We all know that mice and rats are nasty critters. They can cause damage to our property and can be a risk to health and safety. And getting rid of mice and rats in our area is the first step towards a safer house and healthy family.
If you are facing a rodent infestation and are looking at your options for getting rid of mice and rats, we have 7 steps here that you can try yourself if you want to do this before calling in a professional pest control service. The steps listed here are likely to be more effective than you chasing mice around your home and becoming increasingly frustrated!
Seven steps to take when getting rid of mice yourself are:
- Get rid of all the entry points in your home
- Find mouse traps
- Get good bait for your mouse traps
- Set up the mouse traps in the best spots
- Create bait stations
- Make sure your home is not attracting them
- Taking care of mice in the home and outside it
Here is a closer look
1. Get rid of all the entry points in your home
Rodent proofing your home is essential if you want your attempts to get rid of the mice and rats actually stick. If you skip this stage because of the work it involves you have to accept that more rodents and possibly other pests are going to get into your home and turn it into their nest. Eliminate the places where they are coming in. Start with the more obvious points and keep in mind a mouse can squeeze through a hole or gap that is just a quarter of an inch in size. If you can slide a pencil into the crack or hole, then a mouse can get in it too.
Where there are cracks in the foundation seal them. Check around utility pipe entry points as well as where your vents are. Put in caulking and steel wool, not wood, plastic or rubber material that the mice can just gnaw through. Check there are no gaps with your doors and windows and that there is a seal.
2. Find mouse traps
One of the popular options for how to catch a mouse or rat is to use traps. This is a suitable option for a population of rodents that is on the low to moderate range but should the numbers be higher it is not going to have much impact. There are a couple of things to remember. First of all, everyone apart from the professionals underestimates how many rodents there are. Secondly, you will need more than 1 trap per rodent – in fact, it is possible you could need 12 traps for just one mouse. So the lesson here is basically to get a lot of traps! It is also a great idea to use different types of rodent traps, multiple-capture live ones, glue traps, bait traps and wooden traps should all be used as they give you the best odds at catching them all.
3. Get good bait for your traps
Use the best bait for rodent traps that you can. If they have been eating food from your pantry use some of that, you can buy bait, but they also like things like hazelnut or peanut butter spreads, oatmeal, bacon, dried fruit and chocolate. Use dental floss or fishing line to tie it to the trap so that they do not grab the food and run. Every couple of days you need to put down fresh bait.
4. Set up the traps in the best spots
Where you place the traps is important too. Think about how mice and rats try to scurry into the walls and lay traps accordingly so they run into them. Rodents stay close to food and their nest. Where you see droppings are a good place to put them but move them around every couple of days.
5. Create bait stations
These are sealed packets with pellets or meal and are made so the mouse can chew through it to get to the food. They die because the bait packets are poisoned. If you choose to try this method of getting rid of mice and rats, do not leave them where small children or pets can chew them.
6. Make sure your home is not attracting them
These creatures can get by on only 3 to 4 grams of food daily so just a few crumbs left in the home on the floors, and counters and they are going to have enough of a food source to move in and stay. Keep food in glass containers and make sure they cannot get to your rubbish.
7. Taking care of mice in the home and outside it
When looking at how to get rid of mice and rats it is useful to do a little work in the home and outside it to make it less homely to them. Cut back weeds, when you find or see nests or burrows, destroy them, line the foundation with heavy gravel. Try to avoid a lot of clutter and debris and you will be better able to spot signs of mice activity more quickly. The quicker you act the more chance of success.
Conclusion
So there we have it, we hope these 7 steps will help you eradicate these pesky critters. If you are still unsure, you can always rely on a trusted rodent control professional. They have the knowledge and right techniques to effectively remove mice and rats in your house, ensuring the safety of your family.
Have any more thoughts on getting rid of mice and rats? Let us know in the comments below!