Yes, they do. Cockroaches are a part of mice’s diet. A typical mice diet consists of roaches, both German and American species, big or small, no matter the species.
Mice have been included as the number 3 enemy of roaches with humans taking the 2nd position and roaches themselves taking the 1st position with their habit of eating themselves.
While mice may not be picky over what they eat, they do prefer some food over others. Mice can practically consume any food source they can find, they have got a very diverse diet collection. In movies most times you tend to see mice running after cheese, but it might interest you to know that cheese is a mouse’s least favorite food. Of all food in a mouse diet, candies, chocolates, peanut butter are hands down the most favorite and irresistible food to a mouse. Mice are inquisitive creatures and they go about investigating things including food. Apart from eating roaches, they will eat birds, centipede, crickets, worms, snails; they will eat any time of vegetation including plants, roots, corn, mushroom, even tree barks.
Do Mice Attract Roaches?
No. mice do not attract roaches. The relationship between a mouse and a roach is that of predator and prey. Mice naturally, will eat roaches as roaches are a part of the things they will eat, so no, mice do not attract roaches. What attract roaches on the other hand are:
- Pet food
- Leftover food in empty containers
- Excess moisture
- Garbage
- Crumbs
- Dirty dishes
Learning what attracts roaches into your home will help you out in figuring out ways to get rid of them.
Do Mice Eat Dead Roaches?
Yes, mice will eat dead roaches. Either dead or alive, it doesn’t matter much to a mouse, all they are after is their source of food. Although they will eat roaches it is not normally their first choice of food.
Can Roach Poison Mice?
No. roach cannot poison mice. And some roach poisons do not affect mice whatsoever.
Can cockroaches and Mice co-exist in one place?
Mice and cockroaches are both nocturnal and tend to live in hidden dark places. Mice eat cockroaches and cockroaches, in turn, eat mice feces. They also eat mice baits like blocks and pallets without any adverse effects, so if you are using baits to control mice, you are otherwise feeding roaches without knowing.
ALSO SEE: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Stink Bugs?
Are Mice Dangerous?
Mice, just like cockroaches are bad to have in your house if not worse. Mice can contaminate your food, cause extensive damage to your home structural outlooks as well as your belongings with their incessant gnawing eating habit. They are carriers of diseases and can transmit several dangerous diseases to people and pets.
These diseases from mice are transferred through their urine and feces as well as their nesting materials not to mention their bites.
Mice do more harm than good, so it is not wise to use them as pest control even if they do make a small dent in the activities of roaches around the home. Some diseases transferred by mice include lymphocytic, Hantavirus, plagues, tularemia, etc.
How Quickly Do Mice Reproduce?
A female mouse can birth five to six babies per litter. Knowing how fast or how quickly mice reproduce can help you know how quick it is to have a mice infestation on your hands.
In just five to seven weeks, baby mice mature and then have reproducing themselves. Without access to adequate shelter, food, and water source, mice don’t tend to stay alive long as those that can satisfy these needs. It is quite difficult to get rid of mice infestation because they are not picky eaters and can get to eat anything in the house starting from well-stocked pantries, our pet food, and access to multiple sources of water from sinks to shower.
All these facilities alone have made it very easy for mice to set up living quarters within our homes.
Reasons Why You Have Mice In Your House
The reason is not farfetched, mice have found sources of food and water in your home and that is why they are there. Mice are opportunists, they seek access to three of their most basic needs for survival and these needs are shelter, food, and water.
You could be giving mice easy access to your home if you have cracks, screens, or holes in your baseboards, or gaps in your plumbing.
To make your home unappealing to mice and rodents you will need to keep your stovetop and counters clean, store food in tightly sealed containers, do not have leakage of water that mice or roaches can easily have access to.
How Do I Know I Have Mice Infestation?
It is easy to spot mice infestation by taking note of your environment, most especially top of cabinets, hidden and dark corners within your home.
If you notice small brown cylindrical droppings, signs of gnawing on baseboards, furniture legs, drywall, etc. then know you can get mice or a mouse in your house.
Listed above are strong indicators of mice activities in the house. Another strong indicator of mice activities in your home is hearing the sound of squeaking and movement in closed spaces like your pantry or ceiling and floorboard for instance.
Additionally, if you have got a pet and your pet keeps staring at a fixed location, it also shows the presence of mice.
How to Curb Mice Infestation
Because of their small size, mice can get into tight space, first and foremost cracks need to be sealed as little as it may seem to you.
Some tips to getting rid of mice include:
- Getting a cat, cats are known to be mice enemies.
- Peppermint and clove oil repel mice, you can saturate cotton balls in it ten places where you have noticed mice activities
- Block entry points with duct tape
- Set human traps.
For a severe infestation case, use spring traps or better still call for a professional pest control company.