Are there Baby Mice in Your House?

Baby Mice - Keep baby mice from happening in you home with Griffin Pest Solutions

If you’ve heard scratching and squeaking in your walls, found droppings, or noticed other signs of mice, chances are there are baby mice in your home too. Mice are prolific breeders capable of producing litters quickly once they’ve found a safe place to nest in your home.

Eliminating mice as soon as you notice them is key to reducing your risk of a full-on mouse problem. Things can go bad quickly. Real bad. Luckily, we’ve been reducing Michigan’s rodent population for years. We can tell you if you have baby mice, how many babies can mice have, what to do if you find baby mice and more. We’ve helped a lot of people get rid of house mice and we’re ready to help you too.

How Many Babies Do Mice Have in My Home?

The short answer is a lot. Mice are a bit of a mathematical wonder when it comes to procreation. But there is a difference between answering how many babies can mice have and how many babies do mice have.

Female mice can have 5 to 10 pregnancies a year. Each pregnancy will yield 3 to 14 babies – or pups – with 6 to 8 pups being the average. That means a female mouse might produce somewhere between 30 to 60 babies a year if she stays busy.

A truly remarkable trait of female mice is that they can mate immediately after giving birth. The gestation period for mice is about 21 days. That means adult mice moving into your house could produce multiple litters of baby mice within a month of their arrival.

Now consider that those babies will start to mate in two months when they reach sexual maturity. Once they start producing babies, you’re looking at a whole lot more mice in your house. Mathematically, a single mouse could be responsible for a whopping 5,000 mice over 12 months. Obviously, this scenario is unlikely, however, even in pet stores or domestic situations where breeding conditions are ideal.

Mice live hard lives and wild mice rarely live to see their second birthday. The bottom line for your home is to get them out as quickly as possible and keep them out.

What Do Baby Mice Eat?

Baby mice are born blind, hairless, and earless. They will grow ears in four days, a fur coat by day 10, and their eyes will open after two weeks. Until then, a baby mouse pup depends on its mother for food and protection. Mice nurse for 21 days but mature quickly.

After they ween, the male mice are quicker to leave the nest than the females. Once out in the world and ready for solid foods, new mice will raid your pantry. Mice are herbivores that prefer grains and cereals to eat, but they’re also opportunistic foragers who will take what they can get.

What to Do if You Find Baby Mice in My House?

As cute and helpless as baby mice may seem, they are a nuisance and better suited to living outdoors. If you can find and remove the nest, do so. This may be tricky if it’s inside a wall.

Poison may seem like a good solution, but it’s not without its consequences. Mice will take poison back to their nest but that means you’re left with mice dying inside your walls. The all too unpleasant smell may linger for a week or more.

Traps are the surest way to eliminate mice, but with babies, you’ll have to wait until they’re old enough to leave the nest. Snap traps and sticky traps tend to work best, but mice are quick learners and cautious to a fault. They may not take the bait if they suspect danger.

A Griffin pest solutions specialist can help trap and remove mice from your home and give you peace of mind.

Prevent Baby Mice from Recurring in Your Home

The best way to prevent your home from becoming a nursery for baby mice is to prevent them from coming in in the first place.

Mouse access point

Audit your home – perhaps with the guidance of a pest control technician – to pinpoint where mice are getting in. Some of the most common portals are:

  • Foundation cracks.
  • Siding gaps.
  • Plumbing and electrical inlets.
  • Torn screens.
  • Uncovered vents.
  • Seal the tiniest of cracks and close every gap you can. By eliminating all the ways mice might get into your home, you’ll prevent future generations from taking advantage of your hospitality.

Who Do You Call When You Have Baby Mice in Michigan?

Griffin Pest Solutions has diligently removed more house mice than we care to count. We’re proud to be your local pest solutions specialists, trusted in homes across the state. Contact us today and we’ll make sure mice of all ages don’t decide to start families under your roof.

How Do Rats Get in the Attic?

Attic in lower Michigan

As a homeowner (or renter) in Michigan, it can be pretty alarming to realize you have a rat occupancy issue. They are dangerous, prone to aggressive attack when disturbed, and carry with them disease. Not only that, but they are infamous for their chewing ability and will not discriminate against expensive appliance wiring, or precious family photos.

How Can I Tell if I Have Rats?

