How to get rid of mice in walls?

Mice are an unwelcomed presence in your home. They usually start looking for a place to go for the winter when they cut down the cornfields. Even if you live in the inner-city parts of New Jersey, you can still deal with these pesky critters. They leave behind a trail of destruction, as well as some lethal diseases.

Did you know that mice carry things like Lyme disease, cholera, and even Colorado tick fever? You can usually tell pretty quickly if one has invaded your space as they leave fecal droppings behind. Mice have no control over their bladder or bowel movements, so they constantly use the bathroom as they move about. Having them in your home increases the chances of getting sick, especially since their urine is undetectable to you.

Why Do I Have Mice?

Mice come into your home because you have a warm space that shelters them. This is an intelligent creature. Another reason why they’ve targeted your home is that it’s an excellent spot for them to hide from predators, as well as set up a nest for their young. What happens if the mice aren’t in plain sight, but they are in your walls? You want to know how they got there, and how do you get them out?

Signs of a Mouse In Your House

Outside of the fecal droppings, which we already discussed, some other signs let you know a mouse has moved in. They are as follows:

  • A Putrid Smell

    Mice tend to leave a smell behind them, partly because of all the urine and fecal matter they scatter around. Additionally, the more mice in your home, the more pungent the smell. If you notice that something isn’t right and you’ve got a foul odor, it could be where one died inside your walls.
    There’s nothing quite like the smell of a decaying rodent, and if they die in the walls, you have no clue where or how to get it out. You just must wait until the smell dies down, as tearing out the walls is often too costly.
  • Scratching SoundsOne sound that will make you stop and pay attention is the faint scratches coming from inside your walls. These noises can come from the ceiling or just about any point in your abode. Mice are trapped in the walls, and they want out. They will scratch, gnaw, and do anything to destroy that drywall to escape. Some of them will make holes in the walls to create new entry points.Remember, the teeth on these critters are powerful, and they can chew through plastic, vinyl, rubber, screens, paper, drywall, and fiberglass. The only thing they can’t chew through is metal. Another concern with these critters is that their smaller size allows them to enter a room with a hole as small as the circumference of a pencil. So, don’t think they can’t get in that space by the sink drain, as they can squeeze through the smallest areas.
  • Shredded Clothes and PapersAnother sign that you have mice in your home is that you will see shredded clothing and papers in various spots. This indicates that they’re nesting, and they’re using things they find in your home to build their nests. They will use whatever they can get ahold of to make a warm layer for their young.

How Did Mice Get Inside My Walls? 

Whether you live in a brand-new home or you’re in one that was built 100 years ago, all structures have some openings in the wall. The most common places to find these entryways are as follows:

  • Ductwork
  • Dryer vents
  • Plumbing
  • Gas lines
  • Cable lies

Since it only takes an entry space the size of a dime, you should do an inventory in your area and find out where they can get in. You might be surprised at all the locations that are a possible entry point. If you’re like most people, they will buy that spray foam and try to plug any holes, but this isn’t much of a deterrent or the clever mouse, as their teeth can chew right through that plastic.

It’s the perfect entry point when you have a utility company drill a hole to run cable, gas, or utility lines. Additionally, they can come through around AC units, roof vents, and the pipes that run along with your chimney. You may not think a seal is necessary around your door as there are no drafts but remember, the mice don’t need much space to come inside. So, even something as familiar as a crack in your foundation can allow them just enough room to squeeze in.

Understanding the Behaviors of the Mouse

You want the mice out of your home, but it takes more than sealing up some holes, and you need to understand them to get rid of them. First, a mouse is constantly eating something. They love to nibble and chew all day long, so any source of food they find is sure to make them hang around. They love cereal, bread, chocolate, candy, cookies, cakes, and just about anything they can find.

Most people throw some cheese on a trap and feel that will catch them, but mice prefer peanut butter due to its sweet taste. A mouse will take the peanut butter any day over cheese. The best way to catch these vermin is to get them at the source. Since the mouse grazes all day long, they will stay near the food supply. So, it’s best to place the traps near the pantry area. They must come out of the wall at some point to eat.

