Of Mice and… Dog Food?

Mice are well known for raiding people’s pantries and garbage to scrounge for your leftovers. Keeping your food elevated and sealed can help avoid attracting these rodents into your kitchen. However, we recently came across an interesting mouse encounter that didn’t involve human food.

Caught on Camera

Using a stop motion camera, one of our customers recently managed to catch his unwelcome mice guests on video. It turned out the mice were entering his kitchen from his sink cabinet. They would then scurry over to a nearby plastic container which is where our customer stored his dog’s food. The mice were sneaking in just to munch on some of this dried kibble.

Prevention

To deter the mice from entering again, we recommended relocating the dog food and swapping the open plastic container that the customer was using, for one that seals. Even if your open food is stored up high, this is not a deterrent for hungry rodents. Both mice and rats may be drawn to the higher areas in your home such as the tops of appliances or shelving, and mice can even scale a wall or object between 7-10 feet off the ground. Sealing your food sources tightly is the best way to keep rodents out. When the mice cannot easily access their food source anymore, they may begin to ignore your home, heading elsewhere to get an easier meal. 

Their Favorite Snack

When our tech, Chris D., intervened to catch these mice, he actually utilized the customers dried dog food, placing a piece of kibble in the center of each glue trap. Using the mouse’s existing food preference, especially when the source has been removed, is a great way to catch and remove a bunch of mice quickly.