A little bit about mice
Mice are truly tiny creatures- usually only around 2.5cm to 8cm long. They can squeeze through a hole the size of a 5 pence coin. This is partly due to their small size and the way their bodies have been adapted by evolution.
This fact makes them a very hard to get rid of pest as they can use the smallest of holes to enter a property or to escape. Mouse proofing your home or business is not easy as a result!
In Scotland for pest control purposes we usually only come across 2 species of mice. The common house mouse (mus musculus) and the field mouse (Apodemus Sylvaticus).
Field mice tend to affect homes and business in suburbs or in the country and are usually driven indoors by cold temperatures or the hunt for food.
On the other hand house mice -due their behaviour and habitat preference- like more central urban environments and are likely to be living in the wider building full time all year round.
Mice can give birth in as little as 3 weeks from conception. A single pregnant female mouse can give birth to a litter of 8-12 mice.
The young mice are usually weaned and moving about in 3 weeks themselves.
So as you can imagine a mouse problem of left untreated can escalate significantly.
The front 2 teeth -incisors- of a mouse grow throughout its whole life. As a result mice need to gnaw on things constantly to wear them down.
They are incontinent and defecate everywhere they go. This is tell tale sign to look for. Mouse droppings are usually the size of a grain of rice and jet black in colour.