Mickey and Minnie. Those two names pretty much sum up any encounter with a mouse that could be deemed enjoyable. Beyond that, the tiny, furry creatures usually are met with high pitched-shrills and attempts to reach higher ground (counters, tables, couches, etc.).
Sometimes however, these uninvited rodents do find their way into your home and into your kitchen. If you do happen to spot one, or notice signs that a mouse has recently been in your home, the first thing that Dan Bradbury, the vice president of Viking Pest Control, suggests doing is to notify his company, or another in your area who specializes in rodent removal.
But, until the specialists arrive, there are some things that Bradbury suggests that you should and should not do:
Don’t try to trap the mouse yourself.
Generally, he says, it’s not a good idea to try and catch the mouse yourself. For starters, this mouse is not alone. Any control specialist will tell you that mice travel in packs of at least six to 12. So, even if you did manage to catch this one mouse, it probably wouldn’t be the end of your problems.
Additionally, Bradbury warns that mice can carry harmful diseases, and if provoked, the rodent won’t hesitate to bite. Pest control specialists on the other hand, are familiar with the markings that these groups of mice make and will be able to determine where the entire clan is living in your home. They are also trained on the safest ways to remove mice from the home and limit the amount of exposure you and your family will have to any contagious diseases.
There are some things that you can do.
Inspect your food while you wait for the pest control specialist to arrive, he suggests, to make sure that there are no signs of activity where you store your food. Mice can chew through boxes and eat food directly out of those same containers that you may later mistakenly use. If there is any evidence of this type of activity, Bradbury suggests discarding any food that a mouse has possibly come in contact with.
After all the mice have been caught and removed, Bradbury strongly recommends that you go around your home and clean up droppings which look like dark sprinkles. When doing so, you should definitely where gloves and perhaps even a face mask since mice feces carry diseases that can be extreme health hazards. Among the most alarming is the sometimes fatal Hantavirus which you can contract if you come in contact with an infected mouse or their droppings and urine.
Furthermore, if you or your control specialists suspects that the mice have in fact been in your kitchen, Bradbury says that it would be best that you use a disinfectant to properly clean all of the areas where the mice might have walked on, including tables, countertops and inside cabinets.
It’s important in this type of removal situation that in addition to removing the mice themselves, that you also get rid of any trace of their existence from your home.
