How to Prevent Mice in Your Minnesota Home

You may ask, how bad is it to have mice inside your home, really? It can be pretty bad, but there’s no reason to panic! In reality, mice are found just about everywhere people are. That means we’re around them all the time, and are probably just fine. 

It’s also important to understand what can happen when mice get into your home. Besides the famous “squeal factor” that spotting a mouse triggers in many of us, there are impacts to both your home and health you can’t see.

Is it important to prevent mice in my home?

How important is it to prevent mice? From chewing electrical wires which creates a potential fire hazard, to contaminating food, mice can cause an unsafe environment. Consider this list that compares what we see to what is actually happening.

mouse problems

1. You see just one mouse, but actually...

Mice reproduce and mature very quickly. Because mice are most active at night, we often do not see them. At just 6-8 weeks old, one adult female can produce litters of 3-7 mice every 30 days. After 6-8 weeks, females in those litters will begin to do the same. As the cycle continues, the number of mice increases exponentially. A large infestation can happen in just 3 months!

1 mouse
1 Mouse
8 mice
6-8 pups every 30 days
4 female mice
If half are female, that's 4 new breeding mice
28 mice
4 breeding mice X litters of 7 pups = 28 new mice in 30 days!

2. You see a few droppings, but actually...

We may notice a few mouse droppings here and there, but it’s actually worse than it looks. Each mouse produces 50-100 droppings a day. They urinate about every 18 feet and shed fur constantly. They contaminate every surface they touch. Mice are also a common allergy and asthma trigger, with allergens found in their urine, fur, and dander.

a few droppings
A few noticeable droppings
mouse droppings
Each mouse produces 50-100 droppings a day!

3. You notice one chewed package, but actually...

Mice are “nibblers.” They eat small amounts of food very frequently. They may visit food sources 20-30 times in one day! In fact, the most expensive loss caused by mice is due to food and other household items that must be thrown away after being contaminated by them.

4. You stop seeing mice, but actually...

While baiting and trapping a current population may eliminate mice temporarily, they leave scent trails everywhere they go. Other mice detect the pheromones and follow the invisible trails to new nesting and feeding areas. If entrances are not sealed off, infestations simply reoccur. Focusing only on elimination leaves homeowners back at square one when mice find their way back into the house.

5. What is that smell?

Over time, mice urine can saturate insulation and create noticeable odors in your home. You may also notice stains on items in storage, particularly if mice have been nesting nearby. If a nest site is hospitable, mice will generally stay within 10-25 feet of it which leaves that area prone to large levels of contamination.

pest control technician showing homeowner hole in garage where mice enter

Is there a long-term solution to mouse control?

The most effective way to keep mice out of your home long-term is to prevent them from ever getting in. Rainbow Pest Experts’ Mouse Exclusion provides a warrantied* long-term solution for keeping mice out of your home! We will inspect your home to create a mouse control plan custom-designed for your home, including:

  • Locating the source of the infestation
  • Addressing challenges that may impact success of the control efforts
  • Placing tamper-proof locked bait stations that require a special key to be opened
  • Sealing your home’s foundation with contractor-grade materials to prevent mice from entering
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*Warranty: If only Stage 1 is selected, it is covered by a 60-day warranty. However, the full service (Stage 1 and 2) is covered by a 2-year limited warranty and 2 additional free mouse-related visits within 2 years of foundation work