Can A Mouse Chew Through Wood?: The Strength Of Wood Vs Mice

These rodents are savage pests that will chew through anything just to gain access to what they desire, however, can a mouse chew through wood?

Plastic and even rubber-like materials have proven to be vulnerable to these rodents, and over the years, humans have tried to come up with tougher surfaces that can deter these rodents.

Is wood one of these many materials? Can a mouse chew through wood? Well, let us now find out!

 

Can a Mouse Chew through Wood?

Can a mouse chew through wood? Well, first of all, this will depend on the nature of their teeth. There is something special about the teeth of a mouse, and this is that the 2 front incisors never stop growing.

Imagine going through that as a human being. Well, the mouse therefore cannot help but keep chewing and gnawing at a constant rate to ensure that the teeth are being filed by whatever they gnaw on.

So you cannot really blame them for always chewing and gnawing. Not doing this will only allow the teeth to grow to a length that they can no longer chew or eat anything, and this will certainly result in their death.

From the above information, it is now certain why mice must keep chewing and gnawing. It is simply for two of the following reasons:

• To file their incisor and keep it in check to avoid overgrowth, which could result in hunger and possibly death.
• To gain access to shelter in your home. To gain access to your ceiling boards and other parts of the house, mice will have to chew and gnaw through these surfaces.

The more they chew, the more they are able to file down their incisor, and the stronger it becomes. This way, they are able to cause a great deal of damage to household items and properties.

Now, can a mouse chew through wood? The answer is yes. In fact, with their strong teeth, a mouse can chew through the following:

• Plastic
• Rubber
• Soft Vinyl
• Fiberglass-based screening
• Low gauge aluminium

 

Read also: What Do Mice Eat? Feeding Habit of a Mouse

 

How Can a Mouse Chew Through Wood Be Prevented?

Can a mouse chew through wood be prevented? Yes, this can be prevented, and below are the basic steps to take:

• Decluttering: 

Mice are usually attracted to places that are cluttered and untidy. A poorly maintained environment will definitely attract these pests and allow them to chew through your wood.

Ensure your house is tidy and decluttered; this way, they lack hiding spots.

• Frequent Cleaning:

Frequently cleaning your home and keeping things in order will deter mice from infesting your house, hence, the idea of these pests chewing through your wood is somewhat an impossibility.

• Repair Pipes:

Ensure that you repair pipes and drain gates.

• Seal Cracks and Crevices:

When sealing large gaps, cracks, or crevices, ensure that you do this with thick materials that are somewhat impossible for mice to gnaw through.

These materials may include the following:

• • Brick
  • Sheet Metal
  • Concrete
  • Hardware cloth
• Fix/Patch Small Holes:

Just like large holes, ensure you patch small holes with materials that mice cannot chew through. These materials include:

• • Patching compound
  • Copper gauze

Can a mouse chew through wood? Well, we have now established the fact that they can actually chew through wood. However, following the above preventive methods will deter them from infesting your home, talk more of chewing through your wood.

 

Read also: How To Keep Mice Away From Your Bed In 20 Effective Ways

 

What Can a Mouse Not Chew Through?

The teeth of a mouse give it the ability to chew through materials that may seem somewhat impossible for them to chew through.

In fact, due to their incisors, these pests are able to chew through wood and a couple of other household materials. However, the inward curve of their teeth prevents them from chewing through certain materials (surfaces) that are flat and hard.

When choosing materials to patch large or small holes, you must ensure that these are materials that are mouse-proof. Below are a few examples of materials (or surfaces) that mice can not chew through:

• Steel wool
• Copper gauze
• Concrete
• Brick
• Sheet metal
• Hardware cloth

You can use most of these materials to patch smaller and larger gaps. Using them in your kitchens and even air vents will definitely keep these pests out.

 

Read also: What does Mouse Poop Look Like? Mouse Droppings

 

Conclusion

Can a mouse chew through wood? Yes, a mouse can chew through wood. As a matter of fact, a mouse is known to savagely chew through almost anything, especially when it feels that this material is its only blockage to a food source.

Having these pests in your house can lead to disaster and cause a great deal of damage to your property.

Besides wood and the few materials listed above, do you know of any other materials (or surfaces) that a mouse can chew through? Let us interact via the comments section below!

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