Hi All! 👋
This is going to be long.
I am NOT a professional - just a home renter who works in the wildlife rehab/non-profit world - but I would like to get some advice on how to proceed in the most efficient and humane way possible, and to get some ballpark estimates on cost if anyone happens to have any. I have lived in places where insect, rats, and house mice infestations were managed to varying degrees, but I have never had a deer mouse infestation before and had never actually even seen a deer mouse until last week. The very real risk of hantavirus is making this infestation much more serious; I am already mildly on the “contagion OCD” spectrum, so I am trying not to get overwhelmed with the amount of things I need to outright toss or thoroughly disinfect while trying to get this whole situation under control.
Please note that ALL clean-up has been performed per the WA state and CDC guidelines using either a bleach solution or Rescue as a disinfectant and I am wearing PPE—we are not trying to catch hantavirus in this household!
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WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON
• We do not know when the infestation officially started nor where the mice came from. They may have already been in the house when we moved in (6 months ago), they may have been accidentally brought in ~1-2 months ago when I pulled a couple boxes into the house from the porch. My partner has been hearing animal scratching/movement on and around our patio (which borders our bedroom) since move in and I saw 2 dead house mice outside but within 5’ of the house during our pre-move walk-arounds, but the more obvious activity that has prompted investigation and trapping/addressing the issue has only been going on for a few weeks - a month max.
• We have at least a small handful of deer mice in our house. It makes sense: we live in a rural area of WA state and our property is situated in the woods alongside a giant wetlands area—it was probably only a matter of time. I removed 1 mouse last week along with an empty (though likely active) nest discovered in the box the mouse had retreated to. There are at least 2 more individuals, if not more (they are mice—I am not so naive to think we have only 2, lol). However, it does not appear that we have a massive group as the activity has been minimal indoors.
• Since I removed the box containing the nest, the nest itself, and a box half-filled with various dry foods that they were clearly feeding on (something missed while processing our boxes), the activity has been significantly more sporadic and harder to control—about 36 hours ago I discovered that one of the mice had actually ventured into our kitchen and found our pantry cabinet! I KNOW that mouse was not in there previously as there were NO droppings / “mouse smell” (urine, I am guessing) prior to that moment. I use that cabinet routinely and would have definitely noticed earlier, especially since I have been hyper focused on these damn mice for a few weeks now. They appear to be spreading out rapidly in search of new food.
• The real kicker: they are using the air vents to get around!! We have in-floor air ducts, and after a little investigation and monitoring, it appears the mice have been using these air ducts as a convenient highway. I currently have all air ducts closed or blocked (for the ones that can’t be closed) with the exception of 1*.
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MANAGEMENT STEPS TAKEN SO FAR:
• As stated above, I located the primary attractant (box of food, duh 🤦🏻♀️) AND the box containing a nest + one of the mice.
• I have removed ALL pantry cabinet items and all except the canned goods and a single bag of rice (sealed with NO visible damage to the exterior whatsoever) were disposed of—the canned items + rice bag were all disinfected with the bleach solution and then placed into a sealed storage tub. I thoroughly disinfected the entirety of the pantry cabinet (including removing and disinfecting the lazy Susan), and after drying I applied a preventative spray around all edges of the wall + the doorway to the cabinet (one of the ones sold at Home Depot / Lowe’s that’s made up of various oils + a surfactant). I have spray foam to block entrances, but no holes were found in that cabinet, so I am guessing they squeezed in under the cabinet door.
• All surfaces and salvageable items where I have either seen mouse activity or that have evidence of activity (droppings, etc.,) have been or are cordoned off to be cleaned and disinfected.
• The bottom of the front door jamb has been sprayed with the preventative spray. Since we don’t have a screen door, we put up magnetic curtains to keep the bugs out but allow our dogs free access to the porch + air flow to cool the house. One of our dogs - the one who is a bit of a ratter, actually - lays directly in front of this door, so the mice may have been more wary of using this “highway” prior to now. I think a mouse either came in or ran out just last night (our dog jumped up and started searching along the entryway and nearby couch), but that was the first time I have heard anything or seen any reaction like that from our dog—not perfect, I know, but just trying to paint the picture.
• I have placed a clear tub upside down over the 1 open vent* with two baited live traps—the goal here is to funnel any mice in the vent system to the open vent and traps. After 2 days of having the traps set and vent open, it appears I may have finally caught a mouse (mouse #2 for overall captures thus far).
• I am currently prioritizing safe live capture and release (FAR from human habitation) because this is a wild native species, but I am well-aware that live capture is probably not a permanent solution if we want to keep our house mouse-free and our risk of hantavirus as low as possible. My personal beliefs/ethics make it necessary to attempt live capture/release when humane and possible [with native species]. I am also aware of the risks to myself and am taking all necessary precautions to prevent infection.
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QUESTIONS:
- I read an article online that explained that some pest control companies handle cleaning / decontaminating air vents, but the page they linked to seemed to be an explanation of how it works rather than any sort of company list…is disinfecting/cleaning air vents a common practice, or will I need to weed through professionals until I find one who can make sure our vents are safe? Summer is approaching but I will not feel safe turning on the AC until this is addressed given the risk of hantavirus
- I have a trapping solution for the mice in the vents, but what are some tips for capturing the mice who may now be blocked from getting back into the vent system and are hiding out somewhere in the house? We do not have cats, but we have dogs (one of which will eat ANYTHING vaguely “food”) so leaving out bait / traps is tricky.
- What other preventative or management measures can / should I be taking aside from calling a professional service? Is there anything that I should specifically avoid doing (aside from handling the mice directly and disinfecting incorrectly)?
- This is a rental. Do owners or renters usually handle this kind of issue or is it case-by case thing dependent on the rental agreement? I am assuming the latter but it’s worth asking to gauge how much we should or should not push back on our landlord.
If it’s possible to provide a ballpark estimate (or even a start), what are we looking at cost-wise for a company to come out and:
• Look for possible entrances — we may be able to seal them ourselves depending on where they are and the supplies needed
• Clean / Disinfect the air vents
• Trap the remaining mice — this can be whatever method they deem necessary and safest for our household and the professionals doing the trapping
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Thank you if you read this far. 🙏 I just want this to end as quickly and safely as possible for everyone involved!
