Mice are one of the most common wildlife found inside Ottawa homes. Whether you find droppings under the sink or hear scratching and scurrying in the attic, sharing your home with mice can be very stressful. Most homeowners think the only way to get rid of mice is by using traps and poisons to kill them.

While this is the preferred method for pest control companies and many do-it-yourselfers, killing mice with traps and poisons isn’t guaranteed to solve the problem. Poison also poses risks for your family and pets. Skedaddle’s approach is safe, humane and thorough. Our method isn’t just the best way to get rid of mice; it also prevents mice from returning. Read on to learn about mouse behaviours, signs of infestation and what we do to remove them for good.

Mouse Facts To Help You Understand Infestations

Most mouse infestations are more complex than they appear on the surface, and understanding mouse biology and behaviour plays an important role in their effective control. Here are a few things to consider before you decide how to control mice.

How Often Do Mice Reproduce?

Mice breed year-round, and a female mouse can produce up to 10 litters per year, each containing 3-16 young. How long do mice live? They live for about a year to 18 months in the wild, but may live up to two years..

A mouse population grows exponentially, leading to a population explosion in no time. One of the problems with trying to trap and poison mice is that it’s nearly impossible to kill them faster than they can reproduce.

Where Do They Build Their Nests?

The mice activity you see inside your home is usually the tip of the iceberg compared to what’s happening inside your attic and walls. Mice are one of the most successful types of rodents and can live inside houses because they can avoid detection. They nest, mate and breed in areas of the house that are hard to access, making it impossible to get traps and poisons in the right places to kill off the infestation.

What Do Mice Eat?

Their need for food largely dictates mice’s behaviour and activity. These rodents are omnivores, though they prefer high-carbohydrate food like grains and fruits. However, if your food is accessible, they have no trouble feasting on whatever they can get their little paws on. An indoor food source prevents them from having to venture outside for nourishment.

Mice can survive harsh Ottawa winters because they’re able to store food they forage for in secure places that are out of plain sight. Mice with a cache of birdseed tucked away in the attic are very difficult to entice with other baits.

Why Don’t Traps and Poisons Work?

Traps and poisons are far too passive and reactionary to provide effective mouse control. You might be able to reduce some of the population, but ultimately the problem will persist and resurface unless you address the root cause.

The Signs To Look For

Mice are small creatures to begin with, but you might be surprised at how little room they need to wriggle their way into your home. They can squeeze through any opening that is at least ¼” wide.

The first sign of these little critters most see is mice droppings in the kitchen. Once you see this sign, you can be reasonably sure you have a significant problem. Here are some other signs to look for:

• Mice droppings and urine markings: Mice move a lot during the nighttime hours and leave traces of their activities along the way. One mouse can produce up to 75 droppings daily, but you may need to look for them in out-of-the-way places.
• Chewed entry points: Rodents have teeth made for gnawing. If you want to know how to find mice entry points, look for evidence of their chewing handiwork around potential entry points. They may chew through wood, siding or other materials to enlarge a hole, making it easier to get in and out.
• Fur and oil stains: Another sign that mice are getting into your home is bits of fur and dark oil stains around holes on the exterior of your house. Some of their fur and fur oil can stick to the opening as they squeeze through a tiny hole.

The best way to get rid of mice involves finding all potential entry points, a daunting task when the openings they can sneak into are the size of a pencil eraser!

The Best Way To Get Rid of Mice

Skedaddle uses a mouse removal and exclusion method that is safe and prevents new mouse infestations. We don’t use traps or poisons, so you won’t have to remove dead mice or have rodents dying between your walls.

Inspection

The best way to get rid of mice for good is to identify how they’re coming going. Mice can get into walls and attics because they can fit into the tiniest cracks and crevices. Our technicians know how to find mouse entry points.

We start with a comprehensive exterior and interior inspection of your home to identify how they get in and out. Mice are incredible climbers, so we investigate all levels, including the roof and attic.

Exclusion

We then install one-way doors over entry points to lock mice out of the home when they exit for food. The mice can get out, but they can’t get back in. This technique works best when the rodents don’t have easy access to food inside your home, so your Skedaddle technician may offer suggestions for how to mouse-proof your kitchen.

While our exclusion method may take a few weeks to get rid of mice, the process is humane. It is also much more thorough than using poisons or traps.

Cleaning

Mice and the waste they leave behind are human and pet health hazards. These rodents are a source of mites, tapeworm, ringworm, rat-bite fever and hantavirus. Our technicians are trained in the safe removal of contaminated materials.

Prevention

Even when you know the best way to get rid of mice, if you don’t also know how to keep mice away, your efforts are wasted. Skedaddle’s services include sealing off all potential entry points so that you won’t find yourself in the same messy situation a few months down the road.

The Team To Call for Mice Removal in Ottawa

Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control has been removing mice from Ottawa houses since 1993. Click here to learn more about mouse entry points. If you’ve been struggling with a persistent mouse issue that you just can’t seem to solve, it’s time to give Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control a try. Our team of experienced technicians will be happy to walk you through our customized procedure and answer any questions you may have. Give us a call today!