Are These Mouse Droppings? Mouse Identification Advice for Buckden

A good number of the calls we take about mice start with somebody saying there is a smell in a cupboard, a room or a loft that they cannot place. It is worth taking seriously, because it is a specific thing.

What the Smell Is

BPCA describe it plainly: mice have a really distinctive, strong smell so you will know if you have a large infestation.

It comes mostly from urine, which mice deposit constantly as they travel rather than in one place, and it builds up in an enclosed space. People describe it as musky, stale, slightly sweet, or ammonia-like. Once you have smelled it you do not mistake it for anything else.

Where You Notice It

• Inside a cupboard, particularly one that stays shut — under the sink, a larder, the back of a wardrobe
• In a loft, which is enclosed, warm and rarely ventilated
• Behind or beneath an appliance, where warmth concentrates it
• In a room that has been shut up for a while, on first opening the door
• Near a wall void or a service riser, where it comes through a gap rather than from anything visible

Then Confirm It With the Droppings

The smell narrows it down; the droppings settle it.

• Roughly 3 to 6mm long — about the size of a grain of rice
• Dark brown to black when fresh, grey and crumbly when old
• Pointed at both ends, fairly uniform in shape
• Scattered widely rather than grouped, including inside cupboards, drawers and stored items
• In numbers. Mice produce a great deal more than people expect

And the Other Signs Worth Checking

• Gnawed packaging — small neat holes rather than torn-open damage
• Nesting material: shredded paper, cardboard, insulation or fabric, gathered into a hidden corner
• Light, fast scratching in walls or ceilings, mostly after dark
• Faint smear marks along a regular route
• Sightings. One in the open in daylight usually means several

What to Do About the Smell Itself

Nothing, until the mice are dealt with. Masking products and air fresheners achieve nothing while the source is still being replenished. Once the property is clear, the smell fades as the contamination is cleaned and the space is ventilated — and in a loft, replacing insulation that has been nested in usually deals with the last of it.