When you see a mouse in your home it can be very alarming. It could just be a random mouse or a sign of a more serious rodent infestation. There’s really no sure-fire way to know if more mice are hiding out or if it’s a random one who snuck in. Since mice are one of the most concerning pests that can infest a house, it’s advisable to treat one visible mouse as if there are more.

There are some immediate actions you can take whether you’ve seen just one or several mice scurrying around.

Clear Out Any Clutter

Rodents will seek out hiding places in your home. They especially like to nest in old boxes or old furniture. Look around your home for any signs that mice are nesting. Some telltale signs you’ll see are droppings from the rodents as they have a tendency to leave an obvious trail behind when they scurry about. Remove any items which show evidence of mouse activity. They particularly like to hide in darker corners of your home such as closets, basements and under furniture. Wash any clothing that may have been in contact with them. Clean around baseboards, clean under and around kitchen appliances paying special attention to the pantry and pet food areas.

Inspect Interior/Exterior

Mice will seek out even the smallest cracks and crevices to use as an entryway and sneak into your home. They can squeeze through a space that is as thin as a plastic credit card. If you see a mouse in a particular room, the doorways and windows in or near that room are a good place to start your inspection. You can seal around any suspicious cracks with caulk or a weather stripping material. It’s important to remember that since mice can fit into the smallest of spaces you likely won’t be able to completely block their entry to your home, but every effort to keep mice and other pests out goes a long way for prevention.

Call A Professional

Although there are some steps you can take to tackle a mouse infestation, it’s recommended to let a professional handle the extermination of any pests in your home. Mice are persistent and can reproduce many times in a short span, so if you’re seeing just one or two in your home it’s very likely there’s many more. A professional will know what signs to look for and what steps to take to remove the mice from within your home. Precise placement of traps is vital and a professional pest control technician will know where to place them for maximum effectiveness.

The importance of successfully getting rid of a mouse problem cannot be overstated, as they not only wreak havoc as they contaminate food, they also spread diseases. Contact us at Spence’s Pest Control and one of our professional pest technicians will schedule an inspection so that you can rest assured your rodent problem is eliminated.