Can Mice Chew Through Duct Tape? (And 9 Ways to Keep Mouse Out)

Mice have strong teeth and a great desire to chew on items regularly. Mouse teeth, unlike human teeth, never stop growing so, they gnaw on objects to wear down their teeth, keeping them sharp, healthy, and a manageable size. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to eat as their teeth grow too long.

Except for glass, cured concrete, and most metal, mice can chew virtually anything from paper to hardwood to your house’s hardwall.

Despite their small size, mice can cause a lot of damage around your home, and duct tape won’t stop them from gnawing their way in.

Can Rodents Chew Through Duct Tape?

Rodents such as rats and mice can easily chew through duct tape. Their jaws are strong enough to chew through duct tape effortlessly. However, numerous layers of duct tape, in some cases, can prevent rodents from chewing through.

You can also go for electrical tapes such as the “Rodent Deterrent Tape,” which has been treated with capsaicin—a fiery spice that prevents rats from chewing on your car or home’s electrical wiring.

Why Rats Can Chew Through Duct Tape?

Rats can chew through duct tape because they have strong teeth that enable them to gnaw through things quickly.

Duct tape is one of the handiest products to have at home. They’re flexible, tear-resistant, and adhere to almost anything. For decades, people have trusted duct tape in repairing and making things.

However, if you’re trying to keep rats at bay with duct tape, you might have some issues. Rats have extremely powerful jaws that allow them to chew through nearly everything, be it vinyl, sheetrock, wood, or brick.

How to Seal Mouse Holes?

Fill any minor hole that you come across with Steel wool. To keep the steel wool in place, apply caulk around it. For large holes, use a lath screen or lath metal, cement, hardware cloth, or metal sheeting.

Most people think that a mouse hole is usually a small, arched entrance similar to cartoon programs. Mice and other rodents can fit through tiny holes and crevices no bigger than a nickel in size. To prevent these tiny pests from accessing your home, close any gaps you discover, both inside and out.

You can do this with a few cheap materials from a hardware store near you. If you already have mice in your home or suspect you’re dealing with an infestation, contact a professional exterminator for assistance.

You can take the following approaches if you decide to deal with these nagging rodents alone:

1. Use Metal Sheeting or Cement

Metal sheeting and cement can be used to seal off holes that mice use to enter your home. Walk around the house to identify any gaps; if you find any, measure them to determine how much cement mix or metal sheeting you’ll need to cover the hole.

Ensure there are no cracks in the cement or sheeting where a rodent may sneak through. To conceal the gaps, you can use a hardware cloth or a lath screen—a plaster backing material. Avoid using wood as rodents can chew them.

2. Use Caulk or Foam

Cracks in a home’s basements are a common entry point for mice, rats, and other rodents to make their way inside. You can fill the cracks with caulk to prevent rodents from entering your home through this entry point.

During the cold season, you may notice some cracks inside your home. If you suspect that a mouse could enter through that crack, shut the cracks from outside with a caulk.

3. Try Steel Screens

Some of the holes outside your house are constructed for a reason, for example, for access to the utility cables. Unfortunately, rodents can get in through these gaps.

Steel screens to prevent the rodents from entering your home while allowing the vents to serve their purpose correctly. You may need caulk to seal the screen in place.

Roof vents and chimneys can also allow rodents indoors, so you should install screens to keep rodents out of these holes.

9 Impressive Ways to Keep the Mouse Out of Your Home

1. Inspect Your Home

The first line of defense is to ensure your house is sealed correctly. Look for loose boards, vents, damaged or peeling sealants around the door and window frames, and holes on the outside.

Examine the indoors for evidence of mice—mouse droppings, chew marks, small holes, and paper or cardboard trash—especially in areas that are frequently overlooked, such as the attic.

Repair any holes, seal doors and windows, and use wire mesh or metal grates to cover vents. Regularly inspect your property.

2. Do Away With Attractions

Mice are attracted by food and water. You may unintentionally invite mice to stay if they can easily access food, water, and a concealed area for them to nest.

To keep mice and other creatures away from accessible dining grounds, you should fit tight garbage can lids, and compost bins should be well sealed. Remove and empty your pet’s food and water bowls after feeding them—leaving them out encourages mice to visit frequently.

Ensure your pet food is kept in an airtight container made of sturdy plastic or metal. Mice can easily gnaw a hole in the thin plastic or paper bags that pet food is often delivered in, and they’ll happily stay in a warm bag of dog or cat food.

Mice may establish a home in your yard if there are suitable nesting areas, such as a pile of wood on the ground, old furniture, or a brush pile. Clear out any spot where you suspect a mouse could hide and go unnoticed.

