Mouse extermination costs $339.50 on average with a price range from $246.50 to $432.50. This cost usually includes consultations, inspections, trap placement, sealant applications, waste cleanups, and a follow-up visit.
If you have mice in your house and they’re not named Mickey and Minnie, you’ll want to show the rodents the door. From food contamination to diseases, mouse problems can create a variety of health risks for everyone living in your home (including pets).
National Average Cost: $339.50
General Range: $246.50 – $432.50
High End: $787.50 – $1,000
Low End: $126.25
How Much Does a Mouse Exterminator Cost?
The cost of mouse extermination ranges from $246.50 to $432.50 and can be as low as $126.25 or as high as $787.50 – $1,000. Your actual price will depend on the size of the infestation, property type (home, business, etc.), location (room or area of residence), extermination method, and the addition of any extra services like mouse removal, deep cleaning, and any needed repairs.
Cost Estimator by Mouse Infestation Size
The size of your mouse infestation — determined by the number of little household pests you likely have as roommates — is one of the most significant factors in your final rodent extermination bill.
| Mouse Infestation Size | Price |
| Small | $225 – $413.50 |
| Medium | $250 – $500 |
| Large | $325 – $587.50 |
Small infestations: This means you might have a few mice. It should be easy to find, remove, and prevent these rodents from coming back.
Medium-size infestations: There is at least one nest and probably a colony of mice. This rodent-removal job is more challenging and will require more severe traps, such as poison or electric traps.
Large infestations: Now it’s time for the big guns. Large infestations are those in which there are multiple nests and mice have fully invaded your home. This large-scale mouse extermination project may require fumigation or rodenticides.
As soon as you notice signs that mice are in your home, contact an exterminator before it turns into a large mouse removal job.
Other Factors That Affect Cost
Inspections
A rodent inspection is either free or costs $95 on average, depending on the exterminator. Inspections include looking for gaps near windows and doorways, checking for rodent droppings, and searching for nests.
You should receive an estimate of the expected mouse extermination cost in writing after the inspection.
Type of Property
Mice aren’t picky when it comes to moving in, but the type of property — a house, apartment, business, RV, or farmhouse — where the infestation is located can affect the cost of your mouse extermination bill.
House
Your house is the most costly location for mouse extermination. Here’s why: Because mice breed so quickly, if one room has mice, they probably have made their way throughout your house. This means your whole home will have to be cleared, cleaned, and repaired, not just the room where the mice were found.
Apartment
Apartments are slightly easier for mouse extermination than homes or businesses but come with some unique drawbacks. If you’re renting an apartment, contact your landlord — the property owner usually will take care of setting up and paying for the exterminator.
Mice can travel quickly, though, so if your apartment neighbor has mice, even if you are extremely careful, you’ll probably get them too.
Business
If mice have infested your business, extermination can be difficult and costly. Just like when mice invade a home, once a mouse enters your office space or restaurant, it’s extremely easy for one to turn into a colony, taking over the whole property.
How mice at a business pose extra challenges: Mice can start fires by chewing through wires, cause health issues to your employees, and force you to shut down temporarily if the infestation is severe. That’s why mouse prevention is so important for any business.
RV
Recreation vehicles, because they are left outside, are incredibly susceptible to mice. The good thing is it’s relatively easy to notice when there’s a mouse infestation, and you or a pro usually can remove the rodents quickly. Extermination from this location can be as easy as a DIY project with reusable mouse traps.
Farmhouse
Your farmhouse or barn is a cozy place for mice to shelter through the winter. The problems with that? Farm mice can contaminate your animal feed, eat through safety gear and first aid equipment, nest in your machinery, and become in general a pain in the butt for any farmer.
The main concern of rodents in your barn is how quickly they reproduce. The more mice in your farmhouse, the more damage you’ll have to pay to repair.
If mice have made a home in your barn, you can kill them with snap traps or electric traps, but avoid rodenticides as they can harm your other barnyard animals.
Pro Tip: If you suspect mice in your barn, make sure your livestock are de-wormed as rodents can pass diseases to your animals.
Cost of Mouse Extermination by Location
Where mice have made their home in your house, apartment, or business also can affect your mice extermination price. Location of the mice and ease-of-access to that location will lower or raise your price.
For example, exterminating mice inside a wall is far more expensive than getting rid of rodents in your attic.
Attic
Removing mice from an attic is one of the more affordable mouse extermination options. Here’s why: It is easy to determine the location of the mouse infestation, seal any entryways and exits, and quickly set up traps.
Kitchen
Your kitchen is an ideal location for mice because of the easy access to food. It’s best to use live or snap traps to get rid of mice in your kitchen because mouse poison near your foodstuffs is dangerous. Removing mice from the kitchen is not as costly as other locations in the home as it’s easy to access and seal off any mouse entry points.
