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 Mice Chew Through?

Deer Mouse Droppings & Disease

How to Get Rid of Deer Mice

Where Do Mice Hide in a House?

Does one mouse mean an infestation?

House Mice Identification and Control | Rodent Removal

House mouse illustration

Does Riddex really work for mice?

How To Get Rid of Mice in Walls | Rodent Control

What Do Deer Mice Look Like?

Does brodifacoum and warfrin rat and mouse poison make rodents thirsty?

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