Fertilizers can be an invaluable resource for healthy lawns and productive gardens. But these nutrient-rich products also attract mice seeking food. So will mice eat fertilizer if given the chance? As a professional fertilizer production line manufacturer, I will help you to find out.
Will Mice Eat Fertilizer?
The short answer is yes. Mice are omnivores that will eat almost anything to survive. This includes various fertilizers, especially those with edible components like grains or seeds. Understanding why mice are drawn to fertilizers can help prevent damage.
Why Mice Are Attracted to Fertilizers?
Mice don’t specifically seek out fertilizers as a preferred food source. But they have extremely strong senses of smell and can detect even small traces of edible matter. This leads them to investigate bags and containers of fertilizer in search of snacks.
There are a few key reasons mice may start nibbling on fertilizer:
It Smells Like Food
Many fertilizers contain grain products, including common ingredients like:
- Corn gluten meal
- Soybean meal
- Feather meal
- Blood meal
- Alfalfa meal
These nutritious additions provide organic nitrogen sources to help plants grow. But to mice, they smell like delicious, easy-to-reach meals conveniently served up in bags and buckets.
Even inorganic fertilizers often smell enticing. Granules and pellets absorb nearby scents, like grass clippings, gardens, or pet food. Curious mice discover the bags and sample the contents looking for snacks.
It Contains Edible Matter
In addition to grain-based organic fertilizers, other products may contain food-based matter like:
- Bone meal
- Cottonseed meal
- Fish products
- Worm castings
These nutrient-dense additives nourish plants and soil. But mice attracted to the smell can’t resist indulging. They’ll nibble fertilizer right out of opened bags and containers.
Nesting Material is Nearby
Mice build intricate nests for breeding and sheltering babies. They prefer insulating materials like leaves, grass clippings, straw, and shredded paper that hold heat, moisture, and scents.
When fertilizer bags sit close to leftover garden materials or piles of dry vegetation destined for the compost heap, mice find ideal nesting sites. They’ll harvest nearby fertilizer as convenient food since it’s so close to nesting areas.
This is especially true in garages and sheds, where mice move in seeking shelter. They’ll gather fertilizer and other items like grass seed as handy food sources near their new homes.
Dangers of Mice Eating Fertilizer
While fertilizer offers nutrition, consuming these products does carry risks for mice. Some key dangers include:
Toxic Effects
Some fertilizers, especially synthetic options, contain compounds that can be toxic if consumed. Ingredients like ammonia, urea, and chemical salts nourish plants but may irritate digestive systems. Mice gorging on straight fertilizer face toxicity.
However, most don’t deliberately eat pure fertilizer. They target small traces of edible matter. So toxicity isn’t an issue if better food sources exist nearby.
Overconsumption of Nutrients
When appetizing additions like bone, alfalfa, and feather meals drive fertilizer cravings, mice focus on the tasty parts. This can lead to overconsumption of specific nutrients.
For example, excessive phosphorus intake overworks kidneys and causes deficiency in calcium absorption. Too much feather meal without other nutrition sources means incomplete amino acid intake.
Imbalanced diets impact growth rates for young mice and cause malnutrition. But if multiple food options exist, mice typically balance overall nutritional intake.
Increased Competition
An easily accessible fertilizer buffet attracts more than just mice. Other animals like rats, squirrels, racoons, and even pets start sniffing around.
Suddenly there’s increased competition for resources. Packs of hungry creatures fighting over food leads to confrontation and drives timid mice to search elsewhere for safety and sustenance.
While fertilizers offer nutrition, mice face risks ranging from toxicity to competition when indulging heavily. But they’ll tolerate these threats to access high-calorie additions that enhance flavor and provide energy.
Keeping Mice Away from Fertilizer Storage Areas
Preventing mice from accessing tasty fertilizers involves eliminating food sources, restricting shelter, and proper storage. Useful strategies include:
Removing Other Food Materials
Eliminating discarded vegetation, accumulated grass clippings, forgotten pet food bowls, and excessive bird feed spillage removes tempting nibbles. This forces mice to work harder finding scattered seeds and less convenient meals instead of indulging on fermenting fruits or easily accessed fertilizer.
Restricting Access
Block potential nesting zones in garages and sheds where fertilizer gets stored. Seal gaps around doors and walls, arrange items to minimize hiding spots, and eliminate clutter to discourage mice from settling nearby. Restrict access so they must live and forage elsewhere.
Using Lidded Buckets
Transferring bagged fertilizer into sturdy, lidded 5-gallon buckets denies access. Handles allow easy transport to treatment areas without spilling on the ground. Gamma seal lids create tight seals, and built-in bellows displace opened air to keep humidity and moisture out. These impenetrable buckets deny mice entry.
Storing in Secured Sheds
Designate cleaned, clutter-free storage sheds or garages for fertilizer and chemicals only. Add sealing strips on doors, install wire mesh screens over vents and windows, and ensure exterior walls lack cracks or holes. Lock access doors when unattended. Separating fertilizer in secured buildings with restricted access prevents opportunities for mice.
Placing in Metal Containers
Galvanized metal trash cans make sturdy fertilizer storage containers once original packaging gets opened. Their smooth surfaces deny footholds for climbing, and lidded designs prevent easy entry from above. Like bucket storage, these heavy-duty metal containers keep fertilizer inaccessible as long as lids remain sealed.
With persistence and proactive prevention, you can successfully restrict mice and other pests from accessing fertilizers. Limit nearby food sources, reduce hiding spots, and utilize sturdy, sealed containers in secured storage areas. Removing opportunities ensures fertilizer gets used for its intended purpose—feeding plants—rather than sustaining rodents.
In Summary
Implementing preventive measures requires some work. But the payoff is pristine fertilizer free of mouse droppings, urine, or chewing damage. That makes gardens and lawns happy while avoiding risks of toxic contamination, crop-destroying diseases, and indoor infestations. Achievingmouse-free fertilizer provides peace of mind and healthier plants.
So be proactive, because when given the chance, mice will eat fertilizer. Removing access ensures these resilient pests look elsewhere for their next meal. Protecting fertilizer investment preserves optimal nutrition for grass, plants, and gardens rather than supplying rodents. Some simple diligence lets you successfully outsmart mice and keep fertilizer feeding vegetation where it belongs.
