House Mouse

Category:

Actual Size: 5” to 8” long including the tail

Characteristics: Light brown to gray to nearly black. Large ears compared to the body.

Habitat: Outdoors, they build nests near trees. Inside, they inhabit wall voids, cabinets, and garages.

Habits: 

  • Quick reproduction rate: in 8 months, 24 mice can become 2,000 mice!
  • Can transmit pathogens that cause diseases such as salmonella.
  • Makes up to 200 visits to a single food source in one night.

House Mice in Bristol and Johnson City TN

Wild mice are carriers of disease and do not belong in your home. House mice breed rapidly, can squeeze through tiny openings, and eat a surprising amount of food. Worst of all are the droppings created by a house mice infestation. House mice thrive throughout the year and can be found in homes, commercial buildings, open fields, and agricultural lands. They contaminate food meant for humans and pets as they forage, dropping feces and urine along the way.  House mice cause considerable damage to structures by chewing through walls and transmit pathogens that cause diseases like salmonella, a form of food poisoning.

House Mouse Habitat

When they are outside, house mice construct nests in fields and beneath trees and shrubs. Indoors, 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. House mice have a characteristic musky odor that reveals their presence. Mice are active mostly at night, but they can be seen occasionally during daylight hours.

House Mouse Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

The house mouse is omnivorous but prefers grains and cereals. 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 Bristol and Johnson City property, always contact a licensed rodent control company.