MICE

The most common types fo mice in Ontario are the house mouse and deer mouse. 

The typical house mouse is around 10 cm in length, slender, with large ears, pink-buff coloured feet and a  very long tail (it's twice the length of its body). Their fur colouring ranges from black to dark gray to light brown, with lighter colouring on their underside. 

Deer mice (also called field mice) have large ears and eyes, and soft tawny brown fur like deer. They can also be gray in colour. They possess a white belly and tail bottom, and white colouring on their feet. A deer mouse is typically small, but can range in size from 8 cm to 17 cm in length.Their tail is often the length of their body.

Mice cause concern because they can cause damage property, structural damage and electrical fires (from chewing electrical wires), and they are carriers of disease. Mice can, and will bite, and their droppings and urine can contaminate the surfaces in living areas they come in contact with. The deer mouse is the most common carrier of the deadly Hantavirus disease.

Mice are nocturnal, bread year-round and reproduce quickly. They eat often and are omnivorous, preferring to eat seeds, nuts, fruits and insects, but also eating human food (prepared or waste)..

While most mice prefer to live in forested areas, come fall, they tend to seek refuge indoors from the cold winter. Once inside they are known culprits of food contamination and property damage caused by their foraging, burrowing and constant need to chew and gnaw (to keep their constantly growing teeth in check).

The most common signs that you have a mouse infestation include:

• Hearing scampering and scratching sounds in the walls at night.
• Signs of gnawing or chewing in drywall, insulation and food packages.
• Finding droppings and urine.
• Discovering burrows or holes in and around foundation walls
• Finding their nests or nests.
• Sighting dead or alive mice.

The best way to get rid of mice is to prevent them from getting inside and making your home or business less appealing to them: 

• Seal up cracks and crevices around all entry points.
• Use metal weather stripping under doors.
• Weather strip windows and ensure screens are in good repair.
• Cover dryer vents, attic vents or soffits with fine mesh metal screening.
• Keep your roof and any vents in good repair.
• Keep your grass cut short and trim trees, shrubs and bushes away from your home or building.
• Regularly dispose of yard waste.
• Keep woodpiles away from your home or building and raise 1 foot off the ground.
• Use garbage bins with tight-fitting lids.
• Don't leave food out in the open.
• Keep your kitchen and food prep areas clean and sanitized.
• Store all dry food items and dry pet food in metal or glass containers.
• Store non-perishable items in airtight, secured plastic totes, not cardboard boxes.

If you have a mouse infestation, there is no fast way for getting rid of mice.

To get rid of mice, hire an experienced licensed pest control professional to implement a rodent bait program and complete a thorough exterior inspection to identify where the rodents are gaining access to your home or business. This walk around will help you further improve your current and future pest proofing efforts and keep house mice or deer mice where they belong - outside.