How to Get Rid of Mice - The Easy Ways

Mice are mostly nocturnal and they are not wild animals. Their natural habitats are buildings. They have evolved alongside us, like cockroaches and other vermin. They are no better adapted to living outside in the park or wherever than we are, and their natural reaction to being "released" is to just run back in to any dark warm place with food.

If the infestation is severe, it is most likely mice will be seen. Mice often leave behind droppings in pantries, drawers, kitchen cabinets and any other place where they can smell food. It's imperative to close off the source of entry. Eliminate any food source and check under the sink and other areas for any holes. Where there is one mouse there is likely to be more.

Diet and Habitat
Generally, mice eat almost everything, like seeds, grains and any sweet food stuff especially peanut butter. Mice have quite large habitat that consumes around 17% of their total body weight in a single day. They make their nests at crawl spaces, in ceilings, in basements, under upholstery, under the major appliances, weeds and their complete life cycle is generally spent in the same house they born. A fully matured mice can reproduce 50 to 60 pups in a single year and because of such quite high reproduction rate they easily out number other species on this earth.


Fact
According to an article "Controlling House Mice", published by the University of Missouri, a female mouse has between five and ten litters per year with about five or six babies in each litter. The young are capable of reproducing at the age of six weeks. A mouse infestation can easily get out of control if not dealt with as soon as it is recognized.


Cheaper and Affordable Ways on How to Get Rid of Mice
One of the cheapest and most effective ways is by using a snap trap. There are different models available but it can also be dangerous to children. Snap traps work best when baited. The bait should be sticky to ensure the mouse will disturb the trigger mechanism even if the mouse or rat touches the bait only lightly. An effective bait you can use is peanut butter because mice loves it so much.


Another affordable trap is mouse glue traps. But very inhumane way to get rid of mice and the effects could be dangerous to your own health. It comes with lock-tab tents to hide mice. A pest-attractant scent is dispersed throughout the glue, therefore, no baiting is required just place and catch. With glue traps it's really horrible picking up the squeaking, terrified, wriggling mouse. Plus it might bite you and it probably has fleas that could transfer over to you.


You can also use mouse poison is also kind of inhumane because it isn't instant and can be painful. The reason rats and mice respond to poison is because they are unable to vomit, so it is a slow, painful death. But it's not recommended on how you're going to get rid of mice in the house because of the danger it can cause to health. Also it will cause the mice to search for water and they usually find their way to your toilet or sink.


Humane and Environmentally Friendly Method
Live mouse traps are more expensive than other traps, but they are humane. So if you want catching a mouse and let it go without killing it, live mouse trap is the way to go and are available in various sizes, depending on the size of your problem. When the rodent enters, the door closes and contains the mouse for live release.


Most live traps consist of a platform on which you place food to lure the mouse. The weight of animal triggers the door to shut once the mouse enters the platform therefore trapping the mouse. Bring the trap outside and release the still living mouse. They love peanut butter and it's best for luring them. Place traps along the edge of room, around where you last saw the a mouse, or near areas where you have found mouse droppings.

Another effective method is using essential oils such as peppermint, mothballs, ammonia and onion have been known to drive mice away. Some people even say fox urine will send your mice packing because the fox is a natural predator of mice.


Nothing can beat the effectiveness of cat. They are the natural predator of mice. Once they smell cat, mice just go away. Cats known to be notorious mousers and many people still keep cats for the very purpose of scaring mice from invading their house.


One very important thing to remember is that mouse infestation can easily get out of control if not dealt with as soon as it is recognized. A clean surroundings and regular maintenance of the place are the keys to avoid getting invaded and don't get troubled of how you're going to get rid of mice in your house.