Mice Removal Services in the GTA

In the wild, mice are herbivores so live off fruits, seeds and grains. Indoors, mice will look for these types of food so cereals are an especially tasty treat for mice. However, mice will scrounge for anything they can get their paws on, so don’t be surprised to find chew holes in garbage bags and any other types of food they can reach.

If you find chewed up paper in your home, it’s not because the mouse has been eating it, it is because the mouse is gathering materials for it’s nest. Mice build nests in protective places that are hard for humans to reach. They chew on things around your home and take them back to their nest for padding and insulation.

Mice give birth to litters of 3 to 14 babies – called a mouse pup or pinky – up to 10 times per year. That means that if mice do set up a nest in your home, it’s important to get rid of them completely otherwise the problem can quickly grow.

The tell-tale sign of mouse droppings is the presence of “black rice”. Mouse droppings are small, black and granular shaped. They are roughly 3-6mm in length and can be found in clusters. As droppings age, they will gradually go lighter in colour. (attach pic of mouse droppings?)

Mouse droppings when they are fresh are a clay like consistency, and over time they dry up and get very hard. The texture and colour of the dropping is a great indicator of how recent there was mouse activity. The older the droppings are, the harder and lighter in colour they become.

Rat droppings are much larger than mouse droppings. Rat droppings are around .5”-1” in length, and mice droppings are only 3-6 mm in length. Rats often (not always) will hide their droppings in hidden areas out of sight, whereas mice will leave their droppings out in the open and around food that they are feeding off of.

Mice are always seeking 3 main things: heat, nesting material and food. Most dwellings provide an abundance of these necessities that allow mice to thrive, especially in areas that have colder seasons. Mice love to nest and keep warm inside of insulation in ceilings and walls, but can also shred up fabric and paper materials to build a nest almost anywhere. If there are food sources: grains, oils, dry stored goods, compost, leftover food etc, the mice will thrive. 

Mice can get into areas less than ¼”. A good gauge is that anything a pencil can fit into, a mouse can fit into. It is very common for mice to get into cracks and crevices around the exterior of a structure. Common spots include where utilities go into the home (gas, electric, water etc). Over time, the caulking sealing the hole can break away providing a great entry point for mice to enter and exit the home. Another very common spot is under doors that do not seal to the ground, or have damaged weather strips that allow the mice to enter from underneath. Even if all these areas are sealed and secure, mice often will climb right up a brick exterior and tuck themselves under the soffit to access into the attic.

Mice are nocturnal, meaning that they are active during the night (dusk until dawn). Mice will do their travel, gathering and feeding during these hours. If you hear scratching in your ceiling or walls between these times, it is most likely mice moving throughout the insulation. Although they are nocturnal, if they feel threatened, or have an opportunity at a food source during the day, they will be active and can be seen/heard.

Look for the most obvious signs of an infestation. Look for mouse droppings throughout the home, especially in the kitchen (under the sink and behind the stove), anywhere where there is dry food stored and around the perimeters of the home. Mice will also chew and the gnaw marks can be visible on dried food products, plastics, weather stripping, wires and different types of food. Mice will also build nests that you can find. Nests that mice build consist of any material that can be shredded like paper, cotton, cardboard etc. Hearing mice in the walls and attic between dusk and dawn is another way to identify a mouse infestation. If the mice have been nesting and living in an area for a long time, the smell of urine can be quite strong and be another identification indicator of an infestation,

Predators are the main factor that limit the average lifespan of mice. Outside in the wild most mice will not make it to a year, and often much less due to being so low on the food chain. With this being said, if mice are living in a protected environment with access to food; such as inside of your home, they can live for up to 3 years!

A single female mouse can have up to 8 litters per year of 6 babies each. The young reach sexual maturity by 6 weeks and will start to breed with eachother, hence why infestations can happen so quickly.

If mice get into any food, it is recommended to discard all of the food as it could be contaminated. If there are areas where you have seen mice travel and or there is urine and feces, bleach is a great way to disinfect the area. Always wear proper PPE when working around contaminated areas.