Mice

In warm modern houses, and with the supply of food available, mice can breed all year round. Each mouse needs three grams of food per day, and provided there is moisture in the food, mice can manage without needing liquid water to drink. Mice favour grains and cereal products as a food source, so a modern house, with packets of breakfast cereals is ideal. For variety, they will nibble at anything else available, including fruit and vegatables. In empty houses, or if food is scarce, they can survive on soap, candles, or almost anything that has some trace of nutrition.

The ability to survive on tiny amounts of food, and the fast breeding rate mean that mouse infestations develop quickly. By the time you see a mouse running across the floor it is very likely that the infestation includes not just the mouse you see but all its relatives.

The signs of mouse infestation are the damage caused during feeding - loose food such as sugar scattered in cupboards and food packages nibbled round the edges. Mouse droppings are black, and about the size of a grain of rice. They will be scattered everywhere that mice roam, but particularly in corners of cupboards or around food packages. Although mice eat only small amounts of food each day, they tend to nibble and urinate at everything they come across. Most of the damage caused by mice is due to the spoilage of food.

If you have mice in your kitchen cupboard, check all food packages carefully, and throw out all open packets and any packets that show signs of damage. Transfer new food out of paper and cardboard packaging into mouse proof containers - glass jars with screw lids, or heavy plastic containers with strong snap on lids.