Facts, Identification & Control

Domestic House Mouse Excellent hearing, vision, smell and touch have enabled the mouse to be highly adaptable to homes and indoor buildings. All they need is a 1/4" opening to be able to enter a building, so they often have access to many places along the building's perimeter.

The house mouse is a small mammal of the order Rodentia, characteristically having a pointed snout, small rounded ears, and a long naked or almost hairless tail. It is one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus. Although a wild animal, the house mouse mainly lives in association with humans. In the event of an infestation, mistreatment of mice is advised.

Behaviour

House mice usually run, walk, or stand on all fours, but when eating, fighting, or orienting themselves, they rear up on their hind legs with additional support from the tail - a behavior known as "tripoding". Mice are good jumpers, climbers, and swimmers, and are generally considered to be thigmotactic, i.e. usually attempts to maintain contact with vertical surfaces.

The social behavior of the house mouse is not rigidly fixed into species-specific patterns but is instead adaptable to the environmental conditions, such as the availability of food and space. This adaptability allows house mice to inhabit diverse areas ranging from sandy dunes to apartment buildings.

Control Options

Traps, rodenticides, repellents and prevention are all options for controlling mice.

Mouse Traps Mouse traps are an effective method of non-toxic mouse control. There are 3 types of mouse traps commonly used for rodent control:

• Snap Traps: When you think of a mouse trap, you probably imagine a snap trap. For over 100 years, snap traps have been one of the most popular mouse control options for a simple reason:
  they work. Our traps use a quick trigger system to eliminate mice without poison! Once a catch is made, properly dispose of the mouse and reset or discard the trap. Mouse snap traps are great way to deliver clean, instant rodent control at an affordable price.
• Glue Traps: Victor® glue traps were designed to capture mice and rats, but they can also help you rid your home of other pests as well.
  Simple to use and easy to place, glue traps don’t require any bait and can be disposed of after a capture.
• Electronic Traps: Eliminate your mouse problem with electric mouse traps from Victor®. Electronic mouse traps deliver a high-voltage shock to kill mice humanely and effectively.
  Electronic mouse traps can catch up to 10 mice per setting. With Victor® electric mouse traps, pest elimination is always efficient so you can get your mouse infestation under control in no time.

Prevention

Rodent populations will continue to increase in conditions that allow easy access to food and shelter. Sanitation efforts in conjunction with rodent proofing provide the best solution to reduce or completely eliminate these conditions.

To adequately keep mice out of your home all openings need to be sealed off - remember mice only need an opening of 1/4" or the size of a dime to gain entry to your home.

In addition to exclusion, careful storage of foods and elimination of clutter are valuable steps in the fight to control mice.