Mice can seem mischievous and conniving, scurrying across the floor, scratching inside the walls, seeming to manipulate you with jump scares and paranoia, but alas, a mouse does not care about you. The animal is only interested in safe and warm nesting sites, those close to a food source and free of overactive predators. 

Unfortunately for the misguided human, the small rodent is rarely alone, meaning that witnessing one likely alludes to many huddled up, nice and cozy, in your walls, attic, ceiling, or basement. See, while destructive, the tiny mammals are not stupid, each understands its role in the food chain, and nearly all know how to hide and hunt without notice. The fact you saw even one is evidence of a potentially growing number in your home’s structure, each nook-and-cranny providing another opportunity for nesting. So, yes, finding even one mouse is cause for concern and a reason to contact mice removal in Milwaukee.

Number of Mice

To understand the population explosions from a single pregnant mouse, a homeowner must learn something about mice mating habits and incubation periods. A single, pregnant mouse will carry to term in 21 days, giving birth to a litter of between six and eight newborns. There are bound to be females and males in each litter. They will reach sexual maturity within six weeks, meaning that within three months of the first mouse nesting, your home could have more than 31 mice through subsequent pregnancies. If you do nothing to remove the infestation, you can easily have a mouse population of over 127 mice within six months.

Signs of Mice

While seeing a mouse scurrying across your kitchen floor or finding one dead behind the TV stand are affirmative signs of a problem, they are not the only signs. Mice can leave big messes, but they are also subtle. You may not stumble across a pile of mouse droppings or see roadways along the baseboards from dirt and dander.

Noises at night are commonplace among infested homes; mice are nocturnal, meaning they typically only leave their nests at night after you go to bed. If you sleep in the quiet and dark, you might hear scratching coming from the walls and ceilings as the animals move through their makeshift channels toward the exit. When outside of its den, a mouse will search for food and nesting materials, and if you look closely, you can see evidence of its hunt in the morning, a torn bread bag, a hole in a pillow, a chewed wire or piece of furniture. Remember to look closely; the evidence is likely small and obscure, something you could easily ignore or miss without careful inspection.

Reasons for Mice

Mice seek shelter for the same reasons people do: safety, warmth, and stability. Your house offers protection from the elements and against predators; it doesn’t hurt that a person’s dwelling also provides plenty of food sources and nesting materials. It is necessary to look at wildlife only as living things and not pests or threats; it only wants to feel safe.

Elimination of Mice and Prevention

While many professionals tell you not to place human emotions on animals, that is not a humane approach to removal, often leading to unethical and inhumane practices. Many homeowners turn to traps or poisons when talking of mouse removal or elimination, which are violent and grim tools that often do not resolve the problem.

Humane removal seeks to eliminate the problem by encouraging the evacuation of the nesting site and preventing reentry. Once the animals have time to evacuate and there is no more evidence of their presence in the home, humane technicians seal the property, clean and disinfect the area, and remove any further motivation for the mice to return.

Have you seen a mouse in your home or heard the rummaging of little padded feet in the walls? Contact Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control, and schedule a prompt property assessment.