Keeping Bugs Where They Belong

Signs That There May Be Mice In Your Attic

28 February 2016

Judy Lute

When mice get in the living space area of your home, it is fairly easy to discover them because they leave droppings everywhere they travel. However, during the colder months of the year, you may have mice in the attic of your home without even realizing it. Since heat travels upward, an attic is a warm escape for mice to live inside away from cold weather conditions. Therefore, it is a good idea to check your attic for mice each year when the cold weather months arrive. These are some signs to look for to determine if you have mice in your attic.

Tunneling And Nesting Debris

If you attic is heavily insulated, you may notice what looks like tunneling in the insulation. Mice will bury deep into insulation to stay warm and to hide from the humans and other larger animals in the home.

Mice also commonly build nests in attics to hide and protect their young. If you see debris throughout your attic that looks like small bunches of lint, paper, yarn, hair or insulation, this is a good sign that there are nests of mice somewhere in the attic.

Dead Mice 

If you find dead mice in your attic, it is also very likely that living mice still remain there. If mice cannot get to food or water inside your home, they may go back to where their nests are located and die. Do not assume that finding dead mice means there are no living mice. For every dead mouse you discover, there could actually be several living mice thriving in your attic.

Footprints And Grease Marks 

If your attic is especially dusty, you may notice tiny mouse footprints in the dust. You can also sprinkle baby powder on the floor of your attic, wait a few days and then check to see if there are footprints in the powder. Visible footprints are a good indication that your attic is inhabited by mice.

Mice may also leave marks on the walls, corners and other objects that are in your attic. These look like dark, brown, greasy smears and they occur when mice rub up against things in the attic as they move about.

Noise 

If you hear what sounds like running, chewing or scratching above your ceiling, this is another sign that mice are in your attic. Mice are commonly more active at night, so this is the best time to listen for unexplained noise above your ceiling.

Unpleasant Odors 

If you are met with terribly unpleasant odors when going into the attic, this is also a good indication that mice are living there. An attic that is heavily infested with mice may be saturated with mice urine and feces. This causes an ammonia-like stench that can also travel down into the living areas of your home if the problem is not resolved.

If you discover signs of mice in your attic you can set live or kill traps to get rid of them. However, if you believe the attic is infested heavily, it is best to hire professional pest control services, like Edmonton Exterminators Ltd, to remedy this problem.

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