If you watched Saturday morning cartoons when you were a kid, you likely saw a similar scene play out from week to week: a mouse tempted out of his dwelling with cheese. The visuals seem to play a role in people’s understanding of rodent behaviour, but is it accurate? According to most experts in mice control in Barrie, it isn’t.

Can Mice Eat Cheese?

Cheese is not the healthiest option for mice, and most mice — and rodents in general — do not like cheese. Still, while most don’t like the food, mice are opportunistic eaters, and if cheese is available, they might eat it, but they will first eliminate other food sources. If you insist on using cheese to lure mice out of hiding, you might want to try less pungent options, such as Colby, cheddar, or gouda.

Soft cheese might be dangerous for mice because they do not have molars or a gag reflex. Molars help animals break down foods into smaller and safer pieces. Without molars, softer foods remain in larger chunks, meaning choking is a real possibility. Without a gag reflex, soft cheeses are even more hazardous for mice. Harder cheeses are often better options.

Despite popular belief, most mice are not lactose intolerant, but like people, some might be. With a dairy sensitivity, a mouse might experience diarrhea, which you don’t want to clean up, especially if you have a mouse infestation.

Ultimately, cheese is not the best or safest option for mice. Also, most mice don’t even like cheese. Mice prefer less aromatic foods, which can include meats and seeds.

Do They Like Cheese?

Most mice do not like cheese, but that is not to say that all mice don’t. Much like people, animals can develop personal preferences, including dietary preferences. Many homeowners know this just from watching their pets. Cats and dogs can be picky eaters, with some preferring dry food and others wanting only wet.

That said, residential pest control services tend to avoid cheese as bait because not enough mice like it. A safer option includes nut butters or seeds.

Is Cheese an Effective Bait?

Cheese is not effective bait because most mice do not like it. If you use cheese, mice will probably avoid the bait and seek food elsewhere. Unfortunately, your home represents a smorgasbord of possibilities. Mice can squeeze into pantries, chew through cereal boxes, pet food bags, etc. 

Traps and bait are not the most effective way to eliminate mice, especially when populations reach infestation levels. Mice colonies can quickly grow to numbers in the thousands within a single year; at that point, homeowners need to look to professional solutions.

What Is the Most Effective Way To Treat a Mouse Infestation?

The most effective way to treat an infestation is to hire a professional pest control service. Professional services understand rodent behaviours and also know how to use exclusion methods to resolve infestations. 

Exclusion is about eliminating most entrances and steering rodent traffic out of the home. With the proper techniques and tools, a service can get rodents to leave a property with limited use of harmful chemicals or lethal traps.

While some homeowners might want to use DIY methods to save a few bucks, it rarely works out that way. Professional services are almost always more efficient and cost-effective than DIY options.

Do you have a mouse problem? Have you seen mice running around inside or outside of your house? Call Truly Nolen Canada and schedule a property inspection. The company will send a team of qualified technicians to assess the rodent problem and offer possible treatments and service options.