We offer a professional inspection of your premises. Please call us now on
0203 393 2338
Information & Solutions for Mice in your Home
Cute as they may be Mice don’t have any waste control so there is risk of spread of disease where they have been as well as the damage to electrics meaning fire risk when they chew wiring. Scroll down for more information about Mice and how we go about dealing with them.
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Identify
The aim of this section is to give you information to identify what type of rodent you are dealing with.
What mouse do I have?
Click below to see pictures and find out more
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There are two types of mice you might find in the homeThe grey House Mouse (most common) – Mus Musculus and the light brown with white underbelly Field Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus |
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Its coat is uniformly grey-brown7-9.5cm, they weigh about 19g, live for about 5 months, have a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and hairy tail. Noctournal so active at night and asleep in the day. Eat between 15-20 times a day and produce between 40-100 droppings per day. Mice can actually carry as many as 200 human pathogens! Can jump half a metre and squeeze through holes 17.5mm wide. They can have up to 12 babies every 6 weeks. This means she could have as many as 150 offspring in a single year! |
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Beige, or Red Brown or Light Brown With White UnderbellyThey weigh about 23g, up to 10.5cm length & live for about 5 months, its eyes and ears are smaller the the house mouse & it’s tail is 6-9cm. Noctournal so active at night and asleep in the day. Eat between 15-20 times a day and produce between 40-100 droppings per day. Mice can actually carry as many as 200 human pathogens! Can jump half a metre and squeeze through holes 17.5mm wide. 2 to 4 litters per year, with 4 to 6 babies each time. |
There are two types of mice you might find in the home
The grey House Mouse (most common) – Mus Musculus and the light brown with white underbelly Field Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus
Its coat is uniformly grey-brown
7-9.5cm, they weigh about 19g, live for about 5 months, have a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and hairy tail. Noctournal so active at night and asleep in the day. Eat between 15-20 times a day and produce between 40-100 droppings per day. Mice can actually carry as many as 200 human pathogens! Can jump half a metre and squeeze through holes 17.5mm wide. They can have up to 12 babies every 6 weeks. This means she could have as many as 150 offspring in a single year!
Beige, or Red Brown or Light Brown With White Underbelly
They weigh about 23g, up to 10.5cm length & live for about 5 months, its eyes and ears are smaller the the house mouse & it’s tail is 6-9cm. Noctournal so active at night and asleep in the day. Eat between 15-20 times a day and produce between 40-100 droppings per day. Mice can actually carry as many as 200 human pathogens! Can jump half a metre and squeeze through holes 17.5mm wide. 2 to 4 litters per year, with 4 to 6 babies each time.
Two options for Rodent Removal (Humane Option Available)
The standard 3 part baiting programme which all pest control companies offer or closing all the entry points to restrict access
3 Part Baiting Programme
A 3 part baiting programme consists of 3 appointments to identify where rodents are getting in, using poison bait or traps to erradicate them until you have no rodent sightings.
Humane Proofing Programm
As rats only need a hole 20mm wide there are a variety of areas where rats can exploit this and get in. We seal off all these ways in to block them out.
Option 1 - 3 Part Baiting Programme
The aim of this section is to give you information regarding our baiting programme
How are they getting in?
Identify entry areas
Firstly it is important to identify how mice are getting in (it is important to remember that mice are very scared of us as we are huge in comparison, so with screams and a lot of commotion mice will in a panic head to the nearest area for shelter. This doesn’t mean that was where they are getting into your living areas).
Unfinished areas
Areas not visible ie under kitchen units, boiler cupboards, behind appliences ie washing machines, understair cupboards etc builders don’t tend to ‘finish’ them leaving rodent access areas.
Around pipes
Most rooms, especially the kitchen, have pipes going through the wall and floor. Mice need a hole 17.5mm to get through, warm pipes provide warmth for them so following pipes lead them into various areas in the house. The kitchen has the most pipes and also unfished areas behind the scenes, this coupled with a food supply is why most people see mice in their kitchens.
