Mice are cute, pink-nosed, long-whiskered, and squeaky little creatures appearing in cartoons and movies. However, when it comes to having them as uninvited guests in your own home, the novelty wears off very quickly. Learn the top three reasons why mice love the basement and who to call for rodent removal and pest control services in Halifax if you suspect you have an unwanted visitor in your home. 

Mice Love Your Basement

Mice are likely to make their homes in an area with access to food and water, ideal shelter accommodation, and entry to the outside world. 

• Moisture 

If your basement is finished, you might not have the moisture problems homeowners with unfinished basements do. However, incomplete and partially finished basements can sometimes feel damp, even with humidity control. 

Mice are attracted to dark, moist areas because they are a sure water source and refuge. Homeowners are less likely to dig deep into dark corners of their unfinished basement to check for rodents or anything else. For this oversight, mice are happy. 

Despite having a diet of primarily grains and plants, mice will also eat bugs. If they are stuck in a hiding pattern or forced to shelter in the basement until better weather comes along, the bugs that collect in the area can sustain them until they seek better nourishment. 

• Clutter 

Mice, like most all rodents, love to nest. Finding an area away from human sight but close to a food source is ideal for building a nest. They won’t have to drag around bits and pieces of fluff, fabric, and twigs if you have plenty of stuff lying around for them to choose from readily. 

Your basement, finished or not, can also be a placeholder dumping ground for all the things you don’t have a spot for on the main floor. While you wait to organize the clutter finally, you’re inviting mice to consider taking up residence in a pile of old table linens, the unlidded holiday decoration box, birthday party decorations, or your collection of aprons mounting since 1972 in the meantime. 

Depending on the severity of the clutter, say a teenage bedroom on the basement level, mice might also have the luxury of open food and drink containers added to the mix. Chip bags, soda cans, and candy wrappers provide tasty treats for rodents. Be sure that trash is disposed of accordingly to prevent tiny tenants from occupying your home. 

• Access 

Most homes are well-sealed from the outside world. However, if you happen to have a crack in the foundation or a drafty window that leads to the outside, it can double as an entryway for curious mice to come right in. Mice also make their way into homes through gaps in outer walls or doors that lead outside walk-out basements or crawl spaces. 

But You Don’t Love Mice 

Even if you think mice are cute and cuddly little creatures, they aren’t the best houseguests for humans. 

• Disease 

Mice carry a bounty of different diseases that are dangerous to humans. Infection is spread through their waste and can be hazardous to humans and pets. Further, mice give little care to where they urinate and defecate, which means their feces are spread wherever they go. 

• Danger 

Everyone knows that mice are nibblers—unfortunately, it’s not just the cheese from the cartoons that mice like to chew. Mice are also notorious for chewing through wires and cables. While sometimes their chewing can be just a nuisance, other times it can present a potential fire hazard. 

• Spoilage 

Any human or pet food that a mouse has been in or chewed to must be discarded. Even if there is no evidence that the mouse got into the food, you might not know until it is too late. 

For more information about expert rodent removal in Halifax, contact Truly Nolen Canada today.