Mice and rats love to move into houses this time of year where they can find a warm, dark, quiet place to live for the winter. Just one or two of these little creatures can bring havoc to your home. They nibble and chew through paper, fabric, insulation, and even wood. While you may not think that a couple of rodents can cause that much damage, wait until they begin to multiply.
How Long Rodents Live
Rodent is a term that includes quite a few different animals, such as mice, rats, hamsters, chinchillas and even squirrels. Because mice and rats are the pests that cause the most problems in people’s homes, this article will focus on them and how they live.
Mice are expected to live for about one to two years, which is shorter than the average lifespan for other rodents. Rats, like hamsters, generally live longer, up to three years.
The Life of a Mouse
Remember the children’s poem of Three Blind Mice? All mice start out blind at birth and hairless. After two weeks, they begin to be able to see and start to grow fur. By two months, they are considered to be adults. They can begin to reproduce at this age. They will carry their young for three weeks and can have as many as 10 to 14, though 5 to 8 are more common.
Mice can have up to ten litters in one year. This means, they have the potential to give birth to a hundred babies or more. Get rid of mice today.
The Life Cycle of a Rat
Rats are similar to mice, but they reach maturity at five weeks. They take about three weeks to give birth and have around seven babies on average. However, they can have up to twice that number. They usually have around five litters per year, which adds up to 35 or more new rats in your home.
If these numbers don’t scare you, just think about how many females are in each litter that will also reproduce in a few short weeks. You could literally end up with hundreds of mice in your home if you don’t get rid of them all.
Let those mice and rats start chewing in your home and potentially spreading disease, and you have a real problem that is tough to eliminate. If you see just one mouse or rat or evidence of their presence, you need to take action quickly.
Contact All Natural Pest Elimination for a fee evaluation of your home for pests. If you have mice or rats in your home, we can get rid of them for you. Give us a call at 1-877-662-8449.