Visit 1 - Install bait trays or Traps
On our first visit we install bait trays or traps in the behind the scenes areas ie under/behind kichen units, boiler cupboards, understair areas etc.
Visit 2 - Replenish trays & relocate
The poison bait takes 5-6 hours from eating to expiry, triggering a behavioural instinct to head to the underground to sleep, meaning you don’t have to deal with a smelly rodent. We refill and move to where they’re seem the most.
Visit 3 - All Clear
This is the point where the population has been erradicated and all is quiet. Remember that if you are connected to other properties you’ve only got rid of mice in your property, it may return in the future if they still have a problem.
After your appointment
Wipe down kitchen work surfaces
As mice do not have waste control where they go they leave disease risk. Wipe down surfaces where you prepare food each day.
Keep food out of reach
We want rodents to eat only the poison bait we put out for them. If tasty food is left out for them this compromises what we are trying to do. Plastic boxes or out of reach are great options.
Don't touch or move what we leave
Rodents have a great sense of smell and neophobia, this means that they can smell us on the trays which might make them fearful of going near them. Also neophobia means fear of new things arriving in their environment, so if the trays keep moving they’re less likely to go for them.
Option 2 - Humane Proofing Programme
This is a mouse friendly solution as it removes the entry points they use to get into your property. As they can’t get in they live and move to other adjacent properties.
Sealing up of entry holes
We use a combination of materials, metal mesh, foam, plaster etc to seal up the holes rodents are using to get in so they can’t chew back through them and keep them out.
How are they getting in?
Rodents use a variety of ways to get into your living areas, most people say ‘but I don’t have any ways in’ which aren’t apparent until you look further. Here are some examples
Areas to be looking
90% of the time they are coming into the kitchen, with the plinth boards down and the units out (washing machine, dishwasher etc) it gives you access to the areas where pipes come through walls and floor. These are usually the areas they use especially as warm pipes provide warmth for them.
Mice use the holes around pipes
Washing machine, dishwasher, boilers, sink taps and drains. There are countless pipes in a kitchen let alone a house which provide easy ways in for mice. in our experience we have found that less than 1% of houses when you check these areas do not have holes around the pipes behind the scenes.
Entry where wires come through walls and flooring
Rodent either get in where wires come through or if there is not quite enough of a way through but they can see a little light they gnaw around to make the hole larger so they can get through. They tend to spend time with the softer material, this tends to be plastic on electrical wiring, leading to blowing circuits.
Holes Around Pipework
On the face of it you might not see anything wrong with this picture, but if you look where the pipes go through the wooden floor can you see the gap between pipe and wall for each pipe? Rats gnaw openings to make them large enough to get through.
Around Radiator Pipes
A very common area as pipes are warm leading to radiators is for them to use the gaps commonly around them to gain entry. Again they just need a hole not big enough to gnaw and make it big enough.
Gaps Between Walls & Floors
It is very common behind kitchen units for builders to not bother making sure flooring meets the wall exposing ways in from under the floor. Also sometimes floors sink and expose these gaps under skirting boards.
Gnawing through pipes
Rats will tend to originate at the sewer and so they can come in through soil pipes and gnaw their way out.
Inaccessible Areas
It does sometimes happen that the area they are using to get in are not easily accessible. In this case there are still options, we can cut little holes in the back of cupboards where you will not notice them so we can get access to areas behind where careless builders have not sealed around pipes.
Areas to be looking
90% of the time they are coming into the kitchen, with the plinth boards down and the units out (washing machine, dishwasher etc) it gives you access to the areas where pipes come through walls and floor. These are usually the areas they use especially as warm pipes provide warmth for them.
Mice use the holes around pipes
Washing machine, dishwasher, boilers, sink taps and drains. There are countless pipes in a kitchen let alone a house which provide easy ways in for mice. in our experience we have found that less than 1% of houses when you check these areas do not have holes around the pipes behind the scenes.
Entry where wires come through walls and flooring
Rodent either get in where wires come through or if there is not quite enough of a way through but they can see a little light they gnaw around to make the hole larger so they can get through. They tend to spend time with the softer material, this tends to be plastic on electrical wiring, leading to blowing circuits.
