Having determined that the squeak you’re hearing in the wall isn’t a rusted weather vane, because (a) who even keeps a weather vane in the wall and (b) you applied enough WD-40 to the weather vane to have it spin freely and quietly until the next pass of Hailey’s comet, you undoubtedly come to the question: There’s mice in the house, what do I do?  

 

Should I release a herd of cats?

Cats are keen predators, their sense of smell and precise hearing makes them formidable opponents, but this elite ability to hunt, comes with an elitists bourgeoisie attitude. Most, if not all, domestic cats believe that they are entitled to not work. True they will on occasion go out and hunt for leisure, but relying on them as a wholesale solution to rodents will only lead to grief and dissatisfaction as the cats invariably make their disgust at working known. 

This cat is astounded by your hubris suggesting it should work

 

So, no cats, then where to start? It’s tempting to begin by laying traps down across the house in scenes akin to early Tom and Jerry cartoons, but before you mine your house with springs of death, you’re better off going through our checklist to prevent further infestations and reducing access to the house. 

 

Start in the Kitchen.

Mice, like all mammals, need a food source to live, and the largest readily available source of food generally lies in the kitchen (unless you have children or pets, in which case its the location of wherever they ate last, with particular attention to the surrounding floor.) Make sure all food is securely kept in sealed containers and any food scraps are cleaned up and thrown away. Removing access to food is a significant deterrent to mice, and in fact any pests.   

 

Ensure there’s no entry points. 

It’s not always possible to fully restrict access to food and water sources, and even if you do, the mice can still nest in your home if they’ve found an alternative food source not far away. You want to ensure that the mice have no entry points into your home. It’s time to get out of the old caulk gun and fill in any spaces the mice get through. Mice can get through spaces as small as 0.6cm across, that’s about the width of your pinkie finger. It’s also recommended that you install door sweeps to the bottom of your doors, as this is a common entry point for rodents. 

Mice, like this, one, can measure just 6mm across! Tiny!

 

Lay some traps.

Snap traps and baits can be store bought, but it is recommended you call a pest controller, like Flick, if you are now resorting to these options. This is because for every rodent you find, there’s likely another host more unseen. They’re hard to find and spot, given their nature to hide in walls and other small and inaccessible crawl spaces. A pest controller has the knowledge and training to find the rodents and implement a solution to control them. Professional baits and traps are less likely to be harmful to other non-targets. 

 

Call Flick today on 1300 270 019 to begin eradicating Rodents from your property.