The best deterrent for mice getting into your garage is a garage door that meets the ground tightly. If it doesn’t there may be an issue with the door or the concrete beneath it. If the concrete is uneven it’s time to get out the concrete substitute and even it out so the door meets the ground tightly at every point. If the issue is with the door not meeting the ground you can get some thick rubber weather stripping and resolve that as well. Remember, mice can squeeze through an entryway as small as a quarter so even a small gap in the concrete or an opening at the edge of the door. While mice often enter a home or garage through an open door there are many other ways for them to get in. They can get in through very small foundation gaps they can chew on for hours to open up and get into the basement. From there they can access the house and find food in the kitchen. They will bring it back to their babies in the nest they made on the wall and feed them. Though they will not be babies for long. Mice go from being newborns to fully functioning adults in only 14 days and a single litter can have anywhere from six to fourteen baby mice in it. One mouse can, in a couple of weeks, populate a full infestation and with the babies being ready for mating only 14 days after birth that can compound itself into a full-on epidemic of mouse activity.
There are many ways they can get into the house, foundation gaps are one, and so are weep vents. These are narrow openings between bricks that allow the walls to breathe but they also allow the ingress of mice and insects into the home. The same situation occurs when there are open plumbing vents, a common site in old houses and unprotected wall vents, which are often made of plastic and can be chewed through by mice and rats very easily. All of these entryways can be protected. Foundations gaps can be sealed with cement and plumbing vents can be sealed with galvanized steel mesh and silicone. Even after sealing the opening, it’s important to continue to check them regularly. Rodents like mice, rats and squirrels have incisor teeth that continue to grow throughout their lives and they have to chew on things regularly just to file them down. This means chewing a new entranceway, even through concrete is something they do every day. So continue inspecting and if you find another entryway make sure to seal it as soon as possible. This will prevent the mice from coming into the house and prevent you from having to get another treatment done. Without this shield around your home, an infestation of rats or mice will eventually happen. So stay alert and stay ready and you will always be one step ahead of all pest infestations.