You want to make sure you’re dealing with a mouse and not a rat. The behaviors of the two pests are pretty different, and you won’t catch a rat as quickly or with the same methods as a mouse. Additionally, other animals can get inside your walls, like squirrels, and you want to make sure what you’re dealing with before you start spending money on traps and such. A mousetrap doesn’t have the strength to get a rat or squirrel, but they will enjoy the food you leave out for them.

Getting Rid of The Mice in Your Walls

Your goal is to get rid of those mice from your walls as soon as possible, but there are two different ways to go about it. First, some people want to keep them alive as they don’t want to kill them, requiring a different approach. 

1. Trapping Mice Without Killing Them

If you want to relocate the mice back into the wild, you have the option of humane traps. These traps are made from either plastic, metal, or wooden structures, and you can buy or make them. You use bait as you would in a traditional trap, but the trap shuts, leaving the rodent inside. You want to make sure you have a trap that’s safe around small kids and pets, and you want something easy to clean. 

Most people get pretty antsy when they set these traps, but there’s no need to check them every few minutes. You should try to check them at least once per day to see if you’ve caught anything. Some areas have specific laws regarding releasing mice into the wild, so you want to make sure that you’re following protocol. It’s easier for someone in rural areas to find a place to release them than someone in the city.

2. Killing The Mice

Many people choose to eliminate the mice, so there’s no chance of them coming back inside. Remember, mice are brilliant, and once they find an entryway, they will use it repeatedly to get inside. There are two ways to go about killing mice, and they are as follows:

  • PoisonThere’re several kinds of poison on the market that acts as a food source. The mouse eats the food, and it closes off their airways. They suffocate from the poison and soon die. They may try to get outside air or a water source, but most die inside the walls. Now, you should know that while they die fairly quickly, it’s usually inside the walls.They don’t die instantly, so they usually go back to their nest or place of comfort if they’re not searching for water. The problem is that when they die inside the walls, you can’t get to them quickly. So, it’s a very messy and smelly issue to handle, and it’s very costly. If several mice in the home eat from the posion, the smell may be unbearable should they die inside the walls. The toxic fumes are enough to make you sick.If you have ample space like a barn or warehouse, you may prefer these methods over traps. Chances are they will go outside and die, and you won’t contend with the smell.
  • Using a TrapTraps also have options. You can get a glue trap that doesn’t kill the mouse and allows you to release it, or you can get the snap traps that kill them instantly. These aren’t the most humane traps as the animals can starve and not get any water, and it’s quite painful. Both of these traps are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased at any hardware store.Another somewhat newer kind of trap is the electric one. These are better than the old snap traps that can snip you while trying to set them. These give a small electrical current that’s enough to shock the rodent.If you have no signs of the mice coming into the home, but you know they’re in the walls, then you can put some bait inside the walls. You will need a drill to insert a small hole big enough to get a box of poison inside. It’s easier to use bait in the walls than traps, as you want to cut the tiniest possible opening.
    When you capture a mouse, be sure that you observe safety because of their diseases. First, place the dead rodent inside a bag that you can seal shut. Second, throw it away where your pets can’t get to it, like outside. Lastly, make sure you wash and sanitize your hands. There’s no quick way to get rid of mice, as it usually comes down to catching them one at a time.

Preventing Future Invasions

When it comes to mice, you always want to be proactive. Here are some tips to keep mice at bay:

  • If you have any holes in your walls that you feel could be an entry point, then make sure to use steel wool to seal them up. The AC vents and drainage areas need to be sealed with cement as these are common entry points.
  • Don’t leave food sitting out. Make sure to take your trash outside frequently. Even things like a pan of bacon grease on the stove can attract mice and all sorts of bugs.
  • Never throw bread or other scraps into the yard to feed the birds. Any bread not consumed will just be an invitation to mice to come to visit.
  • Keep lids on the trash both inside and outside the home.
  • Make sure there are no food spills in the cabinets, like cereal, chips, and cookies.

Hiring an Exterminator

There’s something to be said about hiring a professional to come in and handle this big job. While there’s no need for help for just one mouse, you do need help when you have an issue with several. Exterminators not only handle the problem upfront, but they come back and dispose of the caucuses for you. Not everyone feels comfortable handling mice once they’ve passed, so these services can come in handy. 

No matter where you live in the great Garden State, you can have a problem with mice. It’s best to take preventative measures to ensure that your home doesn’t look like an excellent place to nest.

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