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What Can Mice Chew Through?

What Can Mice Chew Through To Enter Homes?

Mice explore to learn about their environment. They also gnaw on various materials to gain access to shelter and to keep their growing incisors in check. Strong and durable, mice teeth cause a great deal of damage in homes. A mouse can chew through wood, plastic, soft vinyl, rubber and even low gauge aluminum or fiberglass-based screening.

What Can Mice Not Chew Through?

Mice teeth have an inward curve that limits the pests' ability to gnaw through flat, hard surfaces. To keep mice out of homes, practice prevention methods inside as well as outdoors.

Some common rodent-proofing methods include:

  • Fixing small holes with copper gauze and patching compounds

  • Using thick concrete, sheet metal, brick, or hardware cloth to seal larger gaps

  • Cleaning thoroughly and storing food properly

  • Ensuring pipes and drain grates are in good repair.

When choosing material to patch holes, make sure to pick something that mice cannot chew through. Some common sealants, such as spray-in-place foams, aren't rodent-proof.

Agile Intruders

Mice enter through openings as small as one-fourth inch wide and can jump as high as 18 inches. These pests even climb door and window screens and gnaw at siding to enlarge tiny holes. Mice are difficult to control and remove thanks to these skills.

When mice chew through wiring, insulation, or upholstery, they can create costly damage. The professional services offered by Orkin are the best option for preventing mouse infestations in homes.

Resources

Dig Deeper on Mice

What can we do about the mice above the ceiling?

Q

Our basement is finished with JYP rock tiles on the ceiling, and we can hear at times (especially at night) mice scurrying above. What can we do?

Is it a mouse or a rat?

Q

I can't tell if I have large mice or adolescent rats.

What should we do about mice in crawl space and attic?

Q

What should we do besides put traps out?

Is it a mole or a mouse?

Q

No websites give any information on getting rid of one in the house. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Mice in the oven

Q

How do you make sure there is no infestation, or that they have been removed? Is it safe to use the oven?

Mouse droppings in the house

Q

We cleaned out the closet by the kitchen where we have seen the old droppings and have not seen any more. Are they gone?

What attracts mice in your house?

Q

What attracts mice in your house?

How to Use Mouse Bait Stations

How to Find a Dead Mouse in the House

Field Mice

Field mouse illustration

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