Around 15 different types of mice call Arizona home. While these rodents can be found year-round, they are most active in and around homes during winter. The drop in temperature has critters seeking warmth and shelter, leading them to find refuge inside homes and sheds. This blog will discuss how to identify a mouse problem, the associated dangers, and how to deal with mice.

Is there a mouse in the house?

Mice can be tricky pests to not only get rid of but also to find. In fact, it’s not unusual for mice to live in a home without the occupant even knowing. Although they may not be seen, there are ways to determine they are there.

Four signs there is a mouse in the house:

Rodent droppings

It may seem obvious, but due to the small size of mouse droppings, they are easy to miss. The average size of a mouse dropping is ¼ of an inch long, about the size of a grain of rice. Common places for rodents to hang out and leave behind their feces are near food, around garbage, in cupboards, along walls and on windowsills.

Odd pet behavior

A pet can act as a rodent scanner throughout the home and bring awareness to unwanted intruders. Cats and dogs will often sense the presence of pests and start exhibiting odd behavior before their owners notice. If a pet takes special interest in a specific area of the home, scratching or sniffing a lot, it’s a good idea to check for signs of a mouse around that area.

Unusual noises

Scratching or scurrying noises are another obvious sign mice are in a house. These noises can be heard coming from the ceiling or in the walls, under the floors, or even in cabinets. Mice will travel throughout the home searching for food, typically resulting in noticeable noise.

Bite marks

Mice are attracted to any type of food source. Keep an eye out for small holes or bite marks on food boxes, bags, walls, or exposed food like fruit and vegetables. To keep mice and rats out of the kitchen, it’s important to keep food sealed and stored in high locations.

Causing damage

Rodents like to chew through walls, electrical cords and just about anything else they can connect their teeth with. This can cause damage that not only requires expensive repairs but can also be dangerous. Chewing through cords and wires can lead to electrical malfunctions and even start fires. Aside from cords and wires, they like to chew through everyday items like books, furniture, toys and clothes. In addition to the damage done by chewing, mice urine damages wood and other household materials.

Health risks

Saliva, urine and feces from mice can contaminate food, making it dangerous for human consumption. Surfaces can also be contaminated, making any food or skin that touches said surface dangerous as well. Since these bodily secretions are not easily noticeable, it’s extremely important to properly store food in containers that mice can't get into.

Dangerous mouse-borne diseases include:

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome

Respiratory disease
Sometimes fatal
Spread through mouse urine, feces and saliva
Transmitted by breathing contaminated air or by touching a contaminated surface before touching the nose or mouth.
Early symptoms include fatigue, fever, muscle aches, headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems
Second stage occurs 4 to 10 days after first symptoms, lungs fill with fluid causing coughing and shortness of breath

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis

Viral infectious disease caused by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus
Not usually fatal
Occurs after humans come into contact with fresh urine, feces, saliva or nesting materials of a rodent
Symptoms occur 8 to 13 days after exposure
Symptoms include fever, malaise, lack of appetite, nausea, muscle aches and headaches.
After the first sign of symptoms appear, phase two can include meningitis, encephalitis and meningoencephalitis

Leptospirosis

Bacterial disease
Most experience no symptoms, or mild, flu-like symptoms
Severe cases can result in liver or kidney damage
Symptoms can occur anywhere between 2 and 30 days from exposure
Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, abdominal problems, redness in the whites of eyes and yellowing of the skin.
Spread through the urine of rats, mice, cows, pigs and dogs.
Often spread through soil or water that has been contaminated from the urine of an infected animal

Salmonellosis

Bacterial infection caused by salmonella bacteria
Mild cases show no symptoms or resolve on their own
Severe cases can be fatal if not promptly treated
Symptoms last 5-7 days and include diarrhea, stomach cramps, abdominal pain and fever
Lives in the intestines of animals and is spread through their feces

Preventing mice

The best way to avoid a mouse problem is to prevent them from coming into a house altogether. Follow these steps to keep mice out:

Inspect structures

The best way to keep mice out is to figure out where they get in. Thoroughly inspect all outside walls of the house, garage, storage sheds or any other structures on the property. Keep an eye out for any open spaces a mouse could squeeze through, including missing grout or caulk around seams and pipes, missing mesh in roof/gable vents, or any windows or doors that don’t close flush against walls and floors.

Cut the clutter

Get rid of any unnecessary clutter that’s lying around both inside and outside the house. Organize outside belongings so they aren’t up against walls or in piles that give mice and other pests an easy place to hide. Piles of clutter also tend to hide pest entry points and make them difficult to find and fix.

Harvest all fruit

Since Arizona has the perfect climate for fruit trees to thrive, there are a lot of them around. It’s important to stay on top of harvesting any fruit off these trees and not let them just fall to the ground to stay. Fruit left on the ground might as well have a giant “eat me” sign on it directed at mice. Once a mouse discovers a good food source like this, it will come back and bring its friends.

Eliminating mice

If you already have a mouse problem, don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to get rid of mice. Bug & Weed Mart sells a variety of different products that can safely kill or trap mice in and around the home.

Traps

There are a variety of traps available that are effective in trapping mice. While many people balk at the thought of having to trap a mouse and deal with disposing of it, we have many spring-loaded traps available that keep handling to a minimum.

Worried about keeping children and pets safe around open traps? We also have tunnel trapping kits that can be used with spring-loaded traps. The traps are set with bait or food and placed inside a rectangular box that is then safely locked. When the box is locked, there is no way for pets or children to get into the traps.

Bait

Another option for getting rid of mice is to poison them with bait blocks. We sell a variety of blocks that efficiently attract and kill unwanted mice. Simply place these blocks inside or outside of structures around your property and never touch a mouse or set a trap.

Again, people with children or pets don’t want them to get into these products. We also have bait stations that work similarly to the tunnel trapping kits. The bait stations are boxes with rods inside that the bait blocks simply slide on. Mice can enter the locked box through the tunnels, but nothing else can get into the bait unless the box is unlocked with the key.

Whether you’re looking to stay ahead of a mouse problem, or you already have unwanted house guests, stop by one of our Valley-wide locations. One of our experienced team members can assist you with what products to use and how to use them to safely and effectively get rid of mice.