Walls
If you hear scratching but can’t find any nests, you might have mice in your walls. Removing rodents from your walls is expensive. Here’s why: Setting up traps and removing dead mice from inside the walls likely will mean costly repairs after the mice are gone.
Garage
Exterminating mice in your garage likely will cost you more than getting rid of mice from other locations around your home or business. Why? Mouse populations can grow quickly in your garage, so you may need more expensive traps or bait stations to get rid of your rodent problem.
And if mice have made a home in one of your cars, getting rid of the nest can be a nightmare for you and your exterminator.
Method of Extermination
There are various ways to remove mice from your home or business — some more humane than others — and each has a different mouse extermination price:
Snap Traps
Snap traps are the classic mouse extermination method seen in movies. Pest control specialists recommend placing cheese or peanut butter on the trap to attract mice, and once triggered, the trap will snap down, killing the mouse.
The main benefit of mouse traps is that they’re non-toxic (to humans). There also are no chemicals involved in this mouse extermination method.
Cost: $1 – $30.
Live Traps
Live traps are metal or plastic holders that humanely capture mice. These traps need to be checked daily because trapped mice can die from stress or dehydration quickly. As soon as you notice a mouse in a live trap, it should be released appropriately.
Cost: DIY small live trap $8 – $10; large live trap $30 or more. Hiring a pest control pro to place the live traps will add $50 or more to your total cost.
Electric Mouse Traps
Electric mouse traps, which kill quickly and are almost painless, are suitable for small- to medium-size infestations. Once a mouse steps inside, it’s shocked with electricity and killed instantly.
Some electric mouse traps have a sticky base similar to glue traps and are enclosed to prevent caught mice from running out.
Cost: Using electric mouse traps will add $100 – $150 to your total cost.
Mice Fumigation
Fumigation, the most expensive method of mouse extermination, is usually used for extensive or severe infestations. Mice fumigation is done the same way as termite extermination, with a large tent placed over your home and a time-controlled pest killer spray released.
Cost: Removing mice with fumigation will usually add between $550 – $5,000 to your total mouse extermination bill, depending on the size of your home and the infestation.
| Method of Extermination | Added Cost |
| Snap Traps | $1 – $30 |
| Live Trap | $50 |
| Electric Mouse Trap | $100 – $150 |
| Mice Fumigation | $550 – $5,000 |
Organic Mouse Control
If you have mice but don’t want to kill or trap them, you can use organic methods — such as the smell of some essential oils — to repel rodents before they take over your home.
For example, mice hate the smell of peppermint, so spray any opening they can squeeze through with a mix of peppermint oil and water, or saturate cotton balls with the smell and place them in cabinets or drawers wherever mice tend to nest.
Mice also tend to avoid the smell of dryer sheets, apple cider and water, and hot peppers.
These organic methods are best used to prevent mice or handle small infestations. For larger infestations, you’ll need mouse traps or some other extermination method.
Extra Services
Getting rid of mice in your home or business often is just part of the problem. Extra services, such as deep cleaning your home or repairing damaged walls, will raise your total mouse extermination cost.
Deep Cleaning
Deep cleaning your home after your exterminator gets rid of the mice is essential to preventing disease and illness. Deep cleaning includes everything from wiping down all surfaces to cleaning every bathroom fixture.
Cost: Around $250
Feral Cats (aka working cats)
If rodents have taken over your barn, adopt a feral or “working cat” — a wild cat that has been taken in by shelters and can no longer return to free-roaming communities — to get rid of your mouse problem. All you have to do is feed and provide shelter for your feline mouse exterminator.
Cost: $0 – $25. Most animal shelters will let you adopt a feral cat for free or a minimal fee (usually $25).
Damage Repair
Following a successful mouse extermination, repairing, patching, and repainting walls; resealing holes; or replacing chewed-through wiring are additional costs.
Cost: Depends on the specific damages that need to be repaired.
Plumbing Repair
Mice can squeeze through extremely small holes or cracks, including your plumbing. The expense of repairing pipes after mouse extermination will vary depending on the amount of work involved and the location of the pipes to be repaired or replaced.
Cost: $60 – $142 an hour for a plumber.
Electrical Wiring
Mice can chew through anything — including the electrical wiring of your home, apartment, farmhouse, or business. Repair costs will vary depending on the extent of the damage and the amount of wiring that needs to be replaced.
Cost: $100 – $582 for an electrician
Mice Exclusion
Mice exclusion involves sealing any holes or entryways to prevent another infestation.
