A mouse infestation is a potentially hazardous situation that requires an immediate call to wildlife control in York to remove it before it gets out of hand. You may assume that your home is secure against wildlife and be surprised at the signs of a mouse infestation. The reality is that mice have the ability to compress their bodies and squeeze through openings that seem impossibly small.

One of the most important steps in mice or rat removal is to identify openings by which the rodents might be getting in and out. Here are some of the most common entry points for mice.

1. Ventilation Holes

One of the most frustrating things about a mouse infestation is that the rodents often get in using openings that are supposed to be in your home’s exterior. Take ventilation holes, for example: All homes, regardless of age, have vent holes. Your home has to have them or else you wouldn’t have fresh oxygen to breathe and your home wouldn’t be habitable. There are also outgoing vent holes that allow harmful byproducts, such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, to leave your home. All of these ventilation holes are necessary, but they can also provide ways that mice can access your home.

You can prevent mice from getting into your home through vent holes by installing a sturdy metal screen or mesh over the opening. This allows the air to circulate in and out, as it is supposed to, but presents a barrier that mice find difficult to get past. You should have vent covers or screens inspected periodically to make sure they have sustained no damage from weather or wild animals.

2. Wall Cracks and Window Openings

It is common for the ground underneath your house to settle over time, which puts pressure on the walls and foundation and causes cracks to form. Mice can sometimes fit through these cracks to get inside your house. They only need an opening about the width of a dime.

If you leave your windows open, even just a crack, it could provide a way for mice to get through. Window screens may not deter them because some are made of soft materials, such as fibreglass, that are easy for mice to chew through. Gaps can also form around window frames due to house settlement or wearing away of weather-stripping over time. You should inspect your home’s exterior for such cracks and fill them up with caulk.

3. Attached Garages

The same forces that can cause cracks in your home’s exterior may affect the garage. Nevertheless, mice may not need cracks or gaps to get inside if you habitually leave your garage door open. This is basically an open invitation not only to mice and other rodents but to all different forms of wildlife.

Wildlife intrusion in the garage is a worrying enough problem on its own. However, if your garage is attached to the house, leaving your garage door open also makes it easier for wildlife to get inside your house. For example, if there is a gap between the door to the house and the floor, mice may be able to squeeze through and get into your house.

If your home was built earlier than the 20th century, you may not have an attached garage. If you have a garage at all, it is probably separate from the house. A rodent infestation in a detached garage is still a serious problem but poses less of an immediate threat. However, around the 1940s, when automobiles were no longer regarded as luxuries but household necessities, it became more common to build a garage attached to the house. It is difficult nowadays to find a contemporary house that doesn’t have an attached garage.

It is cruel and unnecessary to harm the animals to resolve a rodent infestation. Learn more about how our mouse removal method works.