Common Questions About Mice In Calgary
Mice are one of the most common pests that we deal with in Alberta, and they are the single most common pest when it comes to pests that affect both commercial and residential properties. Mice are everywhere, and as commensal rodents, they thrive within the environments which we have created for ourselves. They live both indoors and outdoors. Though they prefer warm, interior environments during the winter, they are certainly capable of surviving winters outdoors when they have no choice.
As one of the most common pests we deal with, I would like to take some time here to answer some of the most common questions that we get about mice.
What areas of the city are the worst for mice?
Mice are prevalent throughout the Calgary. No matter which community you live in, you can be sure that there are plenty of mice in your neighbourhood. From downtown, to the suburbs, and even in rural areas, they live wherever we live. We do see some disparity with certain types of mice in certain areas; while the different species of mice best known as the standard house mice can be found everywhere, the field mice — and more specifically — deer mice, are typically found in more rural areas, or in suburbs closer to large, undeveloped areas or green spaces. This is a generalization, however, as I have found deer mice living on the 23rd floor of a downtown apartment building. While it is uncommon, it is not unheard of.
Should I be concerned if i find evidence of mice in my garage or shed?
Since mice are so prevalent, it may come down to a level of tolerance when it comes to finding mice in non-living spaces around your property. However, as mice are transient, and always seeking food and shelter, any mice living and thriving in your yard, are increasingly likely to find a way into your home. We recommend taking measures to keep mice out of all structures on your property, including your home, especially any attached garages, car ports, sheds, patios, or decks. When mice share a living space with humans or pets, or if mice come into contact with personal items or food that is used by people or pets, they present a significant health risk. Because of the way they live, and forage, nesting mice can also attract other pests such as flies, ants, larder beetles, mites, or bat bugs.
Is it normal to have mice in your home?
While, it is extremely common to get mice in your home, I wouldn’t call it normal. As mice pose a significant health risk, sharing a space with mice is not something that should ever be normalized. Anytime mice are found living in a shared space with people or pets, proper steps should be taken to eliminate the mice, clean up any contamination, and prevent future incursions.
What health risks do mice present?
Mice carry and transmit a wide variety of parasites and pathogens. Deer mice, specifically, are also known to carry and transmit hantavirus. Pathogens can be transmitted through urine, feces, or saliva. Most mice use urine as a means of communication. With the exception of pregnant mice or mice that have been eating poison, mice don’t typically release puddles of urine the way other animals might. Instead, they are almost constantly letting out small droplets of urine as they move through their environment. Because of this, mice can easily contaminate surfaces just by walking across them. When mice droppings accumulate to the point where they are creating dust, or if you vacuum mouse droppings without a certified HEPA filter vacuum, or if you use a broom to briskly sweep up droppings, contaminants can be released into the air which can then affect people and pets by way of inhalation or through contact with eyes.
A lot of rodent borne pathogens will manifest as a type of food poisoning, with some being quite mild and others being quite severe.
What is the best way to clean up areas contaminated by mice?
If you have mice in your home, you should be cleaning all surfaces, dishes, and utensils before each use as well as after. If mice have gotten into your pantry or food stores, any breached items, or items with contaminated porous containers should be disposed of. Any closed and sealed plastic packages, cans, bottles, or jars, should be carefully wiped down with anti-bacterial wipes, or a disinfecting solution and left to dry. Then all food should be stored in sealed bins or containers until the mouse population has been eliminated. Cleaning up, and keeping food items in sealed containers will prevent any further contamination of the stored food, and will also remove it as a possible food source for the mice.
When cleaning up after mice, vacuuming and sweeping should be avoided. Small amounts of contamination can be cleaned up using gloves, a face mask, and a disinfecting spray or a solution of 1 part bleach to 20 parts water. The area should be sprayed with disinfectant, then the droppings carefully removed through picking up individual droppings, or by gentle wiping, and then the area should be sprayed again and left to dry. For any large areas of contamination, a professional company should be called in to properly clean and prevent accidental spreading or any cross-contamination.
How do I get rid of mice?
