Picture of mouse hole in house siding

How Are Mice Getting Into My House?

Mouse outside houseAfter discovering a mice infestation, many homeowners ask us how the mice got into their house, and how they ended up with an infestation. This article explains the most common ways mice can get into a home, the best way to remove them, and the measures you should take to permanently prevent the mice from entering your home again in the future.

Important Document Sections

Common Areas Where Mice Get Into A House

The most common ways mice get into a house is through an existing hole created by other wildlife, by chewing out a new entry hole, or by a structural anomaly like an exposed crack in the home’s siding.

If there has not been a previous wildlife issue or if the home was built very securely, then its most likely that the mice chewed their way into the home and thus creating an entry point.

Typical Mice Entry Points

The following are the typical entry points a mice removal company will find during a home inspection, and the areas of the home where the entry point can be found.

Entry Point Area of Home
Hydro electrical lines Side of home
Weather stripping Garage/back door
Chimney flashing Roof of home
Brick soffit gap Upper perimeter of home
Weeping brick Ground level perimeter of home
Gable vents Upper area near roof
Roof vents Roof of the home
Windowsills All sides of home
Basement windows Bottom side of the house
Cracks in the foundation Bottom side of the house
Roof soffit intersection Upper roofline
Drip edge connection Roofline perimeter
Wall/dryer vents All sides of home
Cellar vents Usually under front porch
Siding border-caps Brock siding connection corners
Door trim Areas where doors exist

As mentioned above, mice will enter a home through holes caused by other animals, or they will chew out a hole themselves. In either case, the result is usually an infestation and the need for professional removal and prevention services.

If you’re doing a do-it-yourself inspection for mice, click here for a printable PDF version of the table above so you can easily reference the sections of the home while you’re doing your inspection. If you see definite signs of mice, make sure to call your local wildlife removal company to have them removed humanely.

DID YOU KNOW? Contrary to popular belief, cats are not a reliable mice control solution. First and foremost, the most effective, long term and humane way to treat a mice infestation problem is with a thorough inspection combined with the application of permanent mice prevention measures.

Identifying A Rodent Entry Point

Mice droppings on brick sidingWhile doing your own inspection for mice entry points, you’ll want to be able to identify whether the hole is a mouse hole or from another animal. If you suspect mice in your home but haven’t seen them, the holes will have tell-tale signs.

You’ll know if the entry hole was caused by a mouse if you see the following signs:

  • Grease marks at or near the entry point caused when mice brush up against surfaces.
  • Piles of mouse droppings near or close to the entry points. Mice droppings are shaped like pieces of rice.
  • Tiny but distinguished teeth and chew marks surrounding the entry point hole.
  • Pieces of food or dirt and debris at the entry point, very close to it or on the ground below the entry point.
  • Bits of mice fur near or around the entry point caused by the mice coming and going.
  • The holes are quite small—only large enough for a mouse to entry, but not big enough for a squirrel or raccoon.

If you see at least 3 or 4 of the points above, you definitely have a mouse problem to deal with. It is also likely there is more than one mouse living in your home. It is at this point you’re advised to call your local mouse control company to come out for an inspection to have them removed.

Things To Do Before Your Mice Inspection

Before the mice removal company you call comes out to inspect your home there’s a few things you an do before-hand to mitigate the problem. The following is a list of tasks you can complete that will make you more comfortable while you wait for the mice removal company to arrive:

  • Ensure the mice have no access to food.
  • Thoroughly clean and sanitize your home so as to reduce the spread of mice-borne bacteria or diseases, e.g. Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis, Hantavirus, and Tularemia.
  • Make sure to clean up any mouse droppings you see in the common areas of your home including cupboards and stoves.

The Type of Damage Mice Can Do To a Home

Mice damage drop edge roofMice cause substantial damage to several areas of a home. One major problem they cause is through their entry points. Depending on where the entries are, they can make it substantially easier for other wildlife like raccoons and squirrels to get into a home. Homeowners with raccoons in their attic, usually discover that one point in the past they had mice problems too.

Depending on where the entry points are, they can also be the source of leakages into the home. Holes in the home’s foundation, or in the drip-edge connection on the roof can lead to leaks in the basement or the attic. These leaks can then be the source of other issues and cost more money in repairs.

Mice chew holes in various parts of the home, but the major damage is in the attic where they leave their droppings and urinate. They degrade attic insulation, store and gather food and debris, chew through the wood structure and chew through wires exposing the live wires. These live wires increase  the risk of fire in the home.

Removing Mice From The House

Realizing how mice are getting into your home is important, but it’s also just as important to have them removed. If you see one mouse, it’s highly likely there are more and that they have been there for a considerable time.

The quicker you deal with mice problems the less damage they’ll cause and the lower your costs will be for repairs. Don’t ignore the problem and don’t tell yourself that they’ll just go away. If you do see signs of mice, consider it an urgent matter and call your local wildlife removal company as soon as possible. We promise that you’ll be quite happy that you did.

9 Responses to “How Are Mice Getting Into My House?”

  1. Michelle cole says:

    Hi there. I have mice in my attic. It’s a walk up. We have had pest control out and there are poisons set out in the attic. In the past 8 weeks there has been 2 mice caught in snap traps. It’s not a big problem but I don’t want any.
    Wondering if you could supply a quote to find and seal where they are entering. We have new eaves and soffits and roof but they are still finding their way in. I live in St Thomas.

  2. Shafeeq says:

    Hello

    Do you provide service for Windsor

  3. Lia Dean says:

    See mice in my living room dog chased it it is smart traps meat boxes stickys nothing works?

    • Hi Lia! Yes mice are smart and they seem to get smarter and smarter! The best thing to do is call your local humane mice removal company and let them remove the mice for you and prevent them from entering again!

  4. Kemimorrison says:

    Hi. I only have seen two mice, in my kitchen and living room, one was really tiny, and the other was quite fat. Could the fat one be the mother of the tiny one? I have lettuce growing in my living room, it was after the lettuce I could hear it. I have a hamster, and I’m scared of the mouse going in to her aquarium, she is already quite aware that there are mice, and bites her water bottle spout furiously when she hears one. And also, can hamsters and mice communicate? Can mice tell humans when they want a snack? Thanks, Kemi.

    • Hi Kemi! I’m not sure if mice can communicate with hamsters but I do know that if the mice are stressing out your pets, it would be a good idea to call your local mice removal company and have them remove the mice humanely – they can do that – and to make sure mice cannot get back in!

  5. Aziz Karmali says:

    Hello, I have mice issues in my house. Past 4 days, we have trapped and killed 7 mice and 2 different sightings where they ran away. We have called 2 different companies in the past 3 years to eliminate but we still have the issues. This happens every winter.

    How can I eliminate this once and for all? They have made entry to my mom’s and my kids’ rooms.

    I don’t have any animals in the house.

    Thank you.

    • Hello Aziz! We service most of Southern Ontario, so call our office to make an appointment or use the appointment button on our site! For issues like this it’s important that mice exclusion is set up so they cannot get in again!

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