North East Wildlife Control catcher Jeff Davies said conditions in the Goulburn Valley had been ripe for mice.
“The population has definitely grown — they've bred and bred and bred all of this year,” he said.
“It's been a really good harvest and there's all this grain sitting round . . . so mice are moving where the food source is.”
This week, beginning March 15, Mr Davies caught 30 mice on his Benalla property in the space of just 36 hours.
“I got two mice in one trap in under an hour, with nothing attracting them apart from shelter and water,” he said.
Mr Davies said with an increasing number of mice being found, he had also seen more snakes than usual at residential properties.
“Up until the end of April is hatching season for eastern brown snakes, but I've seen bigger snakes on the move following the trail to look for a decent feed before cooling over winter,” he said.
“I've had people call me with snakes in their houses, I have a look in the laundry and there's mouse poo everywhere.
“They're picking up the scents, and that's what they're following.”
How to reduce the risk of snakes with mice on the move
● Remove mice from your property by laying traps to reduce the risk of snakes slithering in for a snack.
● If you find holes or tunnels used by mice, fill them in. Snakes use them to search for their prey.
● Make sure chook food, bird seed, grass feed and horse food is kept in vermin-proof containers.
● Use vermin-proof feeders for your backyard poultry. There are easy ways to seal chook food at home using buckets with a lid and square pieces of timber. Drill a hole through the bucket so it dispenses feed, but other animals can't get to it.
● Mice and snakes often get into the house through holes in brickwork. Fashion a piece of mesh and jam it into place to stop animals wandering into holes, while still allowing for airflow.
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