5 Signs you have a mouse problem - Prudential Pest Solutions

Admin | October 31

Mice can get into your home through small gaps and cracks around your house. Sometimes it’s obvious you have a mouse issue and other times it may come as a surprise. In this article we are going to discuss 5 signs you have a mouse problem in your house.

Whether you have a mouse problem or simply don’t want a mouse problem, Prudential Pest Solutions can help! If you are interested in learning more about mice, our rodent treatments, or rodent-proofing your home, we are your rodent control professionals!

1) You see a mouse or mice in the house

Seeing a live or dead mouse in the house is a pretty good sign that you have a mouse issue. Is it possible that the mouse you saw is the only one…maybe, but probably not.

If you are seeing mice in the house it most likely means there are many more that you don’t see.

Most often, homeowners will see mice in the kitchen due to the many hiding places like the oven and refrigerator and the availability of food.

One female mouse can birth 30-50 mice in 1 year! That one mouse can quickly become many!

2) You are hearing mice in the walls or ceiling

Many homeowners call our office reporting that they have a mouse problem because they hear scratching, running, or scurrying in the walls or ceiling. Although it could be mice, we need to determine whether the sound is coming from mice or another animal.

Other animals that we find in walls and ceilings that could sound like mice include: birds, bats, squirrels, and even raccoons.

Just hearing a noise in your ceiling or walls does not mean that it’s definitely from mice. Other animals can infest homes and make noises too.

3) You are seeing mouse droppings in the house

Mice are mammals and thus produce excrement that we call “droppings”. You will typically find mouse droppings where the mice are usually traveling. This is often along walls, under cabinets, or in corners.

If you are seeing rodent droppings on your shelves, in your kitchen drawers, behind your oven, or just on the floor, you have a mouse problem.

We use a HEPA filtered vacuum to remove rodent droppings during our treatments. This leaves the home cleaner and also gives us a baseline to see how effective our rodent treatments are working.

Other animals can produce droppings that look like mouse droppings. Bat droppings are similar in size but will usually be found in piles in the middle of the attic as opposed to along the edges. Bat droppings are also easy to crush and are not solid like mouse droppings.

4) You see chewing and damage from mice

All rodents have an instinctual need to chew. They will also chew to create entryways through walls, floors, ceilings, and cabinets.

Rodent damage will look rounded and clearly made by chewing. You will also see a darker color around the opening they create due to the mice rubbing their fur along the opening.

We install a metal woven fabric into the holes and then seal them in place so that mice can chew through and can’t pull out the fabric.

Rodents and mice will also chew on electrical wires that can cause damage and house fires!

5) Small holes and tunnels in the insulation in your attic means you have mice.

When’s the last time you went into your attic space? Many homeowners go into the attic to grab some holiday decorations and then they notice what looks like small holes in the insulation.

Mice will tunnel through the insulation in the attic to travel around the attic and the house. The holes and tunnels around about the diameter of a quarter.

If you see tunnels or holes in the insulation in your attic, you have a mouse problem.

Mouse treatments in Pennsylvania

Prudential Pest Solutions is a Veteran and Family owned and operated rodent and pest control company that services all of Southeastern Pennsylvania. We have many mouse treatment options that will get the mice our AND keep them out!

Check out some of our other rodent control articles to learn more about rodents and our treatment methods: