Mice are pesky creatures that can hide deep inside the recesses of your home. You may not even know you are sharing your home with unwanted guests for several weeks if they stay hidden. While you may hear mice scurrying across your attic or inside your walls, you generally won’t see them unless they are searching for food and water. However, if you think you can get rid of mice by starving them out, you’re in for a surprise because mice can go without food and water for much longer than you may think. Rodents can go for a long time without food if they have access to even a little water, so the strategy of starving them out of hiding rarely works. The best thing you can do to get mice out of your home is call pest control in Mississauga for help.

How Much Water Do Mice Need?

Mice don’t need nearly as much water to survive as you may think. Even just a few beads of moisture can sustain a mouse for several days. It’s also important to know that a significant percentage of water consumption in mice comes from indirect hydration. The rodents don’t actually need access to a direct water source if they have access to food.

Mice are notorious nibblers, so just a couple of bites of food will be enough for them for several days. Finding them is easy, thanks to their keen sense of smell. Also, the rodents have an incredible ability to extract hydration indirectly from the food they eat. Even foods that are too dry for humans to consume without drinking a glass of water have enough hydration to sustain a mouse. Even if mice can only find a few bread crumbs a couple of times a week, they can receive adequate hydration. This makes it even more important to keep your kitchen clean and free of any crumbs. Any amount of food left behind can keep a mouse hydrated.

How Do Mice Find Water?

While indirect water consumption allows rodents to survive for weeks without a direct water source, mice also drink any water they can find. Wild rodents will find water from natural sources such as rivers, lakes, ponds, streams and puddles. They may also stay hydrated by consuming foods with a lot of hydration, but typically, a wild mouse can get all of the hydration it needs via a direct water source.

There are no natural water sources inside your home, but mice are adept at finding moisture. If you leave any water in your sink for an extended period of time, they will find it. They can also find it left behind in toilets, bathtubs and your pets’ water bowls. If mice don’t want to leave the safety of your home’s interior, they can even find enough moisture collecting around water pipes. The condensation is enough to sustain them for a few days.

Because mice can find water in so many ways, it is almost impossible to get rid of them by starving them out. You can’t always eliminate every possible water source, so it’s best to enlist the help of a professional.

Call a Professional for Rodent Removal

Trying to force a mouse out into the open by limiting its water supply probably won’t work because rodents can get hydration from a wide variety of sources. If you can hear a mouse scurrying through your walls or have seen one of the rodents rummaging for crumbs in your kitchen, the best thing you can do is call a licensed pest control company in Mississauga. Truly Nolen provides rodent removal and identifies the point of entry so we can keep the mice from coming back. Contact us today to schedule an appointment so we can rid your home of unwanted pests.