Keeping Mice Out of Crawl Spaces With These Tips

When mice discover your Okanagan home's crawl space, evicting them can be quite a challenge. While traps may catch some mice, these rodents are quite prolific and can bear a litter of pups every three weeks, with anywhere from seven to a dozen baby mice per birth. At Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control, we offer a variety of services, including how to get rid of mice in walls, as well as a few tips for prevention that can help protect your home and family. 

1. Be a Vigilant Housekeeper 

One certain way to attract mice is to offer them food sources that they can carry away to the nests they build in a crawl space. Mice are not picky eaters and will consume a variety of foods, from fruits to vegetables, pet kibble and dry goods in your pantry. They have sharp teeth and excellent recall, allowing them to return to the same areas each night to gather food.  Keeping food sources away from mice is one effective way to discourage them from venturing into your home. For example, keeping your kitchen table and counters free of crumbs and leftover tidbits will prevent curious, enterprising mice from hunting them down. Sweep and vacuum your kitchen at least twice a week and invest in air-tight solid plastic kibble keepers for pet food instead of leaving it in bags that mice can easily chew into. Close pantry and cabinet gaps and store cereal in glass or plastic jars instead of leaving them in packages, and watch for signs of rodent activity, such as droppings and grease marks on cabinet doors. 

2. Add a Light To the Crawl space 

While you wait for us to arrive and help you with mice removal in Okanagan, adding a light or two inside your crawl space may make it less hospitable for these creatures, as they prefer dark locales for making nests and hiding food. Hooded lights with plugs that are properly grounded to reduce the risk of fire can drive mice away. Remember to insulate or conceal the cords so any mice that remain do not chew on them. 

3. Keep the Crawl Space Dry 

Mice require food, water and shelter to survive and raise their young, and a damp crawl space with a dripping pipe or valve can provide them with the perfect home. With a water source directly inside the crawl space, mice will not have to venture out to find it and expose themselves to bad weather or predators such as large birds, cats and dogs, things they avoid at all costs.  If you venture into your crawl space to gauge the best way to get rid of mice in walls or remove a water source, it is wise to leave any mice nests you find untouched until our technicians arrive. Male mice can be quite aggressive if handled or cornered and can deliver a painful bite. Additionally, many mice species carry hantavirus, a disease that can cause fever, weakness and muscle pain. Note where you noticed signs of mice activity to our wildlife technicians, who can safely remove them. 

How We Help With Mice Removal in Okanagan

When our Skedaddle wildlife removal professionals arrive, they will take several steps to identify, remove and prevent mice activity. First, they will locate and remove live specimens, litters and nesting material. They will then clean the crawl space to eradicate any bacteria or parasites left behind, such as fleas, mites and ticks. Finally, our technicians will search for and seal any entryways into the crawl space so no mice nest there in the future. These steps can prevent future infestations that can be extremely difficult to handle, considering how quickly mice breed once they find a favourable nesting site.  If you have mice in your Okanagan home's crawl space, contact us today for assistance and further prevention tips that can keep these uninvited guests away for good.