Mice
Biology and behaviour
The house mouse is common in a wide range of buildings all over Britain. Although mainly a house dweller, it may live outdoors for part or all of the year. The house mouse will invade sheds and out buildings, or even get in to domestic or commercial properties in search of food or shelter.
Household waste may also encourage mice as this can be both a source of food and shelter.
Mice can breed very quickly, and are sexually mature when they are approx 3-4 months old this can lead to several litters a year with up to 8/10 young per litter, this makes it very easy for a mouse infestation to build up very quickly un-noticed.
Description
- Brownish-grey in colour
- Slightly lighter underside
- Size including tail 7cm-9cm approx
- Mice are colour blind but have excellent hearing and sense of smell
- Mice are very good climbers and are able to climb vertical walls
Signs to look for
- Smear marks or hairs around holes where they constantly use the same run
- Chewing of wires or cables
- Smell from their urine
- Damage to food
- Damage to stock
- Droppings black 1-2mm long
Prevention
There are many precautions you can take to reduce the chances of getting a mouse infestation
- Avoid letting household waste build up that could attract, and act as shelter for, mice.
- Make sure that where pipe work enters a building it is well sealed around the edges, any gaps could encourage mice to try and gain access to the property.
- Air bricks with gaps of more than 6mm could also allow access for mice and should be fitted with mesh or rodent screens where possible.
- Food businesses should dispose of waste food in sealed containers.
- Make sure doors fit snugly within their frames, avoiding any gaps at the bottom.
Charges
Treatment cost: £53.00 for all residents. There is no concession rate available for this service.
Book a pest control appointment
Please be aware:
- we will not treat mice in sheds, garages or gardens
- we use poison baits
- we do not lift floorboards, roof tiles, kitchen plinths, or remove bath panels - this needs to be done in advance of the pest control appointment
- we do not carry out proofing work after treatment
- access to where the mice are needs to be made by the householder before the appointment
- we will not treat properties that are already being treated by a private company
Customer Services
Open 9am–5pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). If you do need to call us, please try to avoid our busiest times of lunchtime and early afternoon. Many queries relating to Council Tax, benefits or bin and bulky waste collections can be dealt with directly by logging into My Account.