Rats are secretive and try to stay out of your line of sight. They sneak in through holes in your roof or ceiling and can easily get in through chimneys or along vents. Some solid indicators you have a rat infestation are:

  • Scratching and squeaking. Especially at night, as these home invaders are nocturnal, preferring to do their scavenging and destruction while everyone else is asleep.
  • Strong urine scent. Rat urine is particularly strong and will usually be accompanied by the visual of their droppings in various areas.
  • Chew marks. Rats, like all rodents, have teeth that never stop growing. Because of this, rats will chew up anything to keep their teeth short. From boxes to clothing, to hard plastics like pipes, and even metals of all kinds, rats will chew through whatever they want to. Whether that’s to get at a potential food source, or for nesting material.
  • Rat Nests. Shy by nature (but aggressive when confronted), you’ll most likely find rat nests in the corners of your attic, and in spaces usually left undisturbed like crawl spaces (or even in the walls).

The Most Common Types of Attic Rats

  • Black Rat. They are dark gray or blackish in color, and typically slender, growing to be 13-15” long including their tail. Other names for this rat are “roof rat” or “ship rat”, named appropriately for their prolific climbing ability and preference for high spaces – like your attic.
  • Norway Rat. Bigger than their cousins, these rats are more robust and will grow to be 16” long including tails. Typically grayish-brown or reddish-brown, these patient zeros like to nest in your crawl spaces.

Why Call Griffin Pest Solutions

No matter the species, rats are a big problem. They carry with them disease and will attack and bite if they are disturbed or feel threatened. Even what may seem to be a minor scratch could warrant a hospital trip for you or a vet trip for your animals. The team of rodent exterminators at Griffin Pest Solutions has been dedicated to serving our community since our founding in 1929.

Sustainably minded, we have been pioneers in eco-friendly pest control and as such have earned our GreenPro certification from the National Pest Management Association. Utilizing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in tandem with being a part of the Rentokil family, we aim to be as globally responsible as we are across the state of Michigan. Trust Griffin Pest Solutions and let us help you protect your home.

Fall Pests That Want in Your Home

Mouse peeking through hole in attic wall

If it seems like there’s an increase in insects in and around your home in the fall, you’re probably right. It’s the result of pests trying to get indoors as the weather gets colder. Some pests migrate to warmer climates, some burrow in or under debris, while others just try to get into our homes to warm up. The scientific term for this phenomenon is overwintering. Pests will find a suitable area to settle in during the colder months and then become more active in the spring. 

This most directly affects you when fall pests enter your home. Some do this by coming in through small openings that are already present and others will chew their way in. There are several types of pests known to try to get in, from insects to rodents. The most difficult fall pests to get rid of are the ones you can’t see because they get in the attic or behind your walls. Read on to learn more about the common pests that may try to get in your home in the fall. 

Rodents

You probably know that squirrels are excellent climbers but did you know that roof rats and mice can also climb well? Most rodents will climb almost anything; branches, fences and drainpipes can all be used to access the roof of your home!  From there, it’s easy to get into your attic and make a nest to stay warm for the fall and winter. If you hear scratching or gnawing noises from up above or inside the walls, you likely have rodents inside your attic or wall voids starting to make themselves at home. Should this happen, it would be time to call an experienced rodent exterminator like the specialists at Griffin Pest Solutions. It is also advised that you ensure your home is properly sealed to help prevent rodent entry. A mouse can enter an opening roughly the size of a dime! Squirrels will chew on dormers and fascia boards to make their own entry points. 

Asian lady beetles

While Asian lady beetles resemble ladybugs, they’re somewhat larger. Their coloration ranges from red to orange and not all of them have spots. So, what’s the problem with these small ladybug look-alikes? They hang out together in large groups, using pheromones to communicate their location. When they decide to enter your home to get warm, the result can be a large infestation that ends up in your attic or walls. While they won’t directly cause harm by damaging your home or stinging you, there are unpleasant side effects. Should you end up with an infestation, lady beetle waste can stain and is known for triggering allergic reactions or breathing difficulties in sensitive individuals.

The best way to prevent these, or any bugs, from getting into your home is to seal cracks and crevices on the exterior of your home. Asian lady beetles are small, so you’ll need to be diligent should you choose to take on this task. Having a preventative pest control service in place can also help to prevent a pest infestation from taking place in your home. If a product is applied to your home consistently, it doesn’t allow for an infestation to even begin. 

Stink bugs

While there are several types of stink bugs, the brown marmorated stink bug is the one you’re most likely to see in your home. It’s an invasive species originally from Asia. They’re shaped like a shield and their color is a mottled combination of brown and gray. They range in size from ¼” to ⅜”. As their name suggests, when stink bugs feel threatened or get squashed, they release an unpleasant odor. Stink bugs tend to spend the winter in quiet parts of a home where they’re unlikely to be disturbed like an attic, crawlspace or inside the walls. 

