Mice are wild animals that seek food, warmth, and shelter. Like most living things, they are attracted to places that are safe, with easy access to food and water. Your yard may be the perfect place for a mouse, but come winter, the mouse will probably try to come indoors. This should be avoided as mice are destructive little health hazards. As the carriers of harmful diseases, it’s important that you make your yard unattractive to mice and prevent them from coming inside. If you have a mouse problem and need help, call Mouse Control Toronto and we’ll get started.
The house mouse and the deer mouse are the most likely species of mice you will come across in the yard. Both mice grow up to 10cm in length, with nearly hairless tails that are just as long. They have bulging black eyes, pointed snouts, and little round ears. While the house mouse is mostly brown or grey, the deer mouse has a white belly and white feet. Both mice are primarily herbivores that enjoy a diet of fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and waste. These are nocturnal animals that like to build nests above ground in things like shrubs, tree cavities, or rock caverns.
Mice are prey to many other animals, so they are attracted to areas that are full of places to hide. Things like weeds, shrubs, fencing, and piles of wood will attract mice to your yard. Double fencing in particular is inviting because it provides dead spaces where weeds can grow, and mice can hide. Mice like clutter that is left unattended by humans. Any scrap that is left in the yard, like an abandoned vehicle or some old machinery, will attract them. In addition to harborage, mice are attracted to foods like bird seed, grass seed, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and garbage.
When the temperature outside begins to drop, the mice in your yard are guaranteed to try and find their way inside. It’s important that you make your yard less attractive and mouse-proof the structure of your home to reduce this risk. Start by removing what attracts them to your yard. Trim and maintain the garden, keep trees and plants at least 3 feet away from the house, and remove fruits or vegetables from the yard as soon they ripen. Keep the yard tidy and make sure not to leave out any garbage. To mouse-proof, check the walls of the home for any cracks, then seal them with silicone caulking. Install weather stripping to your garage and outer doors to prevent them from coming in. You may also want to consider hiring a professional for help.
While mice are relatively harmless outside, you don’t want them to get into your house. Prevention is key. The technicians from Mouse Control are experienced in mouse-proofing and would be happy to help. A member of our crew will thoroughly inspect your home for entry points and block them accordingly. We also install impenetrable steel mesh on vents, roofs, and chimneys to prevent any critters from crawling inside. If you have any questions about mouse-proofing, give Mouse Control a call now.
