Opening the cottage to find mice is icky.
They pee and poop everywhere they go, making a mess and causing a terrible odour. They also pose serious health risks.
Inhaling contaminated air may cause disease. This can happen when you’re trying to clean up the mess mice have left behind. While sweeping and vacuuming, particles of dried feces, urine and saliva become airborne. In a cottage with a major infestation, even walking can stir up dried droppings into the air.
Breathing in these particles is dangerous, because some rodents carry hantavirus. This includes the deer mouse, white-footed mouse and red-backed vole, which are widespread in parts of Canada, states the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Hantavirus causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which results in fever, muscle aches, nausea, abdominal pain and respiratory distress. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 38% of people who develop respiratory symptoms may die from the disease. No treatment or cures exists.
Actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Besty Arakawa, died of HPS in February 2025 in New Mexico.
In Canada, 143 cases of HPS have been confirmed through laboratory testing as of January 1, 2020, according to the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases. About 4 to 5 new cases are documented on average each year.
But those numbers may grow. Hantavirus is an emerging disease with pandemic potential, caution researchers from Virginia Tech. They recently identified 15 rodent species as carriers, including six species not previously identified as hosts of the virus. That means the virus could pop up in new and unexpected areas.
Chewed wires cause house fires. Getting sick from mice isn’t the only risk. Mice also can burn down your cottage.
While numbers aren’t available in Canada, it’s estimated rodents cause up to 20 percent of undetermined fires in the United States each year, according to a fire safety expert.
How? They chew electrical wires that spark fires. Mice are constantly gnawing to keep their growing teeth in check. They’re also attracted to the warmth of electrical components.
Older cottages may not have arc-fault circuit interrupters to prevent fires from gnawed wires. Even if they do, replacing damaged wire can be costly and inconvenient.
How to stop mice from entering the cottage
Unfortunately, cottages are prone to rodent infestations. They’re uninhabited for long stretches of time, situated in natural areas where wildlife is abundant, and may be older structures with ample gaps and cracks for rodents to enter.
In fall, mice are most determined to get inside. They’re looking for a warm, cozy den to spend the cold winter months.
To prevent them from coming indoors, exclude them. The experts at Pest HQ, Ontario’s leading DIY pest control supplier, offer these tips:
Look for entry points. Conduct a thorough inspection of the cottage exterior. Look for large and small gaps and cracks. Mice can fit through a hole the size of a dime. They also can scale walls, so inspect the upper reaches, not just at ground level.
Seal gaps. Don’t use builder’s caulk, which mice can chew through. Instead, fill holes with Roban Barrier Rodent Excluder. The professional-grade product applies like caulk but is reinforced with metal fiber. It’s waterproof, can be painted, and contains no pesticides. It can be applied in warm and cold weather (-45°C / 76°C).
Apply Roban Barrier Rodent Excluder with a caulk gun or putty knife to seal
· Cracks, joints and holes in brickwork and siding
· Gaps around utility pipes, conduit and cables entering the structure
· Joints and expansion joints
· Steel, cast-iron and PVC recesses and ducts
· Settlement cracks
· Connections between brickwork and drains
· Sewer connections
· Gnawed openings
Order this and other rodent control products online from Pest HQ. Items ship fast or can be picked up at our headquarters: 7 Meridian Rd, Etobicoke, Ontario, Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Questions about mice or using Roban Barrier Rodent Excluder? Our experts are here to help. Contact Pest HQ.
Read more:
More tips: How to get rid of mice and rats
5 steps for successful DIY rat and mouse control