When you see these pests walking on your home or nearby trees, it is easy to forget that they can fly and it’s their wings that bring them to your home in swarms at times. You will first start to notice these fall pests as the temperature starts to cool at night but the days are still warm. Stink bugs will land on the sides of your home, where the sun is warming the siding, this helps them to stay warm as well. They are drawn to lighter-colored homes, which can be the reason you are seeing them but your neighbor doesn’t have any issues.

Wasps

A whole wasp colony doesn’t overwinter, just the queens. The worker wasps won’t survive the winter and the queen will start a new colony every year.  The fertilized queens overwinter outdoors in places such as hollow logs, stumps or under leaves. However, they can also overwinter on or in structures, including the attics or siding of homes. The most common way for wasps to get in is through attic vents that aren’t screened. If you haven’t done so lately, look for openings into your attic and seal them as much as possible to help prevent wasps and other pests from entering. It is possible for the queen to start her new colony in your attic, which can mean a large nest of wasps could end up inside! 

Expert Exterminators

Griffin Pest Solutions has been providing the Lower Peninsula of Michigan with trusted pest control services since 1929. If you have any of these pests are in your home, we can help get them out and keep them out. We also offer preventative services to help keep these pests from entering your home this fall or winter! Call us for a free quote!

Why Do I Have a Rodent Problem?

Rodents like rats and mice are clever, capable creatures. If there’s a way into your home and they want to come inside for any reason, they’ll find their way in. Most homes deal with a rodent problem at one time or another. There’s only one side to dealing with rodents: it’s a learning experience. 

Once you know why you have a rodent problem, you can figure out how to prevent them in the future. We can help with that. There are several steps to preventing future rodent infestations. First: identify the “what”: your current infestation. When you’ve confirmed you have a rodent problem, figure out the “why”: what made rodents want to get inside? Once you’ve figured out the why, the last step is the “how”: how were rodents able to get inside? After you’ve identified the “why” and “how,” you can make sure the “what” isn’t a problem again. Here’s where to start:

The What: do I have a rodent infestation?

If you already know in no uncertain terms that you have a rodent problem, then you can skip this step. If you suspect but you aren’t sure, however, you’ll have to start looking for the following signs. Rodents are quite sneaky, but even the most clever of rats and mice leave behind telltale signs of their presence. Signs like: 

  • Waste and droppings. If you have a large rodent problem, the rats and mice may leave behind dozens of small, tapered, dark brown pellets around your home or business every night. Look for these droppings where rodents typically live: in your basement, crawl space, or closets.
  • Grease marks. Most rodents have poor eyesight during the day. They move around homes by rubbing against baseboards and walls as guides. As they rub up against these surfaces, they’ll leave behind a grease stain over time. Look for these grease stains along the lower edge of walls in your basement. 
  • The sound of little paws. Rodents don’t sleep all day, every day. If they’re in your home, you’ll be able to hear them at some point. Listen for distinct scratching or scrabbling sound within walls and ceilings. Rodents are generally active at night, so you may hear them with more regularity late. 
  • Chew marks. Does your phone charger look worse for wear? Are there little bites taken out of boxes in the pantry? You might have rodents chewing on your possessions.

The Why: Why did rodents choose my home?

Rodents are attracted to any place that can provide their main needs: food, shelter, and water. Those are the things rodents want no matter the time of year. The most common of these draws are:

  • Accessible warmth. This is an especially huge draw during the fall and winter months. Most rodents are looking for a safe place to nest during the cold months. Keep a close eye on the places they use to get inside this winter. 
  • Food waste. Rodents will eat just about anything, including dairy, meat, vegetables, fruit, grain, fur, and trash. They’re usually drawn in by food debris near garbage cans, baseboards, and other out of the way places.
  • Plumbing leaks. We’ve already mentioned that rodents are drawn in by their three main needs. Food and shelter have been covered, but what about water? The most likely places for rodents to get water access are at plumbing leaks. They’ll drink from leaks in worn down pipes, loose joints, dripping faucets. They’re especially fond of exploiting the kinds of hidden leaks you don’t even realize you have. If you’ve noticed your water bill rising, you may have a hidden leak. Get in touch with plumbers to make sure your pipes aren’t drawing unwanted pests.
  • Clutter and debris. Rodents are shy. They’ll spend their time inside your home sneaking around and hiding. An especially cluttered or dirty house makes this easier for them. Pests can’t spread if they aren’t given the space and privacy to do so. Keep your space clean and organized to take away a rodent’s chance to build a secret nest.

The How: How did rodents get inside my property?

