What a first visit includes
Why we start outside. Inside the house, mice show you where they've been: droppings under the sink, a chewed corner of a dog-food bag, a rustle in the wall at night. What they don't show you is how they got in. That answer is almost always outside — at grade level around the foundation, at the garage door corners, at the utility penetrations. So the first thing we do is walk the perimeter with a flashlight and a mirror, before we set a single trap. If your basement is finished, the outside inspection is the only way to find the opening, because the rim joist you'd normally check is behind drywall.
Then inside. We map where you've seen activity and where the signs are: droppings (house mouse droppings are about a quarter inch long and pointed), gnaw marks, grease rubs along baseboards, nesting material, and the runways along walls that mice use because they avoid open floor.
Species. House mice are the overwhelming majority of Johnson County calls. Rats are less common here; when they show up it changes trap size, bait choice and where the harborage usually is (outside). We'll tell you which you have.
Placement. Traps go where mice travel, not where it's convenient to check them: along walls, behind appliances, under sinks, in the garage along the foundation. K-State's guidance is to space traps no more than 6–8 feet apart in areas with activity, set perpendicular to the wall with the trigger end against it, because mice stay close to cover and rarely cross open floor (MF1123, Controlling House Mice). Peanut butter, bacon, dried fruit and seeds all work as bait; a cotton ball tied to the trigger draws mice looking for nesting material.
Mice vs rats: what changes
| House mice | Norway rats / roof rats | |
|---|---|---|
| Gap needed | A little over ¼ inch (K-State) | About ½ inch |
| Where they nest | Inside: wall voids, under cabinets, garage clutter, stored boxes | Usually outside: burrows along foundations, under decks and sheds; roof rats in trees and attics |
| Range | Small — often within 10–30 feet of food | Larger; travels between yard and house |
| Trap approach | Many small traps, close spacing, along walls | Fewer, larger traps; pre-baiting often needed because rats avoid new objects |
| What usually ends it | Sealing the small gaps (garage corners, utility penetrations, door thresholds) | Removing exterior harborage plus sealing the larger openings (foundation vents, gaps under doors, roofline) |
Source: K-State MF1123; rat figures are general references and will be replaced with a Kansas extension citation when we add a rat-specific page.
How long it takes
With traps placed correctly, most homes see activity fall off within a few days. Two things mean the problem isn't a treatment problem:
- Activity continues past a week or two with traps in the right places. That means more mice are coming in than you're catching, and the opening is still open.
- Activity stops, then restarts weeks or months later — usually in the fall. That's the next group following the same route in. Why mice come back →
There is no "five-day rule" in any extension guidance we've found. What people mean by it is roughly right, though: if you're still catching mice after several days of correct trapping, stop treating the symptom and go find the entry.
What we do after removal
Cleanup guidance. For the ordinary case — droppings under a sink or along a garage wall — the CDC method is simple and you can do it yourself: open doors and windows for 30 minutes before you start; wear rubber or plastic gloves; spray droppings and nesting material with a disinfectant or a bleach solution (1.5 cups of household bleach in 1 gallon of water) until wet and let it sit 5 minutes; wipe up with paper towels; bag it and put it in a covered outdoor bin. Don't sweep or vacuum dry droppings — that's what puts particles in the air (CDC, How to Clean Up After Rodents, 2024).
When we recommend sealing. If the inspection found open entry points — it nearly always does — removal without sealing is a temporary fix. We'll show you the list. Rodent exclusion and repairs →
Trapping, sealing or ongoing monitoring: which do you need?
| Removes the mice you have | Prevents the next ones | Right when | Fails alone because | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trapping only | Yes | No | First-time problem, small number, entry already known and closed | The opening is still there; fall pressure brings the next group |
| Sealing (exclusion) only | No | Yes | You've already removed the mice, or activity has stopped on its own | Mice already inside are sealed in with you |
| Trapping + sealing | Yes | Yes | Any recurring problem; any home with a finished basement or attached garage | — |
| Ongoing monitoring / plan | Ongoing | Partly | Homes bordering open ground, or where sealing everything isn't practical | Monitoring catches mice; it doesn't close holes |
Questions
Can I do this myself? You can trap mice yourself, and the K-State publication linked above tells you how. What most homeowners can't do easily is find the entry point — especially with a finished basement or a garage full of stored things. That's the part worth paying for.
Do you handle squirrels, bats or raccoons? No. This is mice and rats. Wildlife work is licensed differently, and we'd rather tell you that than take the job.
Do I need to be home? For the first visit, yes — the interior inspection needs you to show us where you've seen activity, and we'll walk you through the findings at the end.
RODENT CONTROL · OVERLAND PARK
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