How Do Mice Get Into Nashville Homes?

Openings

Mice in Nashville  love to squeeze into tight spaces. If you give them one, they're likely to explore it. There are many tight spaces that can invite a mouse into your home.

Here are a few examples:

• Small holes on either side of the door sweep on your exterior door. These are at the very bottom of your door, on either corner.

• Gaps in the weatherstripping around your door, particularly areas that are near the bottom of the door.

• Gaps around pipes that pass through your foundation wall. A little mouse will make quick work of squeezing into a gap like this. Within seconds, they'll have access to your basement.

• A crack in your foundation wall. While most cracks will not give mouse access, there are unique situations when they can. This is usually deterioration around a foundation window or damage that is near the soleplate of the home.

• A torn screen and a damaged window pane. If you have a basement window that has developed a hole, you can expect a mouse to take advantage of it.

• Softened wood. When water soaks the wood of your home, fungus spores are able to attach. These spores cause decay and make the wood easier for a mouse to chew into. If a mouse finds an area of a soleplate that is beginning to rot, and they can chew on it in a secluded spot such as underneath your deck, they could chew a hole right into the wall voids of your home.

• Vent exhausts. If you have a vent with no cover (or a damaged cover) a mouse is likely to be able to get into your home through that vent. Mice are incredible climbers. They can scale your wall and slip right in.

Your Roofline

You would be amazed at how many ways a mouse can get into your home by way of your roof or roofline. You can prevent mice from getting in this way by trimming tree branches away from your roofline, putting wire mesh in your downspouts, and removing vegetation or lattices from the side of your home. If you live in a brick home, be aware that a determined mouse can scale your exterior walls like Spiderman, but it will have a hard time finding a pathway to get onto your roof. Your soffits and gutters will work to prevent them.

If a mouse can get on your roof, here are a few ways it could get inside your attic spaces.

• Chewing a hole in a seal around a roof penetration.

• Chewing, and also clawing, its way into your roofline trough.

• Chewing a hole through a soffit.

• Climbing down through your chimney.

• Getting in through a gap between your chimney stack and your exterior wall.

Drains

While rare, it is possible for mice to get into your home through a drainage pipe or a sewer pipe. Mice can hold their breath for a long time and they are strong swimmers. It is possible for a mouse to go from a culvert into your home by way of your toilet. The good news is that they will not be able to get out of your toilet if it is clean. Porcelain is too smooth. But you don't need to worry too much about this method of entry.

What To Do When Mice Get In

If you discover mice in your Nashville home, remember that the Nashville pest control service team at All-American Pest Control is here to help you with all of your pest control issues. Let one of our highly-trained service team members track down where mice are getting into your home, and remove any mice that have gotten in. Field mice should never be allowed to become house mice. There are far too many ways they can damage your property and make your family sick.

Reach out today to get started, and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Nashville.

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