It’s a perilous world out there for mice. Loathed by humans and chased by prey, the mouse without a home is a mouse searching for one. And once that little mouse finds a spot where he feels safe and well fed, he builds a nest a moves into to his permanent home.
There’s a reason mice are inside your home, and it’s because of that very reason that they won’t leave on their own.
The information laid out in this article is not meant to discourage you, but encourage you to take immediate action if you suspect mice are in fact in your home.
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Will mice leave on their own?
Quite frankly, mice will never leave on their own unless there is a good enough reason for them to do so. Well, you may wonder, what is a good enough reason? This is where the lines get a little blurry—mice already put up with a tremendous amount of danger every day.
In general, the reason for mice to abandon their home on their own has to be pretty severe. For example, you would have to destroy their nest…multiple times. If you are fortunate enough to find and reach their nest and you aren’t killing or capturing them at the same time, they will likely relocate it to a different place in your home.
Mice are resilient animals, and due to their size, they must deal with lots of danger and risk every day in order for them to survive. Furthermore, different families of mice are willing to withstand different amounts of risk and live in more dangerous environments. We can say, however, that the average person’s home is a Ritz Carlton for a mice compared to any living situation located in the outdoors: this is especially true in rural areas and farmlands where mice have more prey.
Just remember, these little pests are resilient and persistent enough to create its own prosperous pest control industry.
Will mice leave if there is no food?
You may be wondering if hiding all food is a good enough reason for mice to leave your home on their own; after all, apart from providing a protected area for them to sleep and reproduce, your home provides mice with adequate nutrition to survive.
Well, the answer is…possibly. You would have to do a pretty amazing job at sealing and removing all of the possible food sources in your home, which would include completely sealing all supplies in the kitchen cupboards and pantry, cleaning up all crumbs (on floors, countertops, couches, etc.), and sealing off all garbage cans.
If you manage to thoroughly do all of those things, there is a chance that the mice will have no choice but to exit your home—at the end of the day, mice live to survive, and if you completely cut off their food supply, they will be forced to find their meals elsewhere.
Unfortunately, you may adequately remove and seal off all food in your home only to find your mice unfazed and cozy in your home. In these types of scenarios, it really all depends on where your home is located, and what other options your mice have.
Homes located in rural areas, especially on or around farmlands, are extremely difficult to get rid of mice; there is an abundance of sustenance in woodlands and farmlands, and mice can have the luxury of safety nesting inside your home while scavenging for meals outside. In these rural areas, mice in your home will likely be there for good until you catch them (often requiring some type of professional pest control advice or support).
Where do mice hide during the day?
Because mice are nocturnal, mice like to sleep and hide in the dark during the day. If you have a mouse infestation, many of the mice will remain in or around the nest.
However, whether you have a large infestation or just a few mice, mice have been known to venture out during the day for a snack. Mice really do love sugary foods, particularly peanut butter, and many people have claimed to have caught mice during the day using mouse traps baited with peanut butter. Besides that, it is really uncommon to see mice during the day.
Do mice leave the house during the day?
Mice have been known to venture outside of the home during the day if they have reason to do so. They generally go outside of houses that are located in rural areas, for there can be many, quick options for them to eat; there can also be plenty of snacks outside of the home in houses in cities too, such as in alleys and dumpsters.
However, generally speaking, if mice are well fed inside of the house, they won’t leave the house, and they especially won’t leave it during the day when most of their prey are hunting.
Is there ever just one mouse?
Believe it or not, there actually can be just one mouse in your home. So if you spot a little guy or spot some mouse droppings, do not freak out, although you should never assume that it’s just one.
This type of situation is far more common in densely populated areas, such as cities, for there are less mice per square foot of residential space. In other words, the average apartment building or town house in New York City does not nearly have the same amount of mice within its immediate vicinity as a ski cottage, lake house, or farm house does.
Therefore, yes, it might really be just one that you see scurry across your NYC apartment floor and not a whole infestation. But that does NOT mean that you should assume that it is just one.
If you spot one or think you have one, remember to always take immediate action because getting rid of them will test your pest control abilities to the max. If things do quickly escalate into an infestation and you become overwhelmed, make sure you call your local pest control professionals for assistance.
