Identification

• Light to dark gray in color
• Weighs to 1 ounce or less
• Small, slender rodent with droppings that are rod shaped and inch in size or less

Environment

• Live in and around homes, farms, and commercial establishments
• Generally maintain a territory 10 to 30 feet in size
• Move into structures in search of shelter and food each fall when temperatures start dropping
• Prefer foods high in fat, protein, or sugar
• Can subsist without a free water supply they obtain water from the foods they eat

Threats

• Teeth grow continuously
• Gnaw on many surfaces to wear them down can cause extensive damage
• Contamination

Treatment

• Difficult problems generally calls for the use of snap traps or glueboards
• Use traps in large numbers wherever you find droppings, food sources, and signs of gnawing
• Traps should be placed perpendicular and close to the wall, behind furniture, and behind or to the side of large appliances
• A line or concentration of droppings is usually an indication of a rodent runway; mice repeatedly travel back and forth across the area, and this runway is an excellent location to place traps
• Look for openings in the wall behind stoves and under dishwashers or adjacent cabinets, these are frequently entrance points for rodents; traps placed to either side of the opening can give quick results
• Drop ceilings are also a very common area for rodent runways
• In a drop ceiling, mice will travel along under ducts and near electrical lines as well as the walls
• Exclusion work on the exterior should be done with copper or steel wool, foam, and small wire mesh.
• Can squeeze through an opening the size of a dime, so entrance points should be sealed thoroughly
• Proper weather stripping and exterior doors that close tightly will reduce both insect and rodent problems