering immediately to avoid the big problems it can cause. Here are some specific reasons not to ignore an infestation of mice.

1. Health and Safety Risks

Mice are known to carry diseases that can make humans sick. One of the most serious is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. This is a condition that attacks the respiratory system, causing fluid to build up in the lungs. The resulting lack of oxygen can also affect the heart and cause cardiac failure. Approximately one-third of all patients with HPS die, and most have to be hospitalized and put on a ventilator because there are no drugs to treat it.

While mice can spread HPS to humans by biting them, this is a rare occurrence. More often, the virus spreads when a human inhales aerosolized particles of the rodents’ urine or feces. The very act of cleaning the excrement may send particles into the air, so it is important to use protective personal equipment and strong disinfectant when cleaning rodent droppings or to have them cleaned professionally by trained and experienced technicians.

2. Property Damage

Rodents like mice have a need to gnaw on things. It isn’t a habit or something they do for fun; it’s an instinct to keep their teeth filed down because the incisors in front never stop growing. Mice chew on things like ceiling beams, joists, rafters, and trusses and can cause severe structural damage in the process. Worse yet, they may chew on electrical wires, increasing the risk of fire by removing the insulation.

Mice also need to gather soft building materials to build nests in which to raise their young. Often, this means tearing up insulation, which can cause utility bills to fluctuate. They may also bring dry nesting material in from outside, and this could increase the risk of a fire if a spark from the wire ignites the material.

Mice may make holes in the roof or the walls to gain access to the interior of the home. These holes may allow moisture in, which can cause extensive water damage. It may also provide an entry for other forms of wildlife into the home.

3. Prodigious Reproduction

Mice can reproduce about every six weeks, meaning that they can produce multiple litters per year. The litters contain about five to seven babies on average. Within a matter of a few months, an infestation of a few mice may grow to 50. Worse yet, the baby mice can start reproducing by the time they are two months old.

If the problems caused by a small infestation of mice seem manageable, keep in mind that by the end of the year, their population can increase by hundreds. It is much harder to cope with the threats posed by such a large number of rodents all eating, gnawing, excreting, and reproducing at the same time.

Call Skedaddle for Mice Control in Pickering at the First Sign of Trouble

It is easier to remove mice from your home at the beginning of an infestation when their numbers are still small. Because they can reproduce so quickly, there is no time to waste when you first see a mouse or notice signs of possible rodent infestation. Our technicians not only remove the mice but clean and decontaminate the areas where they have been. We also seal entry points to prevent mice or other wild animals from getting back inside. Find out more about the services we offer in Pickering.