How to Attract Mice Out of Hiding

Mice are predominantly found in cool and dark spaces like sofas, pantries, and in-between walls. Their active sites are areas where they can’t be disturbed or openly seen.

This means you have to outsmart them to bring them out of hiding. In doing this, you must consider your choice of baits and other factors for the process to be a success. 

how to attract mice out of hiding

4 Ways to Lure Mice Out of Their Nest

1. Use Food Baits

Mice are nocturnal but may be forced out of their hiding if food is available during the day. When using bait to lure mice, it is important to select the right bait. 

Food baits that are high in calories and with an attractive smell like peanut butter do an excellent job in this respect. They are not just very palatable to mice, they are sticky and very effective for mouse traps.

Cheese can also attract mice but can be easily removed or carefully chopped off by a mouse without getting caught. Other suitable baits you should consider include:

Chocolate: Chocolates have a strong smell that mice can detect from a distance. Regular chocolates or milk chocolate are suitable but first, you need to have a taste to decide which would be most tasty. Place it on the trap using protective gloves and avoid droppings anywhere outside the bait area.

Seeds: Mice also love seeds. They are easy to move and also taste great. Mice will readily come out of their nest when they sense the presence of seeds like bird feeders droppings. They gather as much as possible before returning to their cracks if there are no traps in place.

Pet Food: Whether your pets are cat hunters or not, there is a great chance their food will attract mice (especially if there are droppings). Placing these foods on the bait area of mouse traps is one way to get rid of mice in your home.

Fruit Jam: Fruit jam has a pleasing smell and easily attracts mice just like peanut butter. Place a few jams on the trap at night and wait for the mouse to get caught. Home pests like ants and cockroaches may also like to have a taste of this bait, so it is compulsory to check the trap regularly to ensure enough jam is on it.

Bacon: Mice are omnivores (can feet on both plants and meat derivatives). Bacon, with its great smell, is a very good option to lure mice out of hiding. Please note that they get rotten quickly at room temperature and must be replaced regularly for mice to retain freshness.

2. Use Rodent Repellents

If food baits do not work, you can try forcing mice out of their crack via repellents. Mice have a great sense of smell and get easily irritated by the odor of repellents.

Repellents are made of ammonia and naphthalene which generate a pungent smell capable of driving mice out of cracks. If the smell poses a problem to homeowners, natural alternatives like peppermint oil, eucalyptus and citronella may be employed.

Please note that the use of repellents is often considered a short-term measure. However, they can be a very potent method if combined with other rodent control techniques.

3. Use Mouse Poison

Mouse poison works just like food baits but this time, the bait (poisoned) is the killer, not a mouse trap. Mouse poisons are widely available in most local home improvement stores.

These poisons are made of tasty ingredients capable of bringing the mice out of hiding. Once consumed, the mouse is sure to die. The use of poison is not always preferred because you have to locate the dead mouse and properly get rid of him or her after the setup.

This requires a great deal of work and the ability to smell. However, if all you are interested in is killing all the mice in your home, food poisoning will do just that.

4. Use Nesting Materials

Nesting materials like yarn, twine, dental floss, and cotton are capable of bringing mice out of hiding. Mice are constantly in search of these materials because they need them to build their nest. With baited mouse traps strategically placed in such vicinity, mice will likely come out of hiding to get caught. This method is most effective at night.

Conclusion

Rodent control can be stressful when dealing with smart, nocturnal creatures like mice. Nevertheless, these methods have proven effective for those who tried them. 

You can also call pest control if you barely have time to carry out these steps. They are great at removing rodents from homes safely and effectively.

References

  1. https://www.prokill.co.uk/blog/get-mouse-come-hiding/
  2. https://www.orkin.com/pests/rodents/mouse-control/house-mice/where-do-mice-hide-in-a-house
  3. https://www.pestcontrol4london.co.uk/how-to-attract-a-mouse-out-of-hiding/
  4. https://pinnaclepest.com/how-to-lure-mouse-out-of-hiding/
  5. https://www.hunker.com/12003056/how-to-scare-a-mouse-out-of-hiding-in-your-house