What Do Mice Eat?

In nature, mice are herbivores as they consume fruits, grains, and seeds.  They have been known to cause serious damage to crops and vegetable gardens as they consume anything in their pathway.   One mouse will produce 36,000 droppings in its lifetime.  The feces and hair from mice infestations cause billions of dollars of loss revenue for food distribution companies as these products contaminate food sources.

In the home environment, mice will consume a variety of different food products.  Although mice are commonly associated with eating cheese, mice typically do not consume cheese on a regular basis.  Mice that invade homes are attracted to foods that are high in carbohydrates, perhaps because they are readily available in kitchen cabinets across America.

Here are some of the food items that have been nibbled on and destroyed in my pantry when mice have invaded:

Cereal

Pasta

Chocolate (they love chocolate!)

Cookies

Chips

Flour (We call him the ghost mouse as he looked like a ghost when he popped out of the bag of flour!)

Sunflower Seeds

Spices

Boxed Jello

Boxed Pudding

Mice enter your home through small holes that lead from the exterior of your home to the interior of your home.  It is important to find these entry points so that they can be sealed so that mice will be prohibited from coming and going.

Having mice in your home is no laughing matter.  These pesky creatures are known to transmit diseases to humans through their feces, urine, and saliva.  It is important to have a Monmouth County, NJ pest control professional handle any mouse infestation to avoid dangerous diseases.