How to Tell If There's a Mouse in Your House

Article by: Kelly Garbato

You've just settled down in bed , Inspecting Your Chimney And Its Liners and are twenty minutes into Letterman when you hear it: a light , Staging Your Home to Sell for More Money and in Less Time Part 1: Bedrooms scratching overhead, accompanied by a squeak here and a squeal there. You assume that it's the wind making strange noises (after all, it is windy tonight!), or perhaps the house , Sanitair Vacuum Cleaners – Bringing Commercial Cleaners Home is just settling (you do live in an older home, , UPVC Door Lock Can Be Broken In 5 Seconds - 22 Million UK s At Risk so it would make sense...). Maybe the sounds are just the result of an overactive imagination. You hope!

Of course, you just can't get around the obvious conclusion - you have company. Whether it's a bird, , Inspecting Your Chimney And Its Liners a bat, a squirrel, or an entire family of mice, there's something up there. Given that you've had recurrent rodent problems, the latter option is probably the safest bet.

However, how can you be sure what type of animal you're dealing with - assuming that you even have unwelcome visitors at all? Before you can evict them, you need to know who "they"Â are.

Above all else, your first step is to inspect your home , Feng Shui Your , Work and Life For Balance and Harmony for signs of mice. Different problems call , Deterring Birds From Your Home for different solutions; if your visitors are actually squirrels instead of mice, you'll need to develop a different strategy.

When canvassing your home, , Where To Find Christmas Decorations And Ornaments keep an eye out for these seven telltale signs:

1. Droppings and urine

Mouse droppings resemble a grain of rice; they are approximately the same size, but are black in color. , Artificial Intelligent Designs in Architecture Mice will not generally travel across open spaces, so you're more likely to find droppings along walls, , Should You Get Help With Your Home Heating Plans? pipes, and beams, as well as in storage areas and next to objects. "Urine pillars"Â are less common; they consist of mounds of grease, urine, and dirt. You can also use a blacklight to find individual urine droppings.

2. Chew marks

Look for tooth marks and wood , Get a Grip on this Floor! shavings (similar in consistency to sawdust) around doors, , Bathroom Remodeling Ideas and Products to Increase the Comfort baseboards, and cabinets. Marks on food , Bathroom Remodeling Ideas and Products to Increase the Comfort containers can also be a clue that you have company.

3. Grease marks

When traveling alongside pipes, beams, and walls, , Staging Your Home to Sell for More Money and in Less Time Part 1: Bedrooms mice may leave greasy smear marks, as dirt and oil from their fur rubs off onto the surfaces.

4. Tracks

Footprints and tail marks on dirty, dusty, or muddy surfaces can indicate activity. If you suspect that mice have taken up residence in an otherwise impeccably clean area of your house, , Swimming Pool Filter Supplies: Necessary For A Clean And Healthy Pool lay down a sprinkling of talc to catch them in the act.

5. Nests

Mice construct nests of shredded paper and similar debris; check attics, basements, , Bathroom Renovation for a Modern and Aesthetic Home Space garages, , Bathroom Renovation for a Modern and Aesthetic Home Space storage areas, closets, and other dark, enclosed places , Buying Custom Baby Bedding and Pre-made Baby Nursery Bedding for nests or "stolen"Â materials.

6. Sounds

You're more likely to hear squeaks and squawks at night, when the house , Knobs, Hinges and More is Proud to Introduce Objects by Tracy Glover Studios and Michael Healy Desig is quiet and your guests are active.

7. Sightings

It's not uncommon to see mice during the day; although they are largely nocturnal, they do move about in daylight.

Now that you're certain that you're dealing with mice, it's time to start strategizing. Your plan , How to Estimate Home Appliance Energy Use of attack will actually come in three phases: first you need to clean up the messes you found; next, you must trap and release your unwelcome visitors; and finally, you'll mouse-proof your house , Bathroom Vanities - A new vanity set can complete your bathroom's makeover! so they can't get back in (and wouldn't want to, even if they could!). Good luck!

Copyright Kelly Garbato, 2005
Kelly Garbato is an author, ePublisher, and small business owner. A guardian to three dogs and a cat, her work is largely inspired by (and aims to honor) the human-animal bond. She's currently designing a web , Anti Static Bars site, Angel Pawprints (http://www.angelpawprints.com), where humans can celebrate their dearly departed companion animals.
To learn more about Kelly, or to send her an email, visit her web , Get a Grip on this Floor! site at http://www.kellygarbato.com.

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