Mice are tiny, scared of noise, and also afraid of you!
But should you be scared of a mouse?
Are mice dangerous?
Is it bad news if they set up a nest in your home?
It isn’t just health risks that mice bring into your home. The physical damage they could inflict on your house could be dangerous and expensive.
In this post, we are going to give you 8 reasons why mice have the potential to be very dangerous!
Are Mice Dangerous? Yes – Here Are 8 Reasons Why.
When considering whether or not mice are dangerous, your first thought is probably yes, they can carry diseases. But that is not the only reason you should fear them in your home.
Let’s take a look at the 8 reasons now.
1. Fire Hazards
Since mice have ever-growing incisors, they need to chew on items to stop them from ever-growing. Once their incisors have grown to a certain length, feeding normally becomes challenging. This explains why they gnaw on materials such as cables and wood.
When mice are looking for a way into your home, they will chew through mortar walls and wooden beams in attics and walls.
Like other rodents, they will chew electric wires if they are in their way. Short circuits might be caused when they chew on the wires. I do not need to tell you how dangerous that can be!
The sparks that may come from damaged electric wires can land on clothes or other home items, and this can lead to a fire.
As a homeowner, it is vital to pay close attention to any of these signs to avoid fire hazards.
2. Infections
Staying healthy in the winter is a real challenge due to the common cold and flu prevalence. Also, it is quite unfortunate that some people are unaware of the dangers posed by mice, especially during colder times.
A rodent infestation might lead to life-threatening health risks like hantavirus, bubonic plague, and salmonellosis. All of which are devastating to your health!
When it gets cold outside, mice look for warm, safe areas to get food, usually homes. They use small cracks, crevices, and holes to enter homes.
Food contamination can also take place due to the accumulation of mouse poop that could spread bacteria.
3. Chew House Structure
Many animals can cause serious damage to your home. However, mice are one of the most destructive pests that can invade your home if left.
Mice will use every possible opportunity to invade and cause severe damage to the property. Other than causing infections and dropping their feces everywhere, mice can damage your home by chewing vital structural elements of your home to use as nesting materials.
Other than chewing wires and wooden materials, soft furnishings, and electronics in your home, they can access your closet and chew your clothes and other items.
4. Carry Fleas
Mice have a close connection with fleas, so you don’t want to have them in your home.
If you have pets like a cat or dog in your home, you have probably encountered fleas. Fleas are tiny, but they have strong legs that let them jump long distances. This makes them a real nuisance.
Flea bites are not good for your skin. Not only are they irritating, but they could also cause some skin infections.
Fleas are known to carry parasites such as tapeworms. The fact that mice could spread fleas in your house makes them horrifying and bad for your health. Mice are likely to be infested with fleas which will cause a similar infestation in your house.
5. Bite You
Mice can bite you, and although this is not the biggest mouse danger, it might hurt!
This is probably not something you wanted to hear! But they can and will if they are particularly aggressive and you have backed them into a corner.
Mouse bites are not particularly painful, but they can be a shock if you are not expecting it!
6. Carry Ticks
As small as a mouse, it can host several different bugs! We have discussed fleas above, and they are bad enough. So now we are going to discuss ticks.
Ticks are tiny insects that latch onto their host by burying their head under the skin. They tap into the blood flow and live the good life courtesy of you or whoever they have latched onto.
Mice can carry ticks, ticks can get onto you, and ticks can carry Lyme disease.
Lymes disease, if untreated, can lead to severe medical complications.
7. Mice Are Expensive
Cleaning up your home and fixing anything that this rodent may have damaged can be very expensive.
This rodent can cause severe damage in a matter of days. Since you love your house and the contents, you will spend lots of money to fix the damage.
Once your home is infested, your effort is required to ensure you and your property are safe.
8. Hard to Control
In the winter, mice look for shelter, good, and safety, which they can only find in your home. However, you can always prevent them from entering your home by performing regular inspections.
Start by checking any signs of chewed mortars and wood around your house. It is best to block all the holes, cracks, and crevices they might use to come in.
Note that prevention is better than a cure. For example, they can create nests in a matter of days. For example, you can find between five and twelve babies in each nest!
It is better to stop them from coming in, right? Time to deploy some pest control techniques before they make their way into your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do mice attack you?
It is doubtful that a mouse will attack a human! For a start, mice are scared of humans.
They will do anything they can to avoid humans. For example, a mouse is interested in food, shelter, and protection from predators.
A mouse may bite you only if you accidentally stumble upon a nest and put your hand in it.
Can you get sick from a house mouse?
Yes – you can get several diseases from mice, such as hantavirus. They can bring any of these into your house.
Are mice aggressive to humans?
No, they are not aggressive to humans. Mice will actively avoid interaction with humans.
I have been dealing with mouse infestations for several years, and I have only seen them try and attack if the mouse is stuck in a trap, and I am trying to release them!
If you keep mice as pets, they may become aggressive and bite you due to excessive handling.
Can you get sick from mouse feces?
Yes – Hantavirus is a disease spread through contact with mouse feces. It is fair to say mouse feces have health risks associated with them.
Get to know the symptoms of hantavirus and seek medical advice immediately if you have been infected.
Your health is essential!
Conclusion
Are mice dangerous in your home? The answer to this question is yes.
They are pests that come into your house, causing damage and health risks. You should ensure that you keep mice from your home in the winter by following some mouse control techniques and using a reliable mouse trap.
Clear up mouse urine and droppings immediately and follow a standard pest control process.
Prevention is the best thing you can do to keep your home safe. Remember, it is your health and wealth that you need to think about.
Good luck!
The most helpful part of your article was definitely the one that discussed the fire hazard of having rodents around. Fire hazards are something my family wants to avoid as much as possible as we have had other relatives almost experience their house burning down due to negligence. However, if even rats can have this happen by gnawing on our power chords, I’ll take some extra precautions and look for a pest control service that can help us get rid of any rodents that might be lurking in our house.
I live in a block of flats and the other day i was laid down on sofa and saw a mouse! I was petrified, day after i saw one running at the back of the cooker, ive put 5 trays of poison down and they’ve eat some so i know i wasn’t just seeing things. Now ive found out everybody in our block ov flats have got them!, phoned the council and they sed they will be out in 30 days! (there cud be a thousand more born by then! I’ve decided I’m going to phone the environmental health and speak to them about it, do the environmental health help? Will they tell the council that they have got to sort it?
Hey Kelly
It depends where you live, but in general, the Environment Health department will help. You mentioned that you live in a block of flats… if you are renting then you should speak with your landlord as they will have to help resolve the infestation. The Environmental Health teams can also help to get things moving with your landlord too.
I hope you get this resolved quickly, and thanks for getting in touch.