Have you moved into a new house only to find that you're not alone? Abandoned homes or rooms that haven't be used in awhile tend to become a haven for field mice. When the weather turns cool, the small rodents look for refuge in quiet, warm places. A unused room or vacant home fits their requirements perfectly. Mice will look for bedding, crumbs of food and random garbage to make their nest.
Features
A mouse nest can be made of a variety of soft objects. Often a mouse will chew into a pillow, fluffy bedding, a mattress or thick carpet and make a den style nest. The soft environment is comfortable for future babies and warm. Mice will also gather things they can find on the floor to make their nest. Bird feathers from a pet bird cage, bits of string and paper towels are all used to line a mouse nest. The final nest usually resembles a ball shape and is located close to the ground.
Identification
Mice like to make nests in houses, barns, sheds and any shelter near fields. Fields provide food, water and a place to hide during the evening hours when they are out foraging for seeds and grains to eat. Mouse nests can be found near areas where food is stored. Lower kitchen cabinets, grain bins in a barn and food pantries are all favored by mice. Warm areas are also a haven for mice. You can find mice nesting in the backs of appliances such a stove with a pilot light or in the back of a refrigerator near the warm humming motor.
Size
A mouse nest is usually small and round. They are generally no larger than a grapefruit.
Function
A mouse nest serves as the central home to a family of mice. Babies are born there and raised in the nest until they are viable enough to go in search of food on their own. The parent mice will not go far from the nest to look for food, so nests are usually built close to a food source.
Prevention/Solution
To help prevent mice from living in your home or from building nests on your property, secure all food storage areas and garbage cans. Make sure garbage cans have tight fitting lids. Be sure all pantries and cabinets have tight closing doors and no gaps in the woodwork. Seal any gaps or holes and put grates over ductwork for heating and cooling. Mice can fit through very tiny gaps that are only a potion of an inch. As long as their head can fit, they will get into the space.
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