Do Mice Eat Potatoes? Signs of Damage and How to Store Potatoes From Mice

Do Mice Eat Potatoes?

Mice eat potatoes: house mice prefer cereal grains, but according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, they "will eat almost anything." Raw potatoes stored in a paper sack, a cardboard box or a basket on the floor are easy to reach, easy to chew and available every night. If mice are living in your home, your potatoes are on the menu.

Do Mice Eat Raw Potatoes?

Mice eat raw potatoes, both in storage and sometimes in the ground. The UConn Home and Garden Education Center notes that developing potato tubers, along with carrots, beets and parsnips, are dug into and eaten by mice. Indoors, mice usually take small bites from several potatoes rather than finishing one, which is why one mouse can spoil a whole bag.

Why Do Mice Go After Stored Potatoes?

Stored potatoes attract mice because they are a steady food supply close to where mice like to hide. Mice often move into homes, garages and sheds in the fall (UConn), right when many Canadians stock up on potatoes for the winter. An adult house mouse eats only about 1/10 ounce (about 3 g) of food a day, but it nibbles at many spots as it travels (University of Nebraska-Lincoln). That nibbling habit is what leaves you with a dozen damaged potatoes instead of one eaten one. To learn more about their feeding rhythm, see how often mice eat.

What Do Mice Prefer Over Potatoes?

Mice prefer grains, seeds and high-calorie foods over potatoes. The University of Saskatchewan lists cereal grains, meats and seeds as their main diet, and notes that indoors they are drawn to sweets and fatty foods like peanut butter and cheese. Potatoes are a backup food, so mice that eat your potatoes are often also getting into cereal, pet food or crumbs. For the full list, read our guide to what mice eat.

What Are the Signs of Mice Eating Potatoes?

Mice eating potatoes leave small gnawed patches, droppings and chewed packaging around the storage spot. Mice are active mostly at night, so you are more likely to find these signs than the mice themselves.

Gnaw Marks on the Potatoes

Gnaw marks are the clearest sign of mice eating potatoes. Look for shallow, scooped-out patches with fine parallel grooves left by the front teeth. Fresh mouse