Shrews look like moles or mice due to their small eyes, elongated snout, and dense brown fur. However, they are not rodents as most people think. They are tiny mammals measuring only about 3.5 inches in length.

Despite their small size, they can be bad if they happen to take residence in your house.

Do Shrews Invade Houses?

Even though these tiny aggressive predators rarely invade houses, they still can, and when they do, they cause a big mess.

Shrews are very aggressive predators that can attack your pets. They also have a scent gland that produces an awful stench that makes everyone around uncomfortable.

Additionally, they can also contaminate food and water with their urine and feces. This is dangerous because they may expose you and other house occupants to deadly bacteria and parasites that cause deadly infections.

They also have a venomous bite that they use to subdue their prey. Although their venomous bite is not harmful to humans, their bite is very painful and could take time to heal if the proper medication is not administered.

Shrews have a voracious appetite and one can consume almost twice their body size in one sitting.

They primarily feed on insects but they have also been known to feed on birds, snakes ice, and sometimes, other shrews when an opportunity presents itself. They also feed on seeds, plant bulbs, vegetables, fruits, food remains, and all kinds of flowers. Their voracious appetite and vast diet make them a menace when they invade your home.

Shrews mostly enter a house through holes like the drainage pipes, attic screen, eaves, spaces between windows, and other places in the house where there are gaps.

When they invade your house, they will cause mayhem including emitting a pungent smell that makes the house a very uncomfortable place to live. Although they have very weak eyes, they have an incredible sense of smell and are also very fast and difficult to catch when found in the house.

They are also very aggressive and could bite you if you lack the skill and equipment needed to catch and eliminate them from your house.

Why Do Shrews Come In The House?

Shrews invade homes mainly to seek shelter and find food and water. They normally live outdoors where they forage for food in dense vegetation. However, when food is scarce or if their natural habitat is destroyed by humans or wildfire, they sometimes invade homes.

They mostly come in homes that have birds and pets because presents them an opportunity to find easy food and they can attack and feed on these pets.

How Can You Find Out If You Have Shrews?

When shrews invade your house, it will not take long before you notice their presence as is the case with other pests. This is because of their aggressive nature, voracious appetite, and poor eyesight. In fact, you will notice their presence almost immediately when they invade your house.

However, getting rid of these pests is not easy and requires the help of an expert.

Below are signs that indicate shrews have invaded your home:

Shrew droppings

One of the common signs that indicate that you have a shrew infestation is if you spot their feces in almost every corner of your house.

Shrew feces are about 2mm in diameter and about 6mm long. They are dark in color and corkscrew or curled in shape.

Like the animals themselves, shrew droppings usually have a distinctly unpleasant smell. Therefore, if you notice a pile of droppings in your house with a pungent smell, then that is a sign that shrews have invaded your house.

Unpleasant pungent smell

Another sign of shrew invasion in your house is a pungent smell that does not seem to go away. Shrews have a scent gland that produces an awful stench. They will leave their unpleasant smell in almost every corner of your house, making your home very uncomfortable.

Death or bad injuries on your pets

Shrews feed on birds and other small pets. So, if you notice that your pet is injured or has died and most body parts are missing, then that is a clear sign that shrews have invaded your house.

Shrews are also known to bite large pets such as dogs, causing life-threatening injuries. So, if you have noticed that your pet is suddenly injured and the wound keeps getting worse, then that is a sign that you have shrews in your home.

Family members getting sick

If you or someone in your family suddenly gets sick, then it could be because of food contamination caused by shrews. These pests usually contaminate food and in the process transmit deadly bacteria and parasites that cause illness.

Other signs of shrew invasion in your house include being bitten while sleeping and missing stored food.

Can Shrews Cause Damage To Your House?

In general, shrews do not cause property damage even though they are known to dig holes.

However, they cause other serious damages such as emitting an unpleasant smell, feeding on your pet and any stored food, biting people, and cause illness through food contamination.

If you believe you may have a shrew problem in your house, and need shrew removal and control services, feel free to give us a call.

Westchester Wildlife provides professional shrew trapping and removal services in Westchester, Dutchess, and Putnam Counties, NY, as well as in Fairfield County, CT.