Feeding the birds? Or feeding a mice problem? Springtime mistake!
While feeding birds is a kind gesture, it can lead to an unwelcome problem. The Weather Network speaks with wildlife control experts who explain how you can manage the opportunists before they become a problem.
Feeding the birds this spring sounds like a good idea...until you have mice in the basement.
And that is why you might want to rethink the birdfeeder this season.
“Mice, rats and squirrels are opportunistic, urban animals. [They] will find that bird seed on the ground and will want to make a meal out of it," said Ryan Rainville, general manager of Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control.
"Often, when we are doing inspections, we climb into that attic and we are finding bird seed in the attic. Well, there is only one way it got there. The mice are taking it in. They are storing the food that they are finding during spring and summer to help them survive fall and winter."
Bird feeder. (Janet Stevens/Submitted to The Weather Network)
If you feed the birds, you will always take on the risk of bunking with a rat or a mouse. However, you can minimize that chance by doing this.
"Reducing the amount of bird seed you are putting out. You can be very diligent about cleaning the bird seed that hits the ground, so there is less food available for them. Or, you might look at, maybe in the summertime, hummingbird feeders that don't use seed, attracting different types of birds," said Rainville.
However, if you know you have a mice problem already, cutting off the food source is going to be your best move.
Mouse. (Getty Images)
"That is a really tough thing for our clients to do. And when I'm suggesting it. I can see it's not something they want to do," said Rainville.
And it's important to remember: It's never just one mouse or rat. These are communal animals, so there are always more.