Pop culture has given us a few misconceptions about mice. And we’re not just talking about Mickey Mouse, the most famous rodent in the world. Tom & Jerry, Speedy Gonzalez and Stuart Little all make mice look rather nice.
The continued expansion and urbanization here on the Gulf Coast of Florida means there’s more opportunity for mice to find their way into your home or business, as we gradually take over their natural habitat. But make no mistake, they belong outdoors. In real life, you definitely do not want a mouse in your house. Granted, they are cuter than rats, but they still carry several diseases and filth in their wake.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Part of what makes mice so “cute” is also the reason they can be so formidable. They are small, can squeeze into tiny spaces, and look innocent when they are really bringing potential chaos into your home. For starters, mice are omnivorous nibblers. That means they can eat anything and almost everything, although they prefer seeds and grains. To build their nests, they can burrow into wood piles or the ground. The same thing can happen if they get into your house - chewing up wood, clothing, and paper to build their habitat indoors.
Mice leave behind urine and feces trails everywhere they go. Not so cute now, huh? Those trails can contaminate food, countertops, dishes, silverware and your pantry and closets. Did we mention they like to nibble? Once they find accessible food in your house – including items “accessible” by chewing through the wrapper or box, they will sample it. ALL of it. They’re like babies, putting things into their mouths and leaving behind what they don’t like – all of it contaminated.
The particles of the urine and feces can become airborne, which means you can breathe them in, whether you intend to or not. Their trails can also generate mold spores, adding an extra inhaled contaminant. And if a mouse nests in your ventilation systems… the AC or heating could spread those nasty particles throughout the house.
We should also note that female mice reproduce between 5 and 10 times per year, and each litter is 6-12 pups. That’s as many as 60 mice in your house in just a year. If you suspect an infestation, you should have a professional take a look.
Vector Niner Niner West
Like mosquitoes, mice are creatures that we in the pest control community refer to as vectors. That means they have a habit of picking up and carrying a disease from one place or person to another. Some of the worst vectors are the ones where it moves from another animal to a human, via a vector.
Mice are known to carry and transmit more than 35 diseases. These include Salmonella, or food poisoning, when food is contaminated by mouse droppings either on the food or the preparation surfaces. Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCM) can affect anyone, but it’s really bad for pregnant women. The severe neurological symptoms can affect the mother and the unborn child.
Kidney damage and liver failure are the end result of the bacterial infection known as Leptospirosis. It’s spread through urine-contaminated water. Of course, the thing mice and rats are most infamous for is the spread of plague and Typhus, although more recent research lays some of the blame for the Black Plague on guinea pigs. Typhus is transmitted indirectly via fleas that feed on infected mice. The mice and the fleas are vectors.
The bacterium Francisella tularensis has multiple methods of transmission. Tularemia infects
rabbits, hares, and mice. An outbreak can kill off hundreds or rodents in a short amount of time. Humans can exhibit symptoms of tularemia after being bitten by a deer fly or tick that acquires it from a rodent. Ulceroglandular disease causes a skin ulcer and a fever as your body fights infection. But you don’t have to be bitten. Oculoglandular disease occurs when the bacteria enters through your eye, often due to contaminated dust and aerosols when butchering an infested animal. You can also develop tularemia from ingestion of contaminated water or skin to skin contact with something infected.
Finally, the name feels more specific than it is, since rat-bite fever can be spread to humans when they are scratched or bitten by both rats and mice.
Imposter Syndrome
Because it can look like something else, HPS, or Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is one of the worst, or at least most dangerous, diseases a mouse can carry. Hantavirus has the same initial symptoms as, and is often misdiagnosed as, the flu. Headaches, fever, dizziness, coughing, digestive issues, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. In North America, deer mice are the most common culprits. But the rice rat, the cotton rat, and the white-footed mouse also spread HPS.
You can contract Hantavirus through inhaling the virus from disturbed rodent droppings or nesting materials, and eating food contaminated with mouse saliva, urine or droppings. You can also pick it up by touching things contaminated with the virus, then touching your mouth, eyes or nose, or being bitten or scratched by an infected rodent.
Hantavirus is the modern king of rodent-spread diseases, since the plague was mostly contained. If it’s not properly diagnosed and treated, a person with Hantavirus will feel their lungs fill with fluid, causing dysfunction to the heart and lungs. It can also lead to severe kidney disease, such as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.
This Old House
Rodents invading your home pose serious threats. Good News Pest Solutions is Southwest Florida's leading rodent control experts. We trap and remove existing rodents and prevent future invasions through proven exclusion and population management strategies, including inspecting your home and sealing it against further rodent incursions with materials they cannot chew through.
We’ve found mice and rats in even the most exclusive of gated communities. That may be why many of our customers go one step further after they begin the rodent elimination process. Our Thermal Acoustical Pest Control Insulation, aka T·A·P, is blown, recycled newspaper insulation, laced with organic, biological treatment products that kill bugs and prevent rodents. It’s also safe for the family, fire resistant, and provides some pretty good soundproofing.
If you have a rodent problem, or just want to explore our most comprehensive pest protection, one of our highly trained technicians would be happy to speak with you. Just give us a call!