Have you heard scurrying in your walls at night? Maybe you have noticed that the food in your pantry has small bite marks on the packaging. If so, you could have a mice problem.
Once you begin thinking about mice in your home, you might start to imagine all of the ways they can cause damage. Mice can chew through wires, and insulation, and spread diseases. Thinking about all of the diseases mice can carry might cause you to begin worrying about rabies.
To explain, the rabies virus is a disease that attacks the central nervous system and is fatal without prompt treatment. Mammals, including humans, can be infected with rabies. While mice can contract the disease, it is very rare.
Despite this, you never want to allow mice to continue living in your home. If you have a mice infestation, you should call a wildlife control company like Nuisance Wildlife Rangers. We can trap and relocate the mice and seal off any entry points to prevent them from returning.
In this article, you will learn:
- What is rabies
- Can mice transmit rabies to humans and pets
- How to tell if an animal has rabies
- When should you call a wildlife removal company for mice infestations
What is Rabies?
Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system. It is fatal for animals who contract it. Keeping this in mind, it can be treated in humans if it is caught early enough.
Rabies is spread to humans via contact with an infected animal’s saliva. Usually, this happens when you are bitten or scratched by an animal with the disease.
If you are bitten by a wild animal, you must seek immediate medical attention. Once clinical symptoms of rabies appear, it is 100% fatal. In other words, you need to receive preventative treatment, like a rabies vaccination, before you notice signs of an infection.
The initial symptoms of rabies involve flu-like symptoms and discomfort, prickling sensations, or itching on the wound site. Eventually, these symptoms will progress. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the symptoms of rabies in humans include:[1]
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Confusion
- Agitation
- Delirium and hallucinations
- Hydrophobia (fear of water)
- Increased salivation
- Seizures
Do Mice Transmit Rabies?
Small rodents like chipmunks, rats, guinea pigs, and mice rarely contract rabies.[2] If they do contract the disease, their small size makes them likely to pass away before they can transmit it to other animals or humans.
Additionally, mice that you find in your house tend to come from urban environments. This makes them less likely to come in contact with wild animals that have rabies. However, if you live in a rural area, it is more likely for a mouse to contract the disease.
Keeping all of this in mind, it is unlikely that you will contract rabies from mice and rats found in your home. Despite this, you should keep your distance from rodents, as they can transmit other types of disease to humans and household pets. If you find mice in your house, you should contact a rodent control company to help you eliminate the infestation.
How to Tell if an Animal Has Rabies
It can be difficult to tell if an animal has rabies by simply looking at it, especially during the early stages of infection. That said, once the disease has progressed, there will be more obvious signs.
The signs that an animal has rabies include:[3]
- Behavioral changes like increased aggression, unusual affectionateness, or lacking fear of natural predators
- Strange behavior such as acting drunk, walking in circles, or appearing agitated
- Having trouble walking, eating, or drinking
- Drooling excessively or having difficulty swallowing
- Staggering and making strange noises
- Experiencing convulsions
- Switching from being nocturnal to being seen in the daylight
If you believe an animal has rabies, you should contact the health department or animal control. They will safely trap the animals and euthanize them before the disease spreads further.
When Should You Call a Professional Wildlife Control Company?
If you have mice or another small rodent in your home, you should immediately contact a wildlife control company. When there is one, there is most likely more. Mice infestations can multiply quickly, making it important that you treat the infestation before it spreads.
At Nuisance Wildlife Rangers, we are experienced in trapping and removing mice from homes. Whether they are located in your attic, basement, crawlspace, or a trafficked area in your home, we can help you solve the infestation. We will also seal any entry points that allow the mice to get into your house in the first place.
Find Help for Mice and Rodent Infestation
If you or a loved one is dealing with a mice infestation, Nuisance Wildlife Rangers is here to help. It’s never fun to find rodents in your home, especially when there are signs of multiple. Thankfully, we have decades of experience in the pest control industry, making us highly qualified to resolve any type of rodent infestation.
Contact us today for more information on our mice control services.
References:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Rabies Symptoms and Specimen Collection
- The Wisconsin Department of Health Services: Rabies: Small Rodents
- The District of Columbia Department of Health: Rabies Fact Sheet