Coming into winter you may start to hear the pitter patters of mice in your home.  With temperatures dropping, mice have the same tendencies that you and I do, and that is to stay warm.  Mice find easy access into your homes through cracks, holes, shifted foundations, through-ways for pipes and electrical wiring.  Because of the size and structure of mice, they are able to fit into an opening smaller than half an inch.  With so many ways that mice can enter your house, keep your eyes open.

The Speedy Reproduction Of Mice

Mice are very prolific breeders and  reach sexual maturity in as little as 35 days.  Pregnancy of the mouse can last 18 to 21 days.  When  mice have there young; an average of 6 in a litter they are blind and have no hair.  The litter is usually weaned in about 3 to 4 weeks.  A female mouse can have a new litter about every 45 days.  So if a female has other females in a litter, they as well can start reproducing in 35 days from birth.  A female can produce about 8 litters a year so that's a total of 48 mice to one mouse.  Scary to think about the amount of other females in those litters.  Mice won't stop reproduction until they are stopped.

Mice Can Cause Major Damage To Your Home

Mice require about a tenth of an ounce of food a day and can usually get enough water out of that food.  There are about 50 droppings produced each day from one mouse alone.  Over a six month period, 1 mouse can eat up to 2 pounds of your food, leave 9,000 droppings in your cupboards and drawers, as well as  12 ounces of urine.  Inside your house mice can easily access locations  like your attics,  wall voids, pantries, and crawl spaces.  When mice are crawling on your food or utensils they are also leaving their droppings and urine.  The contamination left behind by mice is unsanitary and a common way they transmit diseases like Salmonella, and Tapeworm.  Mice are also big time chewers because they have incisor teeth that continuously grow.  Because their teeth continue to grow mice will chew on a number of hard things inside your house like wires.  There are many deadly fires each year from mice alone because of chewed wires inside of wall voids.  Don't let mice take control of your home, contact us right away to take care of your situation.

Tags: chautauqua county, control, damage, mice, pest, pest control, reproduction, rodents