The house mouse (Mus musculus, L.- Latin for “little thief”) is the most common pest in and around human dwellings and businesses.  They damage and destroy materials by gnawing wires and eating your food.  They account for many unexplained fires in structures because they can chew through wires.  To some, mice may look cuddly, but they are known to carry over 20 different pathogens of human disease, not to mention their association with ectoparasites (ticks and fleas).

The house mouse is about three inches in length and is gray with dull white belly fur.  An adult weighs about an ounce, but eats often and is constantly leaving droppings and urine droplets as it forages for food, mates and harborage.  Mice also breed rapidly.  A house mouse is mature within 35 days after birth and can have a first litter of up to eight pups at 60 days old.  Individuals usually live only about a year, however, if all their offspring were to survive and reproduce at a similar rate, one pair of house mice could potentially produce a population of more than 500 young in one year!  Mice are acrobatic and can jump about a foot straight up from a standing position; they can jump down more than six feet without getting hurt.  An adult mouse can squeeze through a crack or hole as small as 1/4th inch (the size of a #2 pencil) and can quickly climb straight up an eight foot wall of brick or wood paneling in less than half a minute.  Even though one mouse doesn’t eat much, as their population grows, they can eat a surprising amount of food.  They can also damage food containers, and their droppings and urine contaminate a lot more food than they eat.  In one year, one house mouse produces up to 18,000 droppings; it will deposit hundreds of micro-droplets of urine every day as it marks its trails.

If you see mice or other rodents, or their signs such as droppings in your home or business, don’t panic.  The wisest thing to do is to call us.  We can determine what rodents you have, where they are entering the structure and the extent of your problem.  We can then develop an effective rodent control program that will protect you and your family and property.