#MOUSE HOUSE HOW TO#

Concerned homeowners should also check their pantry and all kitchen cabinets, especially seldom-used cabinets located close to the floor. Areas around any gas-powered household appliance that features a pilot light, such as a hot water heater or range cooktop, may also be harboring mice. If you suspect you have a mouse problem, check behind kitchen appliances, including the refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher and oven. Unfortunately, the average home’s kitchen features many mouse-friendly amenities. Because mice nest in order to raise their pups, they seek out warm, dry areas that are well protected and close to a food source. Female mice carry their young for about three weeks, and each litter can be five to twelve pups. The average mouse nest can be home to between a dozen and two dozen mice, depending on their age and the presence of other mice in the vicinity. Mice breed often, they breed rapidly and they do not stop breeding unless they are exterminated. Mice are not clean animals, and they often leave droppings and scatter bits and pieces of scavenged food around their nests. A mouse nest may also look like loose piles of those same materials or like collections of wood chips, pellets and “fill” found in hamster cages and guinea pig enclosures. House mice prefer to form their nests into rough, ball-like structures, about four to six inches in diameter. Paper, fabric, string, fiberglass insulation, mattress and pillow batting and plant material (e.g., straw) can all be easily shredded and transported by mice for the purpose of nest-building. In fact, mice are rarely spotted more than 25 feet away from their nests. Mice are shy creatures, and they tend to confine their activities to a small radius. Mice construct their nests by harvesting materials that are plentiful and readily available. If you’ve noticed mouse droppings in or around your home or if you, your family and/or your pet have heard telltale squeaking and scratching behind your walls, you should examine your home for signs of a mouse nest. True to its name, the house mouse is notorious for establishing its nests in human dwellings. Like squirrels, raccoons and rats, mice build nests in which they deliver and raise their young.

#MOUSE HOUSE HOW TO#

As a homeowner, you probably want to know all you can about how to keep mice out of your house.

Mouse house