If you’ve established a mice’s nest in your home, carefully clean up the location since the scent of mice’s urine can attract others—you need to get rid of it completely.

3. Use Repellents Effectively

Both natural and chemical repellents will ensure that mice don’t want to stick around your property.

However, though very effective, chemical mouse repellents have adverse health side effects, and some people prefer natural repellants.

If you spot a mouse or indications of one, you should take action right away. Mice reproduce quickly, and a single mouse sighting can quickly become an infestation.

The rodents can cause severe property damage, such as eating through electrical equipment, and their droppings can provoke allergy and asthma symptoms and spread infections.

4. Try Cat Scare Tactics

If you have a large yard or grounds, consider getting a cat or two. Cats love eating rodents, and they are natural hunters and are always ready for a kill.

Mice get terrified at the sense of a rat, and they can flee an area immediately they sense a cat’s presence. So, even if your cat is too lazy to hunt down rodents and prefers sunbaking instead, it’s still helpful.

5. Leverage Different Smells to Repel

There are specific smells that rodents hate so much that they can’t stand. Among the stench that they dislike are peppermint, camphor, and mothballs.

Peppermint oil is effective at causing mice to flee. Its powerful menthol overpowers their sense of smell and irritates their nasal passages. Mice predominantly use their sense of smell to navigate around, and such powerful odors reduce their navigation ability.

Mice also dislike camphor oil and vinegar. Soak a cotton ball in the liquid and apply it near entry points if you’re using peppermint oil, camphor, or vinegar.

You can also dilute peppermint oil in a spray bottle with water. Spray along baseboards, in air vents, and in any access holes, you suspect. If you have mice in your walls, this method will come in handy. Your house may smell like a candy cane, but the peace of mind that comes with a mouse-free home is worth it.

Mothballs are excellent repellants in less-used spaces such as sheds, attics, garages, and basements. However, you won’t want them in your living room because they have a strong unpleasant smell.

6. Grow a Mouse-Free Garden

If mice are a problem in your yard or garden, consider including these natural repellents in your farm. Plants such as lavender, peppermint, garlic, and daffodil plants have a strong scent that keeps mice away.

Avoid using mulch or other items that can nest mice in your garden; use stones instead. Destroy any place you suspect they can reside. You should trim the grass, trees, and shrubs in your yard.

7. To Catch a Mouse

You can find many traps and poisons in the market that will ensure that a mouse never returns. While using these traps and poisons, check them regularly to remove any trapped or dead mice. Seal the trapped and dead mice in a plastic bag before throwing them away—leaving them unsealed can attract more pests and bugs.

8. Try Various Traps

If you’ve kids or pets, be keen to set traps only where they won’t be able to access them. When you’re dealing with a mouse infestation, the last thing you want is for your dog to get its nose stuck in a snap trap or, worse, your kid’s limp.

When a mouse is caught in a trap, it usually suffers substantial harm or dies. If you utilize one of these trap approaches, be prepared to put a trapped mouse out of its misery as soon as possible.

a) Snap Traps

The traditional mouse snap trap uses bait—usually a chunk of cheese—to lure a mouse into using its weight to set off a trigger. The mouse is subsequently pinned to its final meal by a lever that crushes down on it.

b) Glue Traps

Glue or sticky traps are used on flat surfaces, such as the insides of cupboards or near appliances, where mice are suspected of accessing your home. A mouse’s feet will be stuck in the glue if they run across them.

It’s best not to touch the glued spots because they’re challenging to remove.

c) Humane Mouse Traps

Humane mouse traps use bait to lure mice into a cage. This method causes minimal pain to the mouse but is effective.

This approach, like other traps, is likely to catch only one mouse at a time.

Once you’ve caught a mouse, release it far away from your house—the idea is not to harm it. Take a while before releasing it because if you remove it too soon, it may return to you.

9. Poisons

Poisoning is the most famous approach for getting rid of rodents. However, this method is associated with some risks. First, poisons don’t kill mice on the spot, so they’ll wander off to die, and you’ll have to track them down to dispose of them.

They could hide behind a wall or in other areas that you cannot easily access. Bacteria and germs will grow inside your wall, giving off a foul odor. Poisons are dangerous to both humans and animals.

Secondly, some poisons are not strong enough, and if the pest drinks water immediately after taking them, they may be rendered useless.

Moreover, poison substances are usually mixed with food to attract rodents. Kids and pets can accidentally feed on these traps, which can harm them instead.

Frequently Asked Questions