Buying your dream home is, well quite frankly, everyone’s dream. You want your new home to tick as many boxes on your wish list as possible. What you don’t want are unwelcome, and unseen, house guests. You don’t want mice playing hide and seek in your kitchen cabinets or bats nesting in your roof.  That is not fun, and it’s certainly not what you signed for. So how do you know what’s lurking in the dark corner of a show house?

Obviously, a professional assessment is the ideal way to tell if a house has a mouse problem, and before you go that route, there are some things that you can look out for during an open house.

Mice control is important in Milwaukee. You don’t want to start your new life in your new home calling in pest control experts to get rid of a problem that you’ve inherited from the previous owners. When you view a house you look at cabinets, tiles, and fittings, but you also need to look for pest droppings, casings, and insect wings. This can give you a clear indication of who, or what will be sharing your new home with you.

What to Look For

The best way to know if a Milwaukee house needs mice control is to look for signs of a nest. Check small nooks and crannies, the backs of cabinets, and the dark corners of storage rooms for any remnants of mice nests or activity. Don’t ignore the bundle of shredded paper or fabric in the back of a kitchen cupboard. This might just be garbage and a sign of lazy housekeeping, but it could also be a mouse nest.

Check for small holes in the baseboards, mice can easily squeeze through a hole the size of a dime so be observant and examine the baseboards carefully for signs of rodent activity.

Droppings in the attic are a clear indication of mice. It might seem excessive to snoop around the attic of an open house but it will be worth it in the end. Taking a detailed look as possible is the safest way to know if the home has experienced a rodent problem.

Basements are another favorite hangout for mice. Carefully remove basement drop ceiling tiles and inspect the cavity for droppings. Also keep your eyes open for traps or poison in basements, attics, and garages. Those are an indication that the current owners are currently dealing with mice.

What to Listen For

You can listen for scratching sounds coming from under the floorboards or behind the walls. That would indicate that a house has a rodent issue. Unfortunately, mice are nocturnal and if you tour a house in the day, you probably won’t hear anything.

Mice and other rodents are not your only concern. You need to be on the look-out for any potential pest activity or infestation. Bugs, like cockroaches and moths, can be a nuisance and are often hard to get rid of, so be on the lookout for live or dead bugs.

The only way to truly know if there are any mice control issues in a Milwaukee property is to get down and dirty and check the nooks, crannies and dark corners. If you have any concerns about a property, or see signs of pest activity, it is best to call in the experts and get a thorough assessment before you sign on the dotted line. This relatively small expense at the beginning can save you a lot of money and hassle in the long run. Call us at Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control and our expert team would be happy to answer any questions.