MICE AND MOUSE CONTROL-BAITS AND TRAPS
Mouse Biology, Habits, Recommended Measure of Control

Rodents-General Overview and Charts

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House Mouse
Click on image to enlarge

HOUSE MOUSE APPEARANCE:

The adult house mouse is small and slender and about 1-2 inches long, excluding tail. The house mouse has large ears (as seen the the photo below), pointed nose and small eyes. The tail is as long as the head and body combined.
The fur color varies, but it is usually a light grey or brown, but could be darker shades. It has an overall coloration.

Adult house mouse.
Click on image to enlarge
Photo by Jack Kelly Clark.

Since mice have a higher population number than rats, they are more widespread.

Do I have a house mouse or a young rat?
A rats's head and feet will be proportionally larger to it's body than a mouse's head or their feet.

HOUSE MOUSE DIET:

A mouse will eat almost anything, but prefer cereal grains, seeds, or sweet material. They require very little water, obtaining most of their water needs from their food. Mice can consume large quantities of stored seed and grains from farmers and granaries.

HOUSE MOUSE HABITS AND BIOLOGY:

If there are good living conditions(food, water, and shelter),they can multiply rapidly. They sexually mature in two months, producing about 8 litters in a one year life time. Each litter has 4-7 pups.

A house mice in a city environment may spend it's entire life in buildings. In rural and suburban settings, it may not only live inside, but be found outside near foundations, in the shrubbery, weeds, crawl spaces, basements, or in garages.

They survive well on weeds, seeds, or insects, but when their food supply is shortened by the colder months they move inside nesting closer to a food supply. They make their nest from soft material like paper, insulation, or furniture stuffing. These nest are found in many places including: in walls, ceiling voids, storage boxes, drawers, under major appliances, or within the upholstery of furniture. Outside the nests are found in debris or in ground burrows.

House mice have a characteristic musky odor that identifies their presence.

Mice while being "nibblers" eating many times at different places, they do have two main meal times...just before dawn and at dusk...they simply "snack" at other times at intervals or every 1-2 hours. They can eat about 10 to 15% of their body weight every day, the adults weighing about 5/8-1 oz. Mice also cache food as supply permits. They get much of there water from food products.

Mice are active mostly at night, but they can be seen occasionally during daylight hours.

A house mouse is an excellent climber and can run up any rough vertical surface. It will run horizontally along wire cables or ropes and can jump up 13 inches from the floor onto a flat surface

HOUSE MOUSE INSPECTION:

Their droppings(feces)are about 1/8-1/4 inch long, rod shaped. They gnaw small, clean holes about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Many times in kitchens you will find gnawing damage on the corner of boxes and paper, shredded for their nest. They will gnaw at bar soaps.

To see a picture of tracks and droppings-click here

Mouse Dropping,fresh gnawing and tracks indicate areas where mice are active. Mouse nests, made from fine shredded paper or other fibrous material, are often found in sheltered locations

Sanitation , exclusion and reducing the mouse population is what is involved for prevention and control.

House Mouse Exclusion and Prevention

A house mouse can squeeze through openings slightly larger than 1/4 inch across, eliminate all openings through which they can enter a structure Stuff It Copper Mesh:

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Seal any openings larger than 1/4 inch to exclude mice.

House mice frequently find their way into homes in the fall of the year, when outdoor temperatures at night become colder.

Eliminate all openings through which they can enter a structure.
Seal cracks and openings in building foundations and openings for water pipes, vents and utilities .
In order for the mouse not to chew or pull out patching compounds, the patching materials need to be smooth on the surface.
Doors, windows and screens should fit tightly.
All food that is stored, processed or used should be made mouse-proof. Dried grain and meat products should be stored in glass jars, metal canisters or other resealable airtight containers.

DEER AND WHITE-FOOTED MICE

Deer Mouse

Both the Deer and the White Footed are similar in appearance
The deer and white footed mouse rarely invades homes, and is found in rural areas.
Both species may enter houses, garages, storage sheds, and stored campers during the cooler months.
The average body length is about 6 inches, including the tail.
Bicolored: darker upper body coloration compared to the white undersides.
They breed during the spring and summer months. Their nests may be underground in cavities about the roots of trees or shrubs, beneath a log or board, or in a tunnel built by another animal. Aboveground nest may be found in hollow trees, unused equipment,cabinet voids,unused furniture, wood piles,fence posts, and old bird or squirrel nests.
Deer and White footed mice are the primary carriers of the hanta virus and Lyme disease.When present, this virus is spread through the rodent's urine and feces.
Nocturnal
These mice live in burrows they have made, abandoned burrows of other animals, beneath rocks, in stumps, in soil cracks, in debris, or in any other protected location.
Control:
As with the House Mouse, control can be accomplished by snap traps, glue boards or multiple mouse traps. They have a tendency to store food. If using a baiting program it is best to use a bait blox used with a rod in a Mouse Protecta Bait Station, so they don't carry the bait off for storage(such as pellets)for later consumption. Baits should be placed in the same way as for the House Mouse, close to the suspected activity.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS AND TREATMENT FOR EFFECTIVE CONTROL FOR MICE:

