Mice in the Walls & Noise in the Halls

Mice are an extremely common household pest, found in homes and buildings across the US (and New Jersey is no exception). In fact, nearly a quarter of American homes report rodent issues during any given year. Sometimes, these mice are spotted running across your kitchen floor, sometimes they commandeer the storage boxes in your basement, and sometimes they linger in the garage, living off discarded garbage and pet food. But it’s when they invade wall voids that they get truly destructive; in other words, mice in the walls pose a particular threat.

Fortunately, mice aren’t completely undetectable no matter where they are; they give themselves away through noise, visual evidence, and odor. 

One of the biggest clues that mice have set up camp inside the walls of your home is the sounds of scurrying, scratching, and squeaking, especially at night when mice are most active. Other hints include odors (musty or musky smells or the smell of decay), rodent droppings near walls, small holes or gaps, and greasy rub marks along baseboards. You might also find nesting material (such as fabric and paper) or see gnaw marks in wall trim or drywall. Your pets may offer clues as well: if your dog paws, bites, or stares at the wall while adorably tilting its head, it could be hearing activity inside the wall cavity. 

You might even see mice, either a solitary one or several, running into the walls through tiny gaps. You’re most likely to spot them when the house is calm, dark, and quiet.

Why Do Mice Favor Wall Voids?

Mice in the walls don’t get there by accident; there’s a method to their mapping. These crafty creatures favor walls because they offer all sorts of perks for the typical tiny critter just trying to survive. They offer warmth in cold weather, protection from predators (including house pets), and a place of peace and quiet. Walls offer hidden pathways that act like rodent highways, giving them access to other parts of the home (including pantries and plumbing where they can seek food and water). The voids inside walls are especially spacious, giving mice ample opportunities to breed, nest, and store food.

Of course, mice also hide in walls to stay away from people. They’re natural scaredy-cats that don’t want to see you any more than you want to see them. Their innate instincts make them wary of new things, including new sounds, unfamiliar sights, strange smells, and bright areas. Walls are peaceful, quiet, and dark and make the ideal hangout.

The Dangers of Mice Inside Walls

No matter where mice are in your home, they present a danger. They contaminate surfaces, spread disease, breed like crazy, and gnaw on everything. But it’s the latter that can be especially damaging.

Mice have teeth that never stop growing, which means they don’t chew simply to taste things, out of boredom, because nine out of ten dentists recommend it, or to purposefully destroy your property; they do it as a survival technique. And when mice are in the walls, this creates a fire hazard.

Modern homes are filled with wiring and cables, including electrical wiring, ground wiring, TV and ethernet/internet cables, low-voltage wiring, and telephone wiring. These are coated with a protective plastic coating that mice, when persistent enough, chew straight through. 

Removing the coating creates a fire risk in several ways: it exposes metal wires that can touch each other or grounded metal, causing a short circuit and generating heat; these bare wires cause electrical arcing, a process where electrical current jumps through the air between two conductive elements, generating high temperatures and resistance that leads to excess heat over time. Because mice bring combustible materials into wall voids to make their nests, including dry leaves, pet fur, foam, fabric, insulation, shredded paper, and (eek!) human hair, any kind of heat has the potential to create a domino effect.

The good news is that modern circuit breakers dramatically reduce the risk of electrical fires by shutting off power when they detect danger. But they can’t prevent all fires, especially when the damage is done incrementally.

Even if damage goes undetected by breakers, chewed wires and cables might emit other warning signs, such as flashes of light, buzzing and snapping sounds, and the smell of burning. These are all indications that you should call an electrician as soon as possible and then ring us right after! 

Why Mice Enter Your Home

Mice enter homes for the same reason as most other pests: seeking food, shelter, and warmth. They enter properties through gaps as small as a coin when hiding from predators, seeking protection from rain and snow, and looking for inviting places to build nests, breed, and raise their young.

All of this means that mitigating entry points and attractants is key to keeping these rascally rodents away. One of the first steps worth taking is sealing holes and gaps in your home’s foundation, around plumbing and pipes, and near utility lines. Door sweeps offer an additional layer of protection, as mice can easily sneak underneath doors when the gaps are big enough. 

Mice, of course, are passionate foodies, and improperly stored grains, open bags of dog food, crumbs, spilled birdseed, and uncovered garbage draw them onto your property and make it hard to convince them to leave. Mice have surprisingly strong memories; once they know you store cereal in open containers on the top of your cabinets, they’ll remember, and they’ll come back for more. Leaky pipes, pet bowls, overwatered plants, and anything offering a water source are attractants as well.

Experts in Mice Control

Whether you have mice in the walls, the basement, the mudroom, or another part of your home, we can help. At Kapture, we’re experts on four-legged fiends and use fast-acting, effective, and eco-friendly solutions to treat mice and keep them gone. Reach out today to learn about our same-day appointments, custom plans, and preventative maintenance options.

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