Top 5 Reasons for Having Mice in the Walls

You're trying to fall asleep in bed when all of a sudden... scratch. What's making that noise? Are the walls making the noise? There's nothing more unsettling than knowing you can't stop rodents from moving around inside your walls without tearing down parts of your walls. You might be asking, "Why do I have mice on my walls?" How did the mice even get into my walls? Let's look at the top 5 reasons mice are on your walls.

First of all, mice can get into homes through holes as small as a dime. They have bodies that can fold up and fit into places you might not have thought of, like cracks in your home's foundation. Mice and rats find these openings by following air currents that move between your home and the outside. As soon as they find a warm place, food, and water, they will stay and build a nest.

​Most people in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania who have mouse problems do so in the fall and winter when it's cold. Mice find it hard to live in cold weather, so they look for places to hide. Every year, mice get into tens of thousands of homes and businesses, which is not what anyone wants. It's not surprising that the most common places where mice live inside walls are places that are weak, often ignored, and have easy access points.

Broken or Torn Vents

Dryer vents, gable vents, attic vents, turbine vents, soffit vents, and crawl space vents are all examples of vents that lead outside. As the name suggests, they are made to let air in and out of your home. When holes and cracks are left open, rodents will follow the air currents inside. From there, they might be able to nest inside walls, which would explain the scratching sounds and movement you hear at night.

In the picture below, you can see where mice chewed through an old vent in a crawl space, letting bugs in. When a client called us about a rodent problem, one of our technicians who helps people get rid of rodents found this problem when he or she looked at the house.

To fix torn or broken vents, you can either fix and replace them or put up a barrier. "Exclusion work" means using things to physically stop rodents from getting in. Jersey City Exterminator isn't the only pest control company that offers specialized exclusion services to deal with these kinds of problems in a long-term or permanent way. You can stop rodents faster if you fix ventilation problems and/or keep an eye on them. Pest control companies are your best bet if the problem is too big, complicated, or expensive for you to handle on your own.

Cracks in the Base

Mice and rats can get into your home through cracks as small as 14 inches in the foundation or on the outside. They have bodies that can fold up and fit into places you might not have thought of before. Most cracks happen when the foundation shifts because the ground is sinking.

​Another common problem is water erosion caused by poor drainage or broken gutters and downspouts. Cracks can be a sign of different problems depending on their size and direction, but mice can get in if there is space. It's easy for mice to get into your walls from there.

In the picture above, you can see a larger crack in the foundation of a home owned by a Jersey City Exterminator client. Our technicians were able to find cracks and fill them with materials that rodents can't chew through.

Weep Holes

Weep holes are gaps between bricks that are made on purpose when masonry is done on a house or other building. Weep holes are meant to keep water from getting trapped behind the bricks, which can cause problems with the building's structure. Weep holes shouldn't be sealed or filled in, but it's important to keep them screened off so that rodents and other insects can't get in.

​Weep holes are big and open, which makes them a great place for pests to live. This is a very common problem for people who work in pest control. The best way to keep weep holes working the way the mason intended and keep rodents out is to use professional materials that stop rodents from getting in but still let the space breathe.

Unsealed Utility Pipes

When they connect to the outside of the house, pipes for things like sump pumps (shown above) and other plumbing aren't always completely sealed. Mice are good climbers and can get into your basement and walls through the spaces around pipes. Walk around your house outside and look for these holes. Remember that mice only need 14 inches to fall over.

​As soon as possible, you should take care of any pipes that show a way in. It's not always the first thing that comes to mind, so even if you don't have a rodent problem now or have had one in the past, you're leaving your home open to future ones.

Builder's Gap

A "builder's gap," also called a "construction gap" or "roof gap," is sometimes left in a house during construction to let it breathe. This hole is where the roof and gutters meet. It runs horizontally along the place where the roof and gutters should meet. Most of the time, it's covered by shingles, so you might not know that your roof has an exposed builder's gap.

​Rats, mice, and squirrels are known to get into attics through this space. Once rodents get into your attic, it's easy for them to move to other parts of your home, like the wall voids and other rooms. What can you do about a builder's gap?

The best thing to do is hire a professional pest control service. With the right training, they should be able to climb up on ladders and check the gutter line for signs of a builder's hole and see if rodents are using it as an entry point.

At Jersey City Exterminator, our dedicated exclusion team members are not only experts at getting rid of pests, but they are also trained and certified in pest control. The training they get all year long is the same training that our pest control technicians go through. We offer the best service in New Jersey and Pennsylvania because we know so much about so many things.

How can Jersey City Exterminator stop mice from getting into your walls?

Jersey City Exterminator's Rodent and Wildlife Exclusion Service could help you if you have problems with rodents in your home over and over again. This whole-house solution is a permanent way to keep rodents out of your home. In addition to getting rid of the rodents you already have, we will physically seal all openings on the outside of your home to keep them from coming back.
Low-lying areas will have traps and wire mesh put up by our skilled exclusion technicians. On the roof and in the crawlspace, you need to seal, cap, and install metal flashing. For an extra fee, you could also get other solutions like GutterLock.

Low-lying areas will have traps and wire mesh put up by our skilled exclusion technicians. On the roof and in the crawlspace, you need to seal, cap, and install metal flashing. For an extra fee, you could also get other solutions like GutterLock.

Our service for getting rid of rodents from homes includes:

• Putting door sweeps on garage doors with gaps that can be seen
• Sealing cracks on the outside of the foundation walls to keep rodents out
• Filling in all open spaces around drain pipes and conduits inside and outside the home
• Rodents and other pests can get in through holes in the roof and attic.
  
  

Jersey City Exterminator's Rodent and Wildlife Exclusion Service can also be changed to keep squirrels, bats, birds, and other animals from getting into your home. This humane and long-lasting solution will give you and your family relief right away and peace of mind, knowing that you are in the hands of trained professionals in your area.

For more information and to set up a free inspection at your home, call us at ​(201) 460-6068 or fill out the form on this page.