Holes Around Pipework
On the face of it you might not see anything wrong with this picture, but if you look where the pipes go through the wooden floor can you see the gap between pipe and wall for each pipe? Rats gnaw openings to make them large enough to get through.
Around Radiator Pipes
A very common area as pipes are warm leading to radiators is for them to use the gaps commonly around them to gain entry. Again they just need a hole not big enough to gnaw and make it big enough.
Gaps Between Walls & Floors
It is very common behind kitchen units for builders to not bother making sure flooring meets the wall exposing ways in from under the floor. Also sometimes floors sink and expose these gaps under skirting boards.
Gnawing through pipes
Rats will tend to originate at the sewer and so they can come in through soil pipes and gnaw their way out.
Inaccessible Areas
It does sometimes happen that the area they are using to get in are not easily accessible. In this case there are still options, we can cut little holes in the back of cupboards where you will not notice them so we can get access to areas behind where careless builders have not sealed around pipes.
Prepare for an appointment
Ok so you have booked an appointment, what do you need to do to prepare for you and to help us?
Clear under sink cupboards
Usually this is where pipes we need to access are so clearing out these and other relivant areas means we can get access to these key areas.
Clear areas for access
Areas like cupboards under stairs have gas pipes and electrical cables going through the floor. Emptying any areas which has pipes or cables as we will need access.
Put food away
All food which is not in packets or just areas you know rodents are getting to should be put either on high areas or in sealed boxes. Rodents can chew through packets so not giving them the option of tasty food will mean if your option involves poison bait they will only have this to eat.
What to do and know after a treatment
The aim of this section is to cover what you need to know for straight after a treatment as well as things not to do so you don’t make mistakes
After your appointment
Wipe down kitchen work surfaces
As mice do not have waste control where they go they leave disease risk. Wipe down surfaces where you prepare food each day.
Don't worry about scratching noises
Just like if we’ve locked ourselves out they will try to get back in testing for weaknesses. Once they realise there is no way back in they move on and the noises will go away.
Don't make new holes
It is very important that if you have tradespeople around for any work (plumbers, handymen etc) that you insist on them not leaving any new holes when they do their work for obvious reasons. You don’t want them to cause you to have another rodent issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some frequently asked questions with answers to hopefully answer most of the things you want to know.
Yes, our treatments are safe. All bait is put into areas where you cannot access it and there is only risk if you consume it. If you choose a proofing appointment then you can request that no poison bait is used.
Rodents will live under properties in burrows in the soil as their behaviour tells them to do. They come in for food and nesting material (shredded paper or plastic bags) to line nests with but then leave to go back to safety. Our homes with us and pets are fraught with danger for them so they sneak in and out at night.
Usualy not no, most mice in houses are the house mouse rather than the field mouse. These live in and travel between buildings, so they are already in the walls and under the floors etc. They use the holes around pipes etc to get into your living areas.
Rodents are active during the evening, through the night and in the early morning. Due to this we do our rodent appointments (especially proofing programmes) typically during the hours of around 9-5 as we don’t want to risk trapping them in, only out.
Yes with the proofing programme we have a guarantee which is for 3 months. If there is to be a sighting you’ll know in roughly 7 days but 3 months is for peace of mind
Yes, especially worktops where food is prepared. As mice do not have waste control, it just falls out of them where ever they go, there is disease risk where ever they have been (which usually includes up on the worktops where you prepare food). Use antibacterial products for counter tops and floors etc.
Sometimes this is possible yes, call us to find out what the earliest available appointment is.
We use unmarked vehicles thereby not highlighting the reason for our visit. If anyone asks us we can say we are doing a little building work and not disclose anything.
Yes our service is insured for up to £10 Million of cover.
Yes we are RSPH Level 2 certified which is the highest level in pest management so you know you are in good hands.
Let's get in touch
Get us to call you back to talk more or book an appointment
We offer a professional inspection of your premises. Please call us now on
0203 393 2338