Rodent service
Mice Control in Los Angeles, CA
A house mouse fits through a gap about the width of a pencil. That single fact explains why most mice problems come back.
Why the mice come back
Mice need a far smaller opening than rats. University of California guidance has house mice squeezing under gaps a quarter of an inch tall and through openings three-eighths of an inch wide, about the width of a pencil. A house can be sealed against rats and still be wide open to mice, and gaps that size are everywhere: under a door sweep, around a dryer vent, where a gas line enters the wall, at the corner of a garage.
They also breed fast and stay close to home. University of California research finds house mice seldom venture more than 30 feet from their nest and food supply, so droppings in one cupboard usually mean a nest nearby, not a wanderer in from the garden.
Which is why the trap-only approach fails so reliably. The traps work. They catch mice. Then more mice use the same quarter-inch gap the following week.
What we do about it
We inspect at mouse scale, which is a slower and more thorough pass than a rat inspection, subfloor, wall voids, the backs of cabinets and appliances, the garage, and every service penetration in the building.
Exclusion comes first, closing the openings at the size that actually matters, which usually means door sweeps, proper escutcheons and collars around pipework, sealing at the sill plate, and screening every vent to a mesh a mouse cannot pass. Then trapping clears the mice still inside, with no new ones arriving to replace them.
Contaminated material comes out and the affected areas are disinfected. Mouse droppings and urine are a genuine contamination problem in a pantry or a cupboard, not just an unpleasant one.
Jim and Dave, on their own channel, 626,000 subscribers.
Straight answers
- Free Phone Estimate, written price before work starts
- No poison, trapping and the Rat Vac system
- 100% money-back guarantee
- Family owned since 1982
Related
The rest of the work
Rat Control
About half the rat jobs here are roof rats, which climb in above your head through the roofline, the attic vents and the trees touching your eaves. Most of the rest come up through the plumbing, which is why we look at both before quoting anything.
Read more →Free Rodent Phone Estimate
Finding exactly how they are getting in: the attic, the crawl space, the roofline, the subfloor and the plumbing. You get the entry points and a written plan.
Read more →Rodent Proofing
Sealing every opening a rodent can use, in steel and mortar. This is the part that ends the problem instead of managing it.
Read more →Vehicle Rodent Removal
Rats and mice nest in engine compartments, chew wiring and leave droppings and odor behind. A four-step process to clean it up, treat the vulnerable parts and discourage the next one.
Read more →We handle mice control across Los Angeles County, see every area we serve, or start from rodent control in Los Angeles.
FAQ
Mice Control: common questions
How do I know if it is mice or rats?
Size and location, mostly. Mouse droppings are roughly the size of a grain of rice; rat droppings are several times larger. Mice are usually heard in the walls and lower cabinets; roof rats are usually heard overhead in the ceiling. We confirm it at the inspection rather than guessing from the phone call.
I have seen one mouse. Is it just the one?
Almost never. Mice are social and stay in a small territory, so a mouse in the open during daylight generally means the population is large enough that it is competing for space and food.
Does keeping the kitchen clean fix it?
It helps and it is worth doing, but it does not solve it. Mice will nest in a spotless house that has a quarter-inch gap into a warm wall cavity. Food is why they stay; the opening is why they got in.
Hearing Scratching in Your Attic, Walls or Ceiling?
Get a free phone estimate and straight answers about what could be happening inside your home. Family owned since 1982.