Do Pet Mice Attract Wild Mice in Your Home?
The thing with pet mice is that they are restricted to the environment you keep them in. They live in a cage or some other type of container in your home and can’t go anywhere else. That is also where they get their food and water.
Their scent also can’t be smelled elsewhere but near their cage. A mouse cage is basically a closed system placed somewhere in your house. Mice are usually kept on top of desks or tables, which makes it really hard for wild mice to reach them.
Therefore, there is barely any way for wild mice to know that there are other mice in your house. On the other hand, wild mice care more about finding food and shelter in your house than finding other mice. They are mostly focused on survival and are oftentimes really hungry.
You are probably not going to find any wild mice near your pet mouse, yet the food you give them can attract them for sure. If you find an inadequate place to keep food at, then they might be able to find it. This is not only true for wild mice but for rats as well.
Food is the most important resource for them to look for and they are going to do their best to find it in your house.
How to Store Food for Your Pet Mice?
In order to keep wild mice out of your house, you need to be careful with storing food. It helps a lot to keep mouse food in sealed containers made of plastic or metal. You can usually buy foods in paper or cardboard containers which is very easy for wild mice to chew through.
If you have other pets, you can easily fall into the mistake of leaving uneaten food out in their bowl. Wild mice can smell those foods from afar and they are going to look for it during the night when they are most active.
Basically, any crumbs that lay around on the floor can attract wild mice. You need to be aware of this when you are eating snacks in front of the TV as well. Make sure to collect all the chips or other snacks that fell down after you have done eating.
When it comes to feeding your pets, try to feed them the exact amount they can eat in order to minimize leftovers.
Can Wild Mice Make Your Pet Mice Sick?
Wild mice can make your pet mice sick if they come in contact with each other. As mentioned above, this is highly unlikely if you keep your cage at a spot that is hard to reach. If you let your mouse out, however, he can wander off to places in your house where wild mice hide.
What usually happens is that your pet mouse joins them and then you are probably not going to see him anymore. But in case he gets back, you need to be careful because there might be a disease in his system that needs to be cured.
If you see any signs of disease on your pet, make sure to treat it as soon as possible. In case you are not sure what to do, call your veterinarian and he will give you advice.
How to Keep Wild Mice Away?
First off, you need to make sure there is no food lying around near the floor in your house. This includes the basement as well, if you have one. Also, leftover pet foods should be thrown away right after your pets have finished eating.
The food you store at home has to be kept in sealable containers if you don’t want wild mice to be attracted to it. There may also be some fruits that have fallen off the tree in your yard. Make sure to collect those and throw them away.
Another thing you can do is to look for holes around the house. There can be some small cracks where wild mice can fit in. You can fill those holes using wood, sheet metal, cement and many other materials.
Wrapping Up
Keeping pet mice in your home doesn’t necessarily increase the chance of wild mice invading it. This really depends on how you store the mouse food and where you keep your pets. This includes other pets as well, as food bowls lay around on the floor in many households.
As long as you make it a habit to throw away leftover foods, you are probably not going to see any wild mice in your house. In the winter, they can get in to warm up a little bit but still, they need something to eat. By doing your best at filling small holes around the house, you can minimize the chances of them entering during the winter as well.
