Help! A mouse in the house

Gnawing marks, chewed food and droppings that look a bit like chocolate sprinkles. If you find all of this in your home, you probably have (unwanted) visitors from mice. Some people find these small rodents terribly scary, but mice are especially not fresh. How do you show these uninvited guests the door?

House mice

You can be bothered by house mice all year round, because they do not hibernate. The mice are mainly active at night and live under floors, in the attic, behind walls and in insulation material. House mice never live alone, so if you find one, you should assume that there are more of their kind walking around in your house. They are very agile animals that can jump up to 30 centimetres high. They can also crawl through very small openings. Mice have a very good sense of smell and therefore use their noses to search for food. These rodents eat everything that is loose and fixed, but they prefer fatty foods, nuts, legumes and grains.

Traces of mice

When house mice have taken up residence in your home, you will notice the following signs:

• Gnawing marks, such as pieces of insulation material and frayed plastic and textiles.
• Mouse droppings all over your house, they look a bit like chocolate sprinkles.
• Chewed through cables and gnawed furniture.
• Contaminated and fecal-contaminated food.

 

Mice will eat anything they can find, but they prefer fatty foods, nuts, legumes and grains.

How to keep rodents out of your home

It is not nice to have house mice in your home. They can spread germs. These rodents can even cause dangerous situations, because they chew through cables of equipment, which can cause fires. That is why you want to keep these pests out of your home. These tips can help you with that:

• Reduce openings such as ventilation holes and butt joints to a maximum of half a centimetre. You can do this, for example, with mouse grids. You can also choose to mount fine mesh for the holes.
• Seal all holes, cracks and crevices in walls, ceilings and floors with cement, steel wool or anti-mouse sealant, for example.
• Do not store (open) food in cellars, storage rooms, sheds and attics. These are the places where mice like to hide the most.
• Don’t leave food in bags and backpacks. Mice will chew through the fabric to get to the food.
• Vacuum regularly in areas where food is prepared and eaten.
• Placing ultrasonic mouse repellers can drive away house mice. These produce a sound that mice cannot tolerate. This sound is inaudible to humans.
• Seal food tightly in glass jars, cans or hard plastic storage containers.

 

It can become dangerous when mice start chewing through cables.

How to catch the mouse

If you have not managed to keep the mice out despite the above tips, you can try to catch the mice. There are various methods, including some animal-friendly options.

• There are animal-friendly traps in which the mouse remains alive. You lure the mouse into the trap with chocolate, grains or peanut butter. Once the mouse is in the trap, you should not release it until at least 3 kilometres from your home. Do you do it closer? Then there is a chance that the mouse will return.
• There are also traps that kill the mouse. There are of course the old-fashioned snap traps. But there are also electronic traps. These kill the mouse by means of an electric shock.
• Make sure the traps are placed in a place where children and pets cannot get near them.
• Secure the traps so that they cannot shift.
• Remove mouse droppings daily. This way you can keep track of whether new ones are added.
• House mice can carry germs. Therefore, wear gloves and a face mask when removing traps, mice and droppings. Do not forget to disinfect the gloves after use.
• Are you really bothered by mice? Consider buying a cat.

Be careful with mouse poison

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