How Can Mice Get Into My Kenmore Oven?

The Typical House Mouse

While they primarily eat plants, house mice also like seeds, crumbs, and meat and dairy products. Though they are good swimmers, mice avoid water. They require little water for drinking, and they will eat their own droppings, if necessary. A Kenmore stove, or any stove with a small opening, is easy for a mouse to get into, because of its small size and its ability to squeeze through a space as small as 1/2-inch wide or even smaller. Mice can also access breather holes underneath the oven, if it's so equipped.

House mice can jump, swim and climb most any vertical surface, which makes them capable of getting into any space desired. They typically live in structures, though they can also live outdoors. A freestanding Kenmore oven provides a wonderful opportunity for building a nest, especially if the oven is equipped with a storage drawer under the oven. Mice also like the insulation that surrounds the oven itself, and may find a way to worm inside it.

Mice commonly nest in attics, in stoves and underneath refrigerators, which makes the Kenmore oven, the ideal location to find mice. Though mice have poor vision, their sensitive whiskers let them know the dimensions of their space, which allows them to run between little crevices and cracks freely in the day or night. Females often share their nests with two other females. Since gestation takes only 18 to 21 days, it's easy for mice to reproduce quickly. Mice will typically travel no more than 20 feet from their nest -- usually at night, as they are nocturnal creatures.

Because they eat 15 to 20 times a day, don't leave food out in the kitchen, and ensure the oven is clean of crumbs and other cooking debris. Check and empty all compost bins and trash receptacles frequently to prevent mice infestations. Besides keeping the kitchen and oven clean, clean around the house, especially storage areas outside the house, to prevent infestations. Keep a good mouser on hand, as cats usually keep mice away. For severe infestations, it's best to contact a pest control service, as mice are unsanitary and known to carry disease.