Have you been Invaded by “Stuart Littles”?
A couple of weeks ago I took a call from a lady who simply described her pest issue as an invasion of “Stuart Littles”. At first I was confused, and it took me a few seconds to realise what this customer was saying and then it dawned on me “Stuart Littles” of course she means mice.
She went on to tell me that over the past few months, the mice population had continued to grow even though she had tried, traps and store bought products. All the products, the traps, the baits she had spent hundreds of dollars on, did not work and in her words “they seem to be thriving, not dying”
The customer went on to tell me how one morning she was pouring cereal out for her daughter, when three “Stuart Littles” jumped out of the packet. Another morning she came downstairs to find another one had decided to go for a dip, but drowned in the kitchen sink.
She used the term Stuart Littles, but her problem certainly was not as cute as the Stuart little we all watched and loved!
Now, let me say this, the customer had a strict cleaning regime, she expressed her disgust and misunderstanding of how this could happen when her house was clean, and when she believed she took all measures to prevent mice entering her home.
Yes, cleaning is very important, but the problem with mice is that if you see one, you can almost be assured there are more! Mice breed very rapidly, their gestation period is usually 19-21 days and can begin breeding shortly afterwards, Oh and each time they have a littler, they can introduce up to 20 new mice into your home.
During the winter season mice move inside as just like us, they want to be warm and being inside simply means they can increase their chances of being closer to food sources, so they can continue to breed and supply food to their young.
As mice are nocturnal creatures, you may not always physically see them, like the customer I mentioned above, but there are signs to look out for.
- Scratching noises in the walls or ceilings as mice scurry around
- Droppings – mice leave small, dark droppings particularly along walls, in cupboards or under sinks. .Visit our website for dropping identification
- Distinctive smell – mice leave an ammonia-like smell that will be particularly strong in more enclosed areas such as under cupboards
- Damage – mice have teeth that grow continuously and will gnaw on wood, plastic, cables and other hard materials to keep their teeth short
- Nests – mice build nests with shredded material such as newspaper and fabrics. These will tend to be in hidden places such as behind fridges. Nests will often contain young mice.
Mice not only carry diseases but also damage your household goods, I have included a short list of the health and physical damage mice can do to you, your children, your pets and your home.
- Unsanitary as their droppings have been implicated as potential asthma triggers in children.
- Multiply quickly
- Cause significant damage to your home and furniture.
- Contaminate food and other materials.
- Implicated in causing house fires after chewing through electrical cables.
What now?
If you suspect that you have a mice infestation, call us today! Don’t leave it so long that you can actually see them running around. Your health, your children’s health and the health of your pets are at risk. Remember the breeding rate, and how one pregnant mouse can bring in another 20 mice into your house!
Do you really want to take the risk?
There is only one Stuart little we all want to see, and he belongs behind your TV screen, not roaming around your house!
