Mice are a smaller animal than rats but often a trickier one to get rid of, because they live inside the house, close to food, and breed fast. The answer is the same in principle: find where they're nesting, set traps and bait stations tightly around that area, and seal the gaps they're using. A mouse problem left alone for a season becomes several generations of mice.
How mice show up in Moreleta Park homes
In the suburb's freestanding houses, the garage is usually where it starts. Bulk bags of dog food, bird seed and stored boxes give mice food and nesting material, and the gap under a tired roll-up door gives them a way in. From the garage they move into the kitchen through the internal door, along pipes or behind built-in units.
Townhouse complexes are a different story. Units are close together and often built in rows, so a mouse population in one unit's kitchen units or roof space can spread along the row. Residents sometimes notice droppings appearing a week after a neighbour's problem started.
The newer estates on the suburb's fringe have tighter building standards, but mice still get in. A gap left where a new satellite cable or aircon pipe was fed through the wall is enough, and veld nearby supplies a steady stream of field mice looking for shelter once the nights turn cold.
Why mice are a health issue, not just a nuisance
Mice urinate and leave droppings wherever they go, including across counters, inside cutlery drawers and over stored food. That contamination is the main reason to deal with them quickly in a kitchen. They also gnaw constantly, and wiring behind appliances or inside a roof is an easy target.
Signs of mice
- Small, dark, pointed droppings, about the size of a rice grain, in drawers, pantries and behind the stove
- Shredded paper, fabric or insulation tucked into a hidden corner
- Nibbled packets of pasta, cereal or pet food
- Light scratching inside walls or kitchen units in the evening
- A musty smell in a cupboard that's been closed for a while
Our approach
We start by finding the nest area and the routes, which for mice is usually within a few metres of a food source. Mice range much less than rats, so traps and stations need to go where the mice actually are, not just around the outside of the house.
- Indoors: traps along walls, behind appliances and inside cupboards where activity is heaviest.
- Garage and outside: lockable, tamper-resistant bait stations that keep the bait away from pets and children.
- Cavities and ducts: tracking powder where mice run inside walls or service ducts and stations can't go.
- Proofing: we point out the gaps to seal: around pipes under the sink, where the geyser pipes enter, under garage doors and at weep holes.
The mistake that keeps mice around
Setting one trap, catching one mouse, and calling it done. Where there's one mouse indoors there are usually more. Mice breed quickly, and a female can be pregnant again soon after giving birth. Keep traps out until a full week passes with nothing caught and no fresh droppings.
Keeping them out
- Move dog food, bird seed and chicken feed into sealed plastic or metal bins.
- Fit a brush seal along the bottom of the garage door.
- Pack wire wool or mesh around pipes where they pass through walls.
- Store pantry staples in hard containers rather than paper and plastic packets.
Local tip: in winter, Moreleta Park homes with a fireplace often stack firewood in the garage or against the kitchen wall. Mice love a woodpile. Keep it raised off the floor and away from the house if you can.
What does it cost?
It depends on how widespread the activity is, how many rooms and outbuildings are involved, and how many follow-up visits it takes. A garage-only problem in a house is quick to deal with. Mice spread through several units of a complex need a bigger plan, ideally coordinated with the body corporate. If you've seen one mouse and no droppings since, a few hardware-store snap traps baited with peanut butter might solve it.
Mice and pantry pests go together: if your flour or cereal has bugs as well, see pantry pest control in Moreleta Park. For mice across the rest of the city, there's mouse control in Pretoria, and down the road we treat mice in Garsfontein homes. Other local services are on our Moreleta Park overview.
We've worked on mice for 25 years, and if they're back within three months of our treatment, we come back too. Call 012 012 5526, or snap a photo of the droppings and WhatsApp it to us.
Questions we get asked
What size of gap does a mouse need to get in?
Very small. A mouse can squeeze through a gap about the width of a pencil, which is why proofing has to be thorough.
Why do I find droppings but never see the mice?
Mice are mostly active at night and stay close to cover. Droppings and gnawed packaging are usually the first evidence you get.
Is it safe to use bait in the kitchen?
We generally use traps indoors and keep bait in locked stations in the garage or outside. That keeps poison away from food and pets.
Why do mice keep showing up in our townhouse?
If the problem is in the wider complex, mice will move back in from neighbouring units. A complex-wide treatment solves that.
Do ultrasonic repellers work against mice?
Not reliably. Mice often get used to them, and they do nothing about the gaps or the food that attracted the mice.
When should I call a professional for mice?
If droppings keep appearing after a week of trapping, if you find nests, or if there's activity in more than one room, it's time to call.