There is nothing like sharing the warmth of the holiday season with family and friends, and putting up a Christmas tree is a big part of that tradition. However, as the weather turns colder, mice are in search of literal warmth, and they may find it inside your home. Even worse, they may be attracted to your Christmas tree, which can spoil the festivities quickly. This situation requires rodent removal in Milton, but what attracts mice to your Christmas tree in the first place?

1. Lights

The lights on your Christmas tree may get the mice’s attention, but it’s not necessarily what attracts them to it. Mice are rodents with front teeth that never stop growing, so they are attracted to hard substances that they can gnaw on to file down their teeth to a manageable length. Mice particularly like to chew on electrical wires and cords, such as those that connect the lights on your Christmas tree.

If a rodent infestation damages the wires of your Christmas lights, they may stop working. However, this is not necessarily the worst of your problems. Mice may also chew on the electrical wiring of your home, which could cause an outage and put you at risk for fires.

2. Edible Decorations

Many people make decorations for their Christmas tree out of things that are edible: popcorn, cranberries, gingerbread, candy canes, chocolate, and cookie dough are just a few examples. These decorations are fun and festive, but to a mouse, they may represent a Christmas feast. Mice are opportunistic feeders but they are especially drawn to sweets, meaning that edible decorations may present a temptation.

If you have a big tree, you may not notice that a mouse is nibbling at your decorations right away. Once you start noticing the signs, you should call for a rodent inspection that can make a positive identification and formulate a plan for removal.

3. Climbing Opportunities

You may be wondering how a mouse can get into your Christmas tree to chew on your lights and eat your decorations. It isn’t actually that difficult for them because mice are excellent climbers. Evergreen trees used as Christmas decorations typically have rough bark on the trunk that allows mice to get a good grip with their dextrous claws. Christmas tree branches are also low-hanging and closely spaced to allow mice to climb up easily, almost like a ladder.

While a mouse in your Christmas tree is bad enough by itself, the mouse may just be using it as a way to get from one place to another. Mice like to explore and are always looking for new ways to get around. A Christmas tree may give them access to an area of the house that they wouldn’t be able to find otherwise. Of course, this depends on factors such as the size of your Christmas tree and where you put it, but a mouse may just be using the Christmas tree as a conduit to get to another area of the house.

Turn to Truly Nolen When You Need Rodent Removal in Milton

While some people have preferences about real versus artificial Christmas trees, there are risks of rodents hiding in either one. With a real Christmas tree, you may accidentally bring a mouse inside as a stowaway when you bring it home, though you may be able to prevent this by shaking the tree vigorously before buying it to cause any pests to fall out.

If you have an artificial tree that you bring out every year and keep in storage in the interim, a mouse may find it and decide to make a nest in it. This could cause an unpleasant surprise when you go to set the tree up. Truly Nolen can help you keep your holiday merry and bright by providing pest removal services year-round.