Rats and other rodents are capable of squeezing through holes or cracks that are less than an inch wide in diameter. This means that keeping them out is difficult and requires near-constant vigilance. By protecting their main entry points, you can help prevent infestations. These main entry points include:

  • Cracks in walls. This includes brick, cement, and stone exteriors. Small holes can be filled with caulk. Larger ones can be blocked with sealant.
  • Vents. If a rodent can get into a vent, it can use it to get into your home. You can prevent their entry without interrupting your vents output by covering vents with metal screening.
  • Chimneys. Not only are chimneys dark and out of the way, they’re warm too. Make sure your chimney is regularly cleaned and has a working grate or cap.
  • Window frames. Window frames have caulk and, in some cases, screens. Holes can develop and caulk can crumble, making entrance points.

Bringing it all together: How can I prevent future rodent problems?

Preventing future rodent problems depends on a few things. First, you need to figure out where they’re most likely to sneak in. Try to find these access points mentioned above around door and window frames, baseboard, utility lines, and other cracks and gaps. Seal and block these off wherever you can.

Second, try to make sure rodents couldn’t get the things they want inside your home even if they could get inside. Keep pantry foods in sealable, airtight plastic containers at all times. Keep garbage in sealable plastic bags and take it outside to the dumpster every night. Repair plumbing leaks and clean up spills immediately. Clean up after every meal and keep your kitchen, bathrooms, closets, and basements decluttered and clean. 

The last, best thing you can do to prevent future rodent problems is call Griffin Pest Solutions today. We’ll be able to tell you exactly how your rodents got into your home, remove them, and help make sure they can’t come back again.

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Everything You Should Know About Rodents Near You

Rodent peeking out through damage in a wooden log. Everything you should know about the rodents near you.

October 20 to 26 is the Professional Pest Management Alliance’s sixth annual Rodent Awareness Week. It couldn’t be happening at a more relevant time. According to a recent study, rodents are the greatest pest concern facing American homes today. Rats and mice invade 21 million homes every year, mostly in fall! Despite how common they are, however, rodent behavior isn’t very well understood. For instance, did you know that rodents are found in bathrooms twice as frequently as other rooms? The best way to prevent rodent infestations now and in the future is to understand them better.

We want to help! That’s why, in honor of Rodent Awareness Week, Griffin put together this primer on everything you should know about the rats and mice near you. This is what rodents want, how they get into your home, and how you can keep them out for good:

What do rodents want?

Rodents want shelter, warmth, food, and humidity–usually in that order. They enter homes in late summer and fall in order to escape the freezing temperatures of winter. Once inside, they’ll stick around if they can get their paws on food and water. Rats and mice look for warm, dark, narrow, humid shelters where they can find food and water.

How do rodents find homes to infest?

Rodents are very sensitive to temperature and pressure fluctuations. These sensitivities help rodents understand when the season is changing faster than we possibly could. As soon as they sense outdoor temperature chances, rodents start looking for the warmth and pressure differentials created by drafts. When they find drafts, they’ll follow the warmth inside.

In addition to temperature and pressure sensitivity, rodents also possess a highly-developed sense of smell. This sense of smell allows them to sniff out specific information about food, including the best way to get to it. Rodents literally “follow their noses” all the way inside your home. 

Rodent chewing on sunflower seeds near a home

How do rodents get into homes?

Rodents make their way inside by sneaking through tiny, draft-producing nooks and crannies located all around homes. Mice and rats are notorious for their ability to squeeze through tiny gaps. They tend to typically find these gaps in a few particularly likely places, including:

  • Door and window frames
  • Gaps around utility lines
  • Cracks in baseboarding and foundations
  • Breaches in vents or pipes
  • Damaged or rotting siding or shingles

Wait, why are they in my bathroom?

Rodents love moisture, warmth, and darkness. Bathrooms typically provide plenty of all three, particularly if they’re in your basement. Rats and mice live in bathrooms to soak up humidity and warmth and drink condensation. Occasionally, rodents may even swim up through damaged plumbing pipes to enter your home.

rodent climbing on an electrical wire

Why are they a problem?

Rodents are surprisingly dangerous in homes for several reasons. Here are the main reasons you never want rats or mice to establish themselves in your home:

  • Fire Damage: Did you know that 25% of the house fires attributed to “unknown causes” were probably caused by rodents? Rats and mice chew through electrical wiring, which can generate sparks and start fires.
  • Health Concerns: Rat and mice feces, saliva, blood, and fur transmit several dangerous diseases. Rodents may also carry diseased fleas or other parasites.
  • Food Damage: Rats and mice in your home will make a beeline for any pantry food they can find. The damage they inflict can get surprisingly expensive surprisingly quickly!
  • Wood, Fabric, and Paper Damage: Rodents constantly gnaw on any soft materials they can find, tearing them up in the process. Rodent infestations end up damaging wood, fabric, and paper products in your home.

