With the rapid pace of urban development and the consequent loss of habitat, mice are moving into residential areas to find food and safe places to nest. They are classed as a nuisance because they can eat our food, damage furniture and even electric cables, and leave their droppings and urine behind which can give humans a number of unpleasant diseases. The methods traditionally used to control mice and rats are now frowned upon, with poisons considered harmful to the environment, not to mention the danger they can present for pets and children. Traps are unpleasant to deal with and of course also result in the death of the mice caught in them. Catch-and-release methods can be time consuming and are no guarantee that the mouse won’t return. A mouse deterrent may be the perfect method to get rid of rodents without actually harming them.
A mouse deterrent is an electronic device that emits a sound that can only be heard by rodents and insects. Sometimes called sonic deterrents, the sound they send out is at a high frequency that humans, dogs and cats cannot hear it. The sound is extremely unpleasant to rats and mice though, and will make them move away from the noise and your house rather than listen to it.
A mouse deterrent is easy to use as it just gets plugged into your normal wall socket. Depending on the size of your home, you may want to put one at the front end and one near the back entrance, but most mouse deterrents have quite a wide range. Make sure that there is no heavy furniture in front of the socket you use, as this may block the signal being emitted. If you have an idea of where the mice are entering your home, for example through ventilation in ceilings or holes behind kitchen appliances, you should plug the mouse deterrent in near these areas.
Some mouse deterrent devices have different settings. The low setting will affect rats and mice, while the medium setting will keep insects at bay as well. The high settings will affect most small creatures, and should be used with extra caution if you have pets.
Although the sound emitted is unpleasant, it does not harm the rodents or damage their hearing, it simply chases them away. A mouse deterrent is by far the most humane method of controlling rodents available today, even better than the humane mouse trap that still traumatises the mice caught in it. They are easier to use too, as you just plug it in and leave it do its job. No handling poison or cleaning up after a mouse has been caught in a trap, or driving miles to release mice caught in human traps – in fact, no work for you at all. There are even some mouse deterrents on the market that have battery back up in case of power failures!
