One of the most common house pests around the world is the mouse. They are found in every climate and all
types of settings. These creatures are highly adaptable, and have a great will to live and procreate. Mice
are always looking for an isolated area that is close to a plentiful supply of food and water to set up nests
for the purpose of breeding. It is also important to them that it will continue to be a comfy spot the hide out
in the cold winters. Your attic might turn out to be just the perfect spot for these squatters. If you determine
that mice have moved in to your attic, you will need to take immediate action to prevent further damage or infestation.
The mere presence of these destructive rodents is reason to be worried about the safety of your home. When you hear
scratching, scuttering or strange squeaking in the walls or above your head, you probably do have mice. Other signs
are droppings appearing throughout the house, especially in the kitchen area or were feed is kept. They have most
likely chosen your comfy attic to serve as their nursery.
Mice are one of the most prolific creatures on the planet. Mice will continue to breed and reproduce throughout the year if
they have adequate shelter. Once they have bred, the females will give birth to 3-15 young in about 21 days. In another 21
days the young will be weaned and ready to go out in the world on their own. In a short 6 weeks those same young females are
ready to breed (only 8 weeks for males), and the original mothers are probably already pregnant again! It has been discovered
that each female mouse can produce up to 10 litters a year- that is almost one per month! This is how mice are able to overrun
an area in no time. When you do the math it sounds like something out of a horror film. When you consider that each dominant
male normally keeps a large number of females to breed with, and they come in to estrus every 4 to 5 days the results are
daunting.
That means in just 21 days in your attic there could be 75 mice born. Over half of these will be females and they will be pregnant
in just six weeks. Their mothers most likely will also be pregnant again at this point as well. So at any given time there could be
50-100 pregnant mice in your attic at once. That means that within 3 months the mouse population in your attic and walls could easily
be in the thousands. Before you find yourself in this horrid predicament, talk to your local professional about a preventative plan.
Proper home maintenance, paying attention to the signs, and practicing a regime of regularly clearing debris and standing water, stowing
garbage properly, and picking up any trash lying around can keep mice from seeing your home as their prospective breeding grounds.
Go back to the
How to get rid of mice in the attic home page. You might also want to read about
how to kill mice and why the use
of snap traps is better than
mouse poison. Read an analysis of the different types of traps and how to use them on the
how to trap mice page.
Learn why
bait is not as important as trap type, placement and location. Also read a full analysis of
mouse repellent to understand why it
never works. If you see droppings and want to identify them, read the
mouse poop page. If you need to hire professional help, read about
how much does mouse removal cost?
or you can read this site to learn how to do it yourself. Feel free to email me about Will a house mouse in the attic have a nest of babies?