TRAPPING

Trapping has several advantages:

Safer than potential hazardous poison baits

Quick, immediate results

Easy disposal of dead rodents avoiding odor problems that will occur if rodenticides kill rodents in inaccessible areas.

Place mice traps up against walls, behind objects, and in secluded areas where mouse droppings, gnawing and damage are evident.
Snap traps should be oriented perpendicular to the wall, with the trigger end against the vertical surface.

Multiple-catch traps should be placed with the entrance hole parallel to the wall.

Traps and glue boards should be checked daily and dead mice disposed of in plastic bags. Gloves should be worn when handling mouse carcasses to prevent any chance of disease.

Place mouse traps about 6 to 10 feet apart, since mice tend to travel very short distances.

TYPES OF MOUSE TRAPS:

SNAP TRAPS MICE SIZE

The Trapper T Rex Snap Trap for mice(comes in rat size as well) will fit in the protecta bait stations to help keep non targeted animals and children away from the traps.

You may need more snap traps than you think is warranted. Check the mouse snap traps daily. If nothing happens in a couple of days, move the traps to a new location. Mice are not afraid of new things or bothered by the smell of humans or dead mice on traps.

MULTIPLE MOUSE CATCH TRAPS

GLUE BOARDS MOUSE SIZE

RODENTICIDES-BLOX, PELLETS AND SEED

Rodenticides are poisons that kill rodents.
We carry three forms : Seed , pellets, and blox forms.

We have them by bulk forms and packet forms. Make sure that fresh bait is available continuously until mice stop feeding. This could take 2-3 weeks, depending on your the mice population. Packet forms(in a glasine packet), are also called "place paks". These paks keep the bait fresh and also make it easy to place in such places as burrows, or wall voids. Mice gnaw into the packet to feed on the bait. Block style baits are also very effective.

Place baits in several locations no farther than 10 feet apart and preferably closer. If you want a weather proof bait, you will need the block forms.

Make sure that all pet food is not a source of food for the rodents and sanitaton is the first step to consider.

Single feed baits require one feeding for a lethal dosage, while multiple feed baits require several feedings. All the baits we carry are considered Single Feed Rodent Baits except Liqua Tox, a liquid mulitple feed bait.

For more information on Mouse Baits , read : Mouse Baiting Tips

Rodenticides are poison baits and should be used in areas where domestic animals and children can't reach. There are resistant -tamper proof bait stations such as the one pictured below that hold the baits in place and keep children and pets out.

It is a national law and guideline to use resistant-tamper proof bait stations in areas where children or pets could access.

Scorpion Hunter Urine Tracker Led UV Light to help detect presence of rodent urine for easier inspection.

Food Contamination and other Damages

A mouse may contaminate your food suppy with it's feces and urine.
House mice gnaw through electrical wiring, causing fires and failure of freezers, clothes dryers and other appliances
A mouse's tooth mark is about 1/8 inch wide .

Disease's That Mice Carry

Mice can carry a wide variety of diseases transmissible to humans. A very real problem with the infestation of mice is the Hantavirus which has been a threat in the arid southwestern part of the country. While the house mouse has not been found to be a carrier of hantavirus, other mice( white-footed and deer mice)have been noted carriers.

The house mouse has a overall gray color. The white footed mouse and deer mouse both have a white underside.
The house mouse's tail is very little fur on it, the tails of the deer mouse and the white-footed mouse are moderately to well furred and are light underneath and dark on top.

Another major concern is salmonellosis which is transmitted by mice and is a concern in food storage and preparation areas.
Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals, including birds. Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces.

Disposal of Dead Rodents Always wear intact rubber or plastic gloves when removing dead rodents and when cleaning or disinfecting items contaminated by rodents. Put the dead rodent in a plastic bag; the bag should be placed in a second bag and tightly sealed. Dispose of rodents in trash containers with tightfitting lids. Traps can be disinfected by soaking them in a solution of three tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water or a commercial disinfectant containing phenol (such as LysolR). After handling rodents, resetting traps and cleaning contaminated objects, thoroughly wash gloved hands in a general household disinfectant or in soap and warm water. Then remove gloves and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water

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