Cost: $67 – $190 per hour for a handyman or handywoman
Dead Mouse Removal
If your mouse extermination bill doesn’t include removal, you may have to pay another exterminator or critter control service to have any dead mice removed. The price depends on the location of the dead rodents, the amount of labor it takes to find them, and how many need to be removed.
Cost: $100 – $200 if you have to hire another exterminator or wildlife expert to remove dead mice.
Emergency Visits
An emergency visit by an exterminator depends less on the severity of the mouse infestation and more on the people living in the home. Mice can increase health problems and spread hazardous pathogens to immunocompromised individuals. The cost of an emergency visit depends on when you call your exterminator.
Cost: Adds an extra $100 – $200 to your total cost
| Extra Services | Cost |
| Deep Cleaning | $256 |
| Feral Cat | $25 |
| Plumbing Repair | $60 – $142 |
| Electrical Wiring | $100 – $582 |
| Mice Exclusion | $67 – $90 |
| Dead Mouse Removal | $100 – $200 |
| Emergency Visits | $100 – $200 |
Cost of DIY Mouse Extermination
DIY mouse extermination is a viable option depending on the severity of the infestation and the speed at which you need the job done. The materials listed here are best used for small infestations. The prices represent a range for the materials found on Amazon, Lowe’s, and Home Depot websites.
Cost of Materials
| Materials Needed | Cost |
| Silicone caulk | $2 – $10 |
| Synthetic rubber gloves | $2 – $13 |
| Reusable humane mouse traps | $4 – $50 |
| Non-toxic humane mouse killer pellets | $5 – $45 |
| Door rodent guard | $5 – $100 |
| Protective face mask for cleaning | $8 – $50 |
DIY Mouse Extermination (Step-by-Step)
- Where are the mice?
First, you need to determine if you have mice and where they are. The usual warning signs of mouse infestation include urine stains, droppings, seeing mice, and chewed wires. If you see droppings, determine from the feces whether you have a mouse or rat problem.
- Cut off their food supply
Cut off any food sources for the mice. Anything open — from sugar to pet food — should be closed in a container and put away. Then disinfect your home using bleach or another strong cleaner, especially where you think mice have been.
- Seal the entryways and exits
Seal off any exit or entryways the mice have been using. They can squeeze through tiny holes, so be vigilant and try to seal as many small openings as possible.
- Set your traps
Choose and set the mouse traps. There are many different types of traps and baits to choose from. Choose the method that you are most comfortable with (live trap vs. electric trap, for example), and if your infestation is in the kitchen, you may not want to use poison to dispatch your rodents. - Remove trapped or dead mice
If you’d rather not remove live, trapped mice (for relocation to a field far, far away) or dead rodents from your traps, you can call a local wildlife removal service to do this.
DIY vs. Professional Cost
The total DIY cost to exterminate a small mouse infestation is $26 – $268. This price is significantly less than hiring a mouse exterminator at an average cost of $339.50 to handle a small infestation.
For large mouse infestations — especially those that require fumigation — it’s best to leave it to the professional exterminators. After you are rid of your mouse problem, it’s best to hire a professional plumber or electrician to handle any pipe or electrical wiring repairs.
FAQ about Mouse Exterminations
Pest control is a necessary but infrequent service for most homeowners. Professional mice exterminators recommend having pest control services for your property every two to three months to prevent everything from ants to fleas.
The season when mice will usually invade a home is late autumn into early winter, and you should have an exterminator take a look then as well.
Mice have a short lifespan but breed like rabbits, leaving a legacy that you’ll have to deal with long after they’re gone. African Pygmy mice can live up to 2 years, but many house mice live much shorter lives, depending on their proximity to food.
If you have an infestation of mice, make sure all the dead ones are removed to prevent the spread of diseases.
Mice nests are shaped like little domes with one hole to exit through and are usually found in enclosed spaces. For example, you might find a mouse nest behind your refrigerator or in a desk drawer filled with paper.
Most nests are home to multiple mice, so even if you find just one, you may still have an infestation.
DIY or Hire a Pro to Get Rid of Mice?
Having mice in your home is hazardous and can create health problems for your family, especially children and pets. The average cost to have mice removed professionally is $339.50, and this cost includes a follow-up visit, trap placements, and sealants. This price can range between $246.50 – $432.50 and can be as high as $787.50 – $1,000, depending on the size of the infestation and any extra services.
If you decide to remove a mouse infestation on your own, it will cost between $26-$268. Pest control specialists recommend only eliminating small infestations on your own as larger ones may require professional fumigation.
And if Mickey and Minnie have moved into your house, forget the exterminator and call Disney to fly its rodents back to Orlando or Anaheim.
Main Photo Credit: Nick Harris / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
