Winter Mouse Prevention Guide for Colorado Springs

Winter is mouse season in Colorado Springs. From the first hard freeze in October until the snow is gone in spring, house mice and deer mice leave fields, open space and landscaping and look for somewhere warm. A garage, a crawl space or a pantry is exactly what they want. The good news is that a few simple habits keep most of them outside, and a fast response keeps a small problem from becoming a big one.

Why winter brings mice inside

Mice don't hibernate. When the ground freezes and food gets scarce, they follow warm air and food smells toward homes. A mouse can squeeze through a gap about the width of a pencil, and once one finds a way in, others follow the same path. Homes that back up to open space, greenbelts, fields or forest tend to see activity first, which is why our phones get busy in Monument, Black Forest and the mountain towns a few weeks before central Colorado Springs.

Signs you already have mice

• Small dark droppings, about the size of a grain of rice, in drawers, under sinks, along garage walls or behind appliances
• Chewed food packaging, pet food bags or bird seed
• Shredded paper, insulation or fabric gathered into a nest
• Scratching or light running sounds in walls or ceilings at night
• A stale, musky smell in closed cabinets or storage rooms

Seeing one mouse usually means more are nearby. Mice breed fast, so the first week you notice them is the best time to act.

Ten steps to keep mice out this winter

1. Keep the garage door closed, especially at night, and check the bottom seal. If you can see daylight under it, a mouse can get through.
2. Move pet food, bird seed, grass seed and pantry staples into sealed hard containers.
3. Look for gaps where pipes, gas lines, AC lines and cables enter the house, and close them up.
4. Make sure dryer and exhaust vents have a working flap.
5. Check crawl space vents and doors for gaps or missing screens.
6. Stack firewood away from the house and off the ground.
7. Trim shrubs, ground cover and branches back from the siding and roofline.
8. Get stored boxes off the garage floor and away from the walls so it's easy to spot droppings.
9. Pop the hood on cars and campers you don't drive often. Mice love warm engine bays and chew wiring.
10. Take a quick walk around the house after big wind or snow and look for anything that has opened up.

Clean up droppings the safe way

Deer mice are common in Colorado and can carry hantavirus, so cleanup matters. Don't sweep or vacuum droppings dry. Open windows or doors to air out the space, wear gloves, wet droppings and nesting material with a disinfectant, let it soak, and then wipe it up with paper towels. Bag the waste and wash your hands well. If the mess is large, or it's in a closed cabin or crawl space, let a professional handle it.

What winter looks like across the region

Every part of our area has its own pattern. Here's what we see most often in each town, with links to the local pages:

• Colorado Springs: garages and kitchens across the city, with the north side busiest early. See North Colorado Springs pest control and our Colorado Springs residential pest control page.
• Monument and Tri-Lakes: mice moving in from the open space and scrub oak in early fall. See mouse control in Monument and Monument pest control.
• Black Forest: outbuildings, barns and acreage homes. See Black Forest pest control.
• Falcon and Peyton: field mice on new builds and acreage. See mouse control in Falcon and Peyton and Falcon and Peyton pest control.
• Calhan and Ellicott: shops, sheds and stored feed on rural properties. See Calhan and Ellicott pest control.
• Woodland Park: cabins, garages and crawl spaces at 8,500 feet. See mouse control in Woodland Park and Woodland Park pest control.
• Divide, Cripple Creek and Teller County: cabins and short-term rentals that sit empty between guests. See Teller County pest control.
• Manitou Springs: older homes with stone foundations and lots of small gaps. See Manitou Springs pest control.
• Fountain and Security-Widefield: garages and rentals on the south side. See Fountain pest control and Security-Widefield pest control.
• Pueblo and Pueblo West: homes and businesses on the south end of our area. See Pueblo pest control.

When to call for help

Call or text when you see droppings in more than one room, hear activity in the walls or ceiling, find signs in the kitchen, or keep seeing mice after you've sealed up the obvious gaps. Our mouse control service finds where the mice are coming in and stops them at the source, and our rodent control page covers rats and larger problems. Many families keep a quarterly pest and rodent plan so next winter is easier. You don't need a visit to get a price: text us at (719) 465-4818 and we'll reply fast. We're running a winter promo right now, so text us for today's price.