Clearing mice out of a Scarborough home takes two jobs done together: trapping the mice already inside, and closing the gaps they used to get in. A treatment that only lays bait removes this month's mice while leaving the road open for next month's. Most Scarborough mouse jobs run $200 to $500, need one visit plus a follow-up, and carry our two-month guarantee. If you are hearing scratching in the walls after dark or finding droppings under the sink, that is a mouse, and fall is when they come indoors.
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Why you suddenly have mice (and why it is almost always fall)
Mice head indoors as soon as the nights turn cold, which across Scarborough runs September through December. A house mouse only needs a gap the width of a pencil, about 6 millimetres, to slip inside, and Scarborough's postwar bungalows, back-splits, and side-splits offer plenty: the gap where the gas line enters, a worn garage door sweep, the weep holes in brick, a soffit corner, an aging foundation that has settled and cracked. One warm wall and a food source and they settle in for winter, breeding the whole time. A single female can produce five to ten litters a year. That is why "I only saw one" turns into a real problem fast, and why the fall call is the cheapest call.
A mouse problem is an entry problem. Kill the mice without sealing the gaps and you have bought yourself a monthly subscription, not a solution.
The signs it is mice, not something else
- Droppings the size of a grain of rice, dark and pointed, usually along walls, in the back of cupboards, or under the kitchen sink.
- Scratching or scurrying inside walls and ceilings, loudest at night when the house is quiet.
- A musky, ammonia smell in an enclosed space like a pantry or a closet.
- Gnaw marks on food packaging, baseboards, or wiring, and small piles of shredded paper or insulation where they nest.
- A greasy smudge along a baseboard or entry hole, from the oil in their fur on the same path run night after night.
Mouse droppings are small and pointed; rat droppings are three times the size and blunt. If the droppings are big, read the rat control page instead, because the plan is different.
How we actually clear them
- Inspection (free). We find the runs, the nest areas, and every entry point, inside and out. This is the step that decides whether they come back.
- Trapping and treatment. We place traps and, where appropriate, tamper-resistant bait stations that keep the product away from pets and children. Health Canada's rules require rodenticide near homes to be used in these locked stations, and we follow them. See the PMRA guidance on rodenticide safety.
- Exclusion, the part that lasts. We seal the entry points with steel wool, hardware cloth, and sealant that a mouse cannot chew through. This is what turns a treatment into a fix.
- Follow-up. We come back to clear traps, confirm the activity has stopped, and check the seals held.
What mouse control costs in Scarborough
A standard Scarborough mouse job comes to $200 to $500. Three things move the number: how many entry points need sealing, whether the mice have reached the attic or only the main floor, and the size of the home. A one-bedroom condo with a single entry sits at the low end. A two-storey back-split off Lawrence East with attic activity and half a dozen gaps sits at the high end, because the sealing is real work.
| Job | Typical Scarborough range |
|---|---|
| Condo / single unit, limited sealing | $200 to $300 |
| House, standard trapping + entry sealing | $300 to $450 |
| Larger home / attic activity / extensive exclusion | $450 to $600+ |
| Follow-up visit (included in most jobs) | usually no extra charge |
Waiting costs money here. A handful of mice in October is a $250 job; an established colony in the walls and attic by February is a $600 one. The full cost page breaks down every pest.
Do you need a pro, or can you do it yourself?
A single mouse caught in a trap, with no droppings and no scratching, is often a one-off you can manage yourself with a few snap traps and a tube of sealant. Call a pro once you are seeing droppings in more than one room, hearing activity in the walls, or catching mice faster than you can reset the traps. That means they are breeding inside, and store-bought traps alone will not out-pace them. Our honest do-I-need-an-exterminator guide walks through the line.
Do not use poison bait in an open dish if you have pets or young children. Health Canada requires rodenticides around homes to be in tamper-resistant stations for exactly this reason. If a mouse dies in a wall it can smell for a week, which is another reason trapping plus sealing beats bait-and-hope.
Keeping them out for winter
The mouse-proofing that earns its keep: a door sweep on the garage, steel wool packed into the gap where pipes and wires enter, quarter-inch hardware cloth over weep holes and vents, and food kept in glass or hard plastic rather than the cardboard boxes mice chew straight through. Because Scarborough is part of the City of Toronto, the Toronto property standards bylaw applies here too and requires properties to be kept free of rodents, and sealing is how you meet that without poison.
Common questions
How do I get rid of mice permanently in Scarborough?
Trap the mice already inside and seal every entry point they used, then keep food in sealed containers and clutter down. Bait on its own will not do it, because it never closes the door they came through. A proper job includes exclusion, which is exactly why ours does.
How long does it take to get rid of mice?
Most homes are clear inside one to two weeks: the first visit sets traps and seals entries, and the follow-up confirms the activity has stopped. A heavy attic infestation can run longer.
Are mice dangerous?
They foul food and surfaces with droppings and urine, can carry salmonella and hantavirus, and their gnawing on wiring is a genuine fire risk. This is a health and safety problem, not just a nuisance.
What attracts mice into a house?
Warmth and food. Cold nights drive them toward any building with a gap and a crumb. Pet food left out, an open pantry, and clutter to nest in are what keep them once they have arrived.
Do I need to leave during mouse treatment?
No. Trapping and sealing do not require you to leave. If we use any product, we tell you about any area to stay off and for how long, per the label.
Is one mouse an infestation?
Not always, but mice seldom travel solo in winter. One caught with no other signs may be a stray. Droppings in more than one spot, or scratching in the walls, points to more than one.
Does the guarantee cover mice?
Yes. If mice are still active within two months of the treatment, we come back once at no charge.
Reviewed August 2026.
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