If mice are scampering around in your home and stressing you out, you’re not alone. These resourceful rodents can be challenging to control because they rely on our homes for food and shelter when temperatures drop. They can thrive even if resources are scarce.
If you have a mouse problem, you might wonder if starving them out will encourage them to leave your house. It’s best to contact pest control professionals if you want these rodents out of your life. These experts know how to manage the mouse population in your home and keep them from bugging you. They can also answer questions like “How many mice are considered an infestation?”
How Long Can a Mouse Live Without Food? Here’s What You Should Know
Mice depend heavily on food for survival, and that’s likely why they are in your home. They’re scouring for whatever food they can get their paws on.
Depending on their environment and age, mice can go different lengths of time without food. However, mice typically only need around three to four grams of food a day to survive. This means that even if you are working hard to eliminate food sources in your home and on your property, these pests might be finding just enough food to get by.
The mice who have taken up residence inside our homes need even fewer calories because they don’t have to run away from predators. While storing your food in tightly sealed containers and cleaning up immediately after meals can help deter them, it won’t solve your existing mouse problem.
Mice have speedy metabolisms, leaving them hungry and munching on food frequently. Eating and gnawing on hard objects also prevents their constantly growing teeth from getting too long. Since they can’t survive long without food, you might think starvation is a good tactic to control these pests. However, mice can consume almost anything, including paper and seeds.
What Do Mice Eat?
Contrary to what cartoons have us believe, mice aren’t only crazy about yellow cheese. These opportunistic omnivores enjoy a wide variety of food with a penchant for grains, seeds and fruits.
While they tend to prefer high-carb food, mice are not picky and will consume any available plant or animal-based food. Pet food and leftovers in trash cans aren’t off-limits to these pests. Their willingness to eat almost anything makes limiting their food source and controlling them in your home harder.
Your efforts to starve the mice in your home can feel frustrating and cause unnecessary stress. Instead, contact rodent control professionals if you see mice running around. They will put measures in place to keep these pests in check. They can also address other issues, such as how to get rid of mice in your garden.
Will Mice Leave If They Smell a Dog?
Mice are wary of predators, avoiding areas where they might be lurking threats. Mice have a keen sense of smell.
However, having a dog around isn’t a solution for a mouse infestation. Mice will keep their distance when a dog’s around but may muster up the courage to return to the area when the coast is clear to scavenge for food. It doesn’t help that mice love dog food, which could exacerbate the infestation in your home.
Dogs alone aren’t enough to deter mice. Here are simpler ways to help keep mice from feeling welcome in your home.
Eliminate Entryways Into Your Home
Mice are sneaky pests that can invade your home through various entry points. All they need is a hole as small as a dime to break in. If you don’t want these pests as roommates, seal all possible entryways into your property. It’s a good time to walk around the exterior of your home and look for holes, gaps and other openings.
One way to eliminate openings is to pack them with steel wool. Mice find this material unpleasant to chew, acting as a natural deterrent for these pesky creatures.
Keep Your Home Tidy
The last thing you want is for mice to reproduce in your home and grow their population. To help deter mice, it’s helpful to remove any food sources like crumbs, spilled pet food or food residue in the kitchen or garage. Mice like to build nests in areas where they can feel safe, so make it a habit to store spare linens in sealed containers. In addition, pay attention to spills and pet bowls to ensure that mice aren’t getting a water source in your home.
Contact a Pest Control Specialist
The most effective way to address the pesky mice issue in your home is to let a rodent control specialist take over. Mice might be intelligent creatures, but they can’t outsmart the experts.
Do Mice Come Near Sleeping Humans?
It’s bad enough to have mice in your home. But it would be a nightmare if these rodents were crawling all over us in our sleep. Is that something we have to worry about? Fortunately, mice fear humans and generally keep their distance from us. That’s why they forage for food at night. It’s unlikely for them to hop onto our beds and disturb us.
However, it’s not impossible, especially if the infestation in your home has gotten out of control. They might wander into your bedroom and explore if there’s food, water or shelter for them there. To avoid this scenario, don’t eat in your sleeping area, and don’t keep your secret stash of snacks in there. It will also help to seal off all entry points and keep your bedroom clutter-free.
Contact rodent control specialists if you have a mouse infestation at home. They will manage the mouse population so your bedroom can stay peaceful and relaxing.
Let a Professional Take Care of Your Pest Problems
If you see one mouse, how many do you have? Chances are that the mouse has buddies that keep it company. Contact rodent control professionals if you spot one of these pesky rodents in your home. A pest control specialist will address the issue before it gets out of hand.
ABC Can Handle Your Mouse Problem
If you spot mouse droppings, nesting materials, gnaw marks and other signs that point toward mice living in your home, it almost certainly means you have a mouse infestation. That requires a more far-reaching solution than just a few strategically placed traps. Not sure how to get rid of rodents? The rodent control specialists at ABC Home & Commercial Services can develop a comprehensive plan to help in controlling rodents. Our specialists can control your mouse problem with a combination of several strategies.
