How To Get Rid Of Mice In Your Attic?

Eeeeek! Attic mice! ……Have you heard the scratching sounds of tiny feet in the attic? Have you spotted visible signs of mice in the attic, like mouse droppings? 

Many homeowners have discovered mice in the attic, so you are not alone with your mouse problem.

Our article is here for you, offering great advice on How to get rid of mice in your attic.

Health risks from mice infestations

A rodent infestation carries risks to health; in attic spaces, mice can spread Hantavirus, which can be inhaled by us and can be fatal. Feces and urine can get into the air spreading disease and bringing on asthma and other allergies. They carry bacteria and are known for spreading diseases.

• Another health risk from mice is they can carry Salmonella, which is passed on to you by contaminating food and drinks.

• Mice can carry up to 200 human pathogens.

• Mice are also able to bring in other pests with them, for instance, fleas, ticks, and mites.

• Mice can breed very quickly; just one pair of house mice can lead to hundreds of mice. A female house mouse can have up to eight litters a year. A litter can have up to six mice. A female house mouse may look cute, but it can cause significant damage to the home.

• House mice love to gnaw electrical wires, which can become a fire hazard.

How to get rid of mice in your attic

• Mouse-proofing your home is a must. This is the most important step to getting rid of mice in the attic. It is no good to set traps if more mice can get into the attic and crawl spaces. They can get into the attic through small holes and gaps of only a quarter of an inch!

• Take a walk around outside your property and check the entire house for any possible entry points and exit points for pests and seal them to pest-proof and stop a mouse infestation. Gaps around water pipes, dryer vents, and utilities will lead to rodent issues and other pests.

• Check the entire roof and chimney for damage, and also check the power lines that lead up to the roof; mice can find entry points along the dormers and eaves, so take a look at these.

• When sealing a hole, it is best to use steel wool; house mice will hurt their mouth trying to chew through it and will give up. Steel wool scouring pads and hardware cloth will be fine. Caulk alone is not enough.

• If you discover holes in the foundation, they should be filled in with concrete mortar or covered with sheet metal.

• Loose-fitting doors and windows will attract mice, ensuring that loose-fitting doors are adjusted the same as the windows.

Trim shrubs and trees in the yard to prevent mice

Follow our simple tips to be free of rodents.

• A good way of mouse-proofing your home is to trim trees, tree branches, and bushes; mice and other rodents are great climbers and will use them to access your home.

• Keep bushes trimmed back at least two to three feet away from the house to prevent mice. Bushes can hide rodent activity as well as woodpiles and other garden waste.

• Try to keep trash cans off the ground and closed shut.

• We recommend you do not store firewood outside of the house less than twenty feet from the property. It provides perfect shelter for mice and pests. Again mice and other small creatures will hide in amongst the logs.

• Keep garages and sheds clutter-free, and if you store pet food or dried grain for birds, keep it in glass jars or sealed airtight containers, preferably made from metal.

• You could place traps in the garage as a form of pest control. It can help get rid of a rodent infestation.

Practice good food storage techniques

Follow these simple tips to be free from rodents and other wildlife.

• Deep cleaning with rubber gloves is a must as a mouse carries health risks and can spread diseases and carry bacteria with their tiny feet, and they can contaminate food.

• Keep food sources put away; food sources are what attract mice in the first place.

• Mouse-proof food storage areas. Use glass jars for dried grain and airtight containers to prevent mice. Mouse-proof food storage areas like larders.

• Remove any water sources to prevent future cases of mice infestation.

• Keep garbage secure to prevent pest problems. The garbage in your bins will be a great food source for rodents. Empty them regularly.

Set mouse traps in high-activity areas

The most effective way to get rodent activity and get rid of mice is mouse traps and poison. Ensure a trap is the right size rodent trap; a trap for a rat will be a lot larger.

As the attic is cut off from the rest of the house, you can poison and trap as much as you like, as children and pets are not usually around in the attic space.

Place traps behind the refrigerator and cupboards, as well as along walls. Place traps behind the cooker, washer, dryer, water heater, and furnace.

Check the snap traps and live traps regularly. If, after a few days, the snap trap or live traps do not show results, try repositioning the snap trap.

As well as putting them in the attic, put them in the rest of your home at the same time. House mice may leave the attic and venture to the rest of your home

If you do not like the idea of snap traps as a form of mouse removal, then try live house mouse traps.

Mice may come from the attic into the rest of your home if they have easy access, so put some traps around the entry points into the home. Be careful if you have children and pets.

What are the best baits to use for house mice?

We recommend using peanut butter or chocolate to attract mice.

Snap traps need a mouse to nibble at the mouse bait, meaning it has to spend more time and effort to get its tasty morsel. Chocolate is great for mouse bait, too, as it has to be nibbled off.

Glue Board house mouse traps

A glue board is a plastic base covered in strong glue; the house mouse walks over the glue traps and gets stuck to it. This type of mouse removal is not for the faint-hearted, you may find trapped mice still alive, and you will need to put them out of their misery. It is possible to apply oil to the glue traps and free the mouse outside.

Bait blocks

This method involves cubes or blocks that mice love the taste of. The majority of bait blocks contain an anticoagulant that causes internal bleeding.

This method is very fast-acting compared to other poisons used for infestations of rodents.

When placed in attic or crawl spaces, they do have a downside to them; the attic mice will eat the bait blocks and go to their nest and die if the nest happens to be where they create tunnels in your insulation, you may never find the dead mouse. There could be an awful smell in the attic space or crawl space.

CO2 Multi mouse traps

This type of pest method kills many mice; it will lure mice with a nice smell inside the trap, and carbon dioxide kills them very quickly.

What do mice look like?

There are many species of mice in the world, but the one most likely to be in your home is the house mouse; it has been given this name because of its liking for being indoors in attics and between walls.

• A house mouse is light gray in color and is 2.5 – 3 inches in length.

• They have a pointed nose and rounded ears; mice have a long hairless tail that can be four inches long and is used for balance.

Do attic mice come out of the attic?

Yes, house mice tend to leave the attic and are more active at night. However, house mice can still be active during the day if the house is quiet. Generally, during the day, mice nest inside a nest made of shredded paper and other soft materials.

Do house mice leave on their own?

House mice will not leave if there is a constant supply of food, water, and warmth. House mice may relocate as the weather warms up to somewhere cooler; this could be your basement.

Will a mouse infestation leave if there is no food?

Yes, they will leave. House mice rely on food more than water; they can survive for up to four days without food. House mice can survive on only a few droplets of water.

Signs of mice in your attic

• You may hear noises at night. Noises at night from the attic are usually a rodent issue.

• A strong smell of urine. The strong smell of ammonia is an indication of house mice infestations. House mice will also drop tiny amounts of urine as they travel around the home.

Look for visible signs of a rodent infestation

• Mouse droppings measure around 0.125 – 0.25 inches long, about the size of a rice grain, and are rod-shaped. Mice can produce up to 50 – 100 droppings a day.

• Nests that are made of fabric and shredded paper, and insulation materials.

• Grease marks left along walls. The oil from mouse fur gets rubbed off onto the walls as it scurries along the wall.

• Chewing marks on wood, electrical wires, clothes, and paper goods.

Professional pest control service

If you feel the mice are winning, call a pest control company who have the knowledge and products to get rid of rodents.

And finally,

We hope you have found this article on how to get rid of mice in your attic helpful. By following our simple tips, you can avoid rodents from returning to your home.

Feel free to drop us an email if you have any questions for us on how to get rid of mice; we do our best to reply as quickly as possible.

Why not take a look at the rest of our website, where you will find helpful advice and tips on numerous other pests, from bed bugs to groundhogs?

Good Luck!