Whether you try to do the job on your own, or you hire a company to do it for you, eliminating your mouse problem requires a two-fold approach. You must get rid of the current mouse population residing in your home, and you must seek out and eliminate any possible entry points to prevent more mice from entering your home. If you are hiring a company, make sure that you are not just paying them to only deal with half of the problem.
To get rid of the current mouse population in your home, the first thing you will want to do is to clean up and remove all potential food sources for the mice. This means cleaning floors and removing crumbs and food debris from under stoves, fridges, microwaves, toasters, water coolers, etc. as well as going through the pantry and food storage areas and placing any accessible food into sealed bins or containers. You also want to consider pet food, all pet food should be stored in sealed containers, and pets should only be fed at meal times. Mice will absolutely sneak up and steal food straight out of a pet food dish when left out with food in it. Don’t forget about your smaller pets. Mice will eat fish food, and — as you can imagine — they are especially fond of food for small pets such as pet mice, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, and guinea pigs. You also want to check places like under stair storage areas, garages, basements, sheds, etc. for possible hidden food like old bags of pet treats, grass seed, or old holiday decorations made from pine cones, children’s crafts made from dried beans, pasta, corn, or other similar items. Make sure your household garbage and compost bins are kept tightly covered and emptied daily. Removing food sources will go a long way to eliminating your mouse problem. But, mice are great at hoarding food, so if you have had exposed food, like pet food available for them, they may have stock-piled a large quantity of food under counters, under floor boards, or inside walls where you wont be able to get at it. Stock-piled food caches can extend the time it takes to eliminate a mouse population by weeks, or even months.
The next step in eliminating mice from your home is to begin some form of capture and/or kill program. This can be done with traps, or poison baits, or some combination of the two. There are two kinds of traps available: kill traps, and live-catch traps. Whichever you choose to use, make sure that you have a plan for dealing with any captured/killed mice. A typical mouse infestation in a home can range from just a few mice to hundreds of mice. The total population will depend on the amount of food that was available to them, and the length of time they have been in the home. When set up and managed by a certified professional, poison baits are currently the best, most sanitary choice for eliminating mice from your home. This is because the bait will either supplement the current food supply or, ideally, become the only food supply for the mice, and it will eventually reach the entire population. Commercial grade bait will also dry out carcasses, greatly reducing chances of smelly decomposition, or the spread of pathogens. Bait also allows for monitoring numbers, and areas of concentration. Some baits are better than others for their attractiveness, and their effectiveness. Baits also come with a certain amount of risk to non-target animals, and should always be managed by a professional to make sure that all people, pets, and non-target wildlife remain safe. There are also many different types of traps available. Sticky traps, or glue traps, are not recommended. Most mice will simply avoid them, and those that do get caught, endure a painful torture until they either die of a heart attack, or dehydration, and you get the added experience of hearing them struggle and cry for help the entire time until they finally die on their own, or until you dispatch them. Glue traps also pose a risk for sticking to pets, children, toys, or other household items. We definitely DO NOT recommend using glue boards or sticky traps. Snap traps are still the most effective kill traps for mice. Whenever possible, kill traps should be disposed of along with their kill. Reusing kill traps for multiple kills brings a high risk of contamination, or cross-contamination. You should always use gloves when handling used traps. NOTE: It is a complete myth that mice will avoid traps that smell like humans. Mice will eat off our plates, out of our garbage, and straight from our pantries. They do not care AT ALL about the smell of humans. However, they will always approach food cautiously, and they become trap smart very easily. Gloves should always be worn when handling used traps strictly as a way to keep you safe from harmful pathogens.
If you are using live catch traps, make sure that you are using safe handling procedures to avoid any possible contamination or pathogen spread. Always use gloves when handling used traps. Be aware that mice will kill and eat each other when trapped together in a multi-catch trap. If you plan on releasing the mice, be aware that their chances of survival after being released are extremely low, and they will most likely serve as dinner for a nearby predator. Also make sure not to simply release them in your back yard, or even in within your neighbourhood, as they will likely end up back in your house, unless you are certain that you closed and/or removed all possible entry points. Because of the high risk for spreading pathogens to people and animals, we DO NOT recommend live capture and release of mice.
If you are trapping for mice, you will need to constantly monitor, and adjust the location of your traps, while continuing to find the various harbourage/nesting sites for all the mice in and around your home. Mice get trap smart quite quickly and you may need to use a variety of baits, traps, placements, and strategies to eliminate all the mice using only a trapping strategy.
Once you have taken measures to eliminate the current population, you will want to carefully examine the exterior perimeter of your home for possible entry points. Checking door seals and sweeps, weather stripping on sliding doors and windows, check window screens, and then move on to vents and pipes. Anything that penetrates the foundation, or house envelope, poses a risk for rodent entry. Mice will very rarely enter a home through a vent itself, but they will often use the hole where the vent tube goes through the wall. A lot of contractors will make an 7 inch hole for the 6 inch vent cylinder, or a 1 inch hole for a 1/2 inch pipe. This leaves plenty of room for mice to enter around pipes and vent cylinders if they aren’t sealed correctly on the exterior. Overhead garage door seals and frames are notoriously common entry points for mice. You will also want to check under any cantilever extensions, fireplaces, or add-ons. Often decks or patios will cover vents or pipes making it difficult to get line of sight or properly inspect for gaps and holes.
Don’t forget to think in 3 dimensions. It’s always good to look up. Gaps or spaces around pillars or soffits can also provide entry points for mice.
Mice will wander around the perimeter of your home, and anywhere they can feel heat, air flow, or smell food, they will investigate further, and it doesn’t take much space for them to gain entry.
Once you find the holes or gaps, you then need to fill them. You need to use something that the mice cannot get though, or chew through. You need to also be careful not to close off any important drainage holes, weeping holes, or spaces that require airflow, as blocking these can cause long-term damage to the structure of your home. We also recommend staying away from spray foam insulation, as this product is messy, and will continue to expand after application and can actually cause more damage, or create new entry points, if used incorrectly. Spray foam insulation also provides attractive living space for ants and other insects, and makes them difficult to treat for. We recommend using stainless steel wool, along with the proper caulking for small gap and holes.
With so much to think about, monitor, and manage, calling a professional company to take care of the problem for you is often the best way to go for your family and your home.
Couldn’t I just get a cat?
Unfortunately, no. This is a common misconception that people have. We also hear from people who suddenly have a mouse problem and they tell us that until recently, they used to have a cat and that they never had a mouse problem when they had a cat. Upon inspection, we can easily see that the mouse problem existed for years. It was just that when they had the cat, the mice were inclined to stay out of sight, so they went undetected until the cat was no longer around. Not only did we find evidence that the mice had been there for years, but we found several spots containing small caches of dry cat food that had been stock-piled by the mice.
The reality is that pets almost always make the mouse problem worse. It’s just that the presence of a cat or dog, or other free-roaming pet will often mean that the mice will stay more hidden, often completely undetected. The presence of a pet, even a good mouser, will not prevent mice from entering a home. And even the best mouser can’t get everywhere that mice can get to. So, it is extremely unlikely that any pet will be able to catch every mouse there is. Because of the way homes are built, and because of the way we store food, cook, and clean, mice can live their entire existence safely out of reach of any pets. However, having pets in the house, means having pet food. And whether it’s improper storage, full feeding dishes, or just the odd piece of dry kibble that gets accidentally kicked under the stove, having pets means there is additional food available for the mice. Mice can live in a home for quite some time before their presence is detected. With a pet in the home, mice will often stay even more hidden until their population reaches a point where you can’t help but notice them.
Often, a pet will be able to alert you that something is off. They may be staring at a wall or scratching under the dishwasher for long periods of time, or they may suddenly lose interest in the food in their dish. These are examples of common behaviours that may indicate the presence of mice in a home. But, mice can thrive in a home with pets, and with the added food, they often live better. Mice can also contaminate pet food causing pets to get sick. Sudden, unexplained illness of a pet can also indicate the presence of mice in a home.