House Mouse Control in Albuquerque
The house mouse is the most common rodent call we take in Albuquerque. A state rodent guide hosted by the New Mexico Department of Health calls it widespread in New Mexico, in houses, barns and outbuildings, in town and in the country. It's small and grayish brown with a cream belly and a mostly hairless tail.
In Albuquerque, the other mouse you need to know about is the deer mouse, which carries hantavirus. They look similar at a glance. If you're not sure which one you have, read deer mouse control before touching any droppings.
What people find
Droppings come first for most people: small, dark and pointed, rice-sized, usually at the back of a drawer or beneath the sink. Then chewed packaging in the pantry or the garage.
- Droppings in drawers, cabinets or behind the stove
- Chewed cereal, birdseed or dog food bags
- Shredded paper or fabric tucked behind boxes
- Scratching inside a wall in the evening
How mice get into a stucco house
NMSU Extension says mice can get through holes about a quarter inch wide. On a frame-and-stucco house, that's the crack where stucco meets the foundation, the gap around a hose bib or gas line, the space under a garage door whose rubber seal has dried out in the sun. On older homes in Nob Hill and the North Valley, add old vents and window frames.
NMSU recommends quarter-inch hardware cloth, metal or concrete for sealing, and warns against steel wool, which mice can gnaw through. Rodent exclusion covers the sealing side in more detail.
What a provider will do
Look the place over inside and out, put snap traps along the walls near the droppings, and close the entry points. If bait is part of the plan, it goes in locked stations where kids and pets can't reach it. House size, the number of gaps and the amount of cleanup set the cost, and the provider names a figure after the visit.
Questions
Can I vacuum up mouse droppings?
No. Health agencies say not to sweep or vacuum droppings, because it puts dust in the air. Soak them with a bleach solution first. See droppings cleanup.
Are glue traps OK?
Not for deer mice. The state rodent guide advises against glue boards for them. Snap traps are the usual choice.