# Help finding mice entry point.



## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

They can climb up the brickwork, to find access through the attic.

Also a hose bibb might have enough space around it for them to get in.

They only need a hole the size of a nickel, so look around the windows, doors, plumbing, electrical.


ED


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## WalkThisWhey (Oct 6, 2017)

I'm currently fighting this battle right now as well. I had a exterminator come out and one of the ways they look for openings is to use a mirror on a retractable stick; think a mirror on a "selfie stick". Just walk around the house on some low points and put that mirror there to see if you can look up for a hole.


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

Wander around your basement without the lights on, on a bright sunny day, and look for light. Look up at the sill plate and the end joist that the floor joists run into. If the outside siding material is loose or didn't come down far enough, they can get through sloppy butt joints in the sill plate or the end joists; for example.

If you have a daylight basement, look for similar gaps in the sill plates on the floor.


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

Rent a farm cat. They will find the holes and sit there and watch for the critters for free.

Well, a bit of kibble...


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## 78Vette (Nov 25, 2009)

Took me a long time to figure out , and I'm positive i plugged a lot of entry points before finally figuring out where they came in
Remember they only need a hole the size of a pencil and that they climb up wood and brick walls. I caulked all around the building and closed the gaps between the brick and soffit and i also bought drain hole inserts to keep them from walking right on in. 
Build me this dryer vent cover as well.
Entry point ended up on the roof, where the attached garage roof met the living area section of the roof and once i fixed that, i had no more mice in the house. It may take a while but if you take your time and look hard at everything, you'll find it!


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## 78Vette (Nov 25, 2009)

Geeze.....the pictures i posted above are straight on my phone and straight on my PC., but sideways on here.


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## JIMMIEM (Nov 17, 2016)

Sprinkle some talcum powder on the floor near possible entry points. Mouse footprints should give you idea what route they are taking.


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## mousestomper (Nov 4, 2017)

I'm having a mouse infestation as well. I caught 5 mice in 7 days... not sure if there are more though. I'm looking into blocking entry points to the house. Here are some suspected holes... which one(s) should I worry about?


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## 78Vette (Nov 25, 2009)

mousestomper said:


> I'm having a mouse infestation as well. I caught 5 mice in 7 days... not sure if there are more though. I'm looking into blocking entry points to the house. Here are some suspected holes... which one(s) should I worry about?


All of them


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## KChinn (Nov 16, 2017)

I battled this last year. I can't say I have located how they get in, but I used brass mesh screen to stuff into the weep holes in the brick like in the last picture. I also replaced the old dryer vent opening with one with a double door. I have seen them climb the brick on my house once as well. I had no idea they could do that. Tootsie rolls on a snap trap gets them all. They can't seem to resist it, and they can't get it off like peanut butter.


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## Lukus (Oct 24, 2017)

KChinn said:


> I battled this last year. I can't say I have located how they get in, but I used brass mesh screen to stuff into the weep holes in the brick like in the last picture. I also replaced the old dryer vent opening with one with a double door. I have seen them climb the brick on my house once as well. I had no idea they could do that. Tootsie rolls on a snap trap gets them all. They can't seem to resist it, and they can't get it off like peanut butter.


Thanks for the tip on using Tootsie rolls. Just so happens I have some leftover from Halloween. Peanut butter has worked well for me but I like the idea of Tootsie rolls as they are more sticky and not easily removed from the trap.

I'm still catching about one a week. I figured if it was out of control, I'd be catching one daily at least. I'm still convinced that they are coming through the dryer vent even though it is new, it's still at ground level and mice are smart so I'm sure they can lift the flap easily. I just don't know enough about dryers to tell whether it's possible for a mouse to enter the basement through an aluminum round duct going straight down 6' to the dryer and then find a way out of the dryer.

I'm pretty sure the point of entry is through the basement as I have not seen any evidence of the presence of mice anywhere else in the house. Bags of food in the bottom cupboards are intact and there are no signs of any droppings. My other guess is that they are coming through the abandoned fresh air for the old gas furnace. There is a mesh inside the outside vent but I can't tell if there's an opening in it big enough for a mouse to fit through. The mice have either gotten into the duct or climbed on top of it since I found some bird seeds on it. I do not store any bird seeds in my house so they came from outside.

Winter is here now and I would hoped to have tried covering the dryer vent like shown in one of the pictures above as well as completely sealing off the old fresh air vent but that might have to wait for now. I'll report back when I get it done.


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