How can I tell if I have a rodent problem?

Unfortunately, if you happen mice or rat inside your home, chances are they aren’t alone. Even if you don’t see your rodent, however, there are a few ways to figure out if they’re hiding near you. Look for the following signs:

  • ¼ to ½ inch long black droppings that look pellet or spindle-shaped
  • Damaged electrical cables or wiring
  • Gnaw marks on cardboard boxes, drapes, upholstery, wooden furniture, or even carpet
  • Damaged food packaging
  • Collections of dirty, soft material like paper, insulation, cardboard, or plastic
  • Dirty or greasy markings along the lower parts of walls

How can I keep them out of my home?

Start by cutting off their access to your home. Repair weaknesses you find around the usual sites up above using caulk, weatherproofing, spackle, or another sealant. If an opening is big enough to see, it’s probably big enough for rodents to use. Pay particular attention to drafty or humid parts of your home such as basements and bathrooms.

When you’re finished rodent-proofing access points, make the rest of your home as inhospitable to rats and mice. Keep your the floor of your basement, crawl spaces, pantries, and attics as clean and clear as possible. Elevate all storage materials, especially cardboard boxes and linen garment bags. Store your pantry food in airtight hard plastic containers. You should even keep your lawn as clear as possible. The harder it is for rodents to hide near you, the greater the distance they’ll keep.

 

Once rodents have established themselves inside your home, they can be difficult to remove without serious help. Luckily, you have serious help–you have Griffin Pest Solutions. 

Our experts can find rodent infestations, remove them, and make sure they can’t get in again. If you become a little too aware of rodents this Rodent Awareness Week, give us a call anytime. We’ve yet to meet a rodent infestation we couldn’t beat.

What Do Rodents Want This Fall?

Rodent near a pumpkin. What do rodents want this fall?

Autumn is a lovely time of year. The overbearing heat of the Midwest summer leaves us alone as the temperatures start to shift. Leaves change color, pumpkin spice becomes the flavor du jour, and everyone starts wearing socks again. In the middle of these positive changes comes one not-so-positive change, however. Rodents start finding their way inside homes and businesses. 

Just like you pull sweaters out of storage as the temps turn, rodents start looking for similar, reliable warmth. If you’re not careful, they’ll find it in your home. This is what attracts rodents to your home this fall, how they get inside, and how to keep them out.

What attracts rodents in fall?

The simplest answer is food and warmth. Cooling temperatures trigger a response in rodents and mice to seek out warmth and shelter. Rodents are extremely sensitive to temperature and pressure fluctuations, so they may sense the changing season before you do! 

When rodents sense cooling air temperatures, they also start fattening themselves up. They’ll seek out high sugar and fat foods, and in larger quantities than usual. Both rats and mice have an exceptional sense of smell. They can smell all the food they want while its inside your home–often while it’s still in its packaging! If they smell the food they want in your home, they’ll try to get it. Fall is a time of survival for rodents. Any place that provides them the things they need to last the winter is a target.

How do rodents get inside during fall?

Rodents are clever creatures. They’re capable of fitting into breaches as small as a quarter. If rodents get into your home, they found one of these breaches. The pests commonly enter homes via crumbling foundation, broken screens, vents, attic insulation, window and door frames, and pipes. You should see all areas that you need to monitor regularly. 

Monitoring entry points doesn’t take much work. We recommend simply conducting a weekly or bi-weekly inspection of your home. Check for any damage such as torn screens, gaps between utility lines, or torn insulation. By minimizing potential entry points, you’ll significantly you significantly lessen your chance of any infestation, including rodents.

How can I keep them out?

Not letting them in in the first place is the first step. After that, you want to be cognizant of the things that draw pests like rodents. They’re not just looking for shelter, they’re looking for food and water as well. Clean and well-maintained garbage cans are less likely to draw pests than dirty ones filled with food waste. 

Fix dripping or leaking pipes immediately so they don’t have a chance to create pest-adored standing water. Maintain your landscape to avoid giving rodents hiding places they can use to approach your home. If they have cover to hide in close to the perimeter of your home, they’re more likely to take the jump indoors. 

 

If you suspect you have a rat or rodent problem, get in touch with Griffin Pest Solutions immediately. Our integrated approach to pest management will draw unwelcome visitors out and keep them from returning. That way you can get back to enjoying the fall properly: in flannel, pumpkin spice latte in hand.