House Mouse

House Mice in Southern California

House mice may look perfectly harmless with their small, furry bodies, large ears, and beady eyes, but these little thieves will eat you out of house and home if you’re not careful. Mice are nocturnal, preferring to do their damage at night. Also, they are omnivorous, meaning they’ll eat pretty much anything they can get their hands on, including their own droppings. House mice prefer to move along baseboards and counter tops, marking their territory with urine and feces, and typically build their nests close to a food source, which could be in your home.

House Mouse Habitat

House mice are commensal rodents, meaning they rely on human activity nad shelter for survival. This is where they get their name! Inside homes, mice will build nests in quiet undisturbed places like wall voids, kitchen cabinets, attics, and garages. Droppings, fresh gnaw marks, and tracks or rub marks indicate areas where mice are active. Nests are made from finely shredded paper or other fibrous material, usually in sheltered locations. These mice  are mostly nocturnal but can be seen during the day when there is a serious infestation. House mice have a characteristic musky odor that reveals their presence in your home.

House Mouse Behaviors & Threats

The house mouse typically eats cereals and grains. House mice contaminate food and are implicated in the transmission of diseases such as salmonella and bubonic plague. The house mouse can cause significant damage to structures by gnawing and tunneling through walls. Mice have also been implicated in the generation of fires and explosions in homes and buildings. Chewed, exposed wires inside walls can spark, causing interior walls to catch fire.

If you have a house mouse infestation in your Los Angeles Metro area property, always contact a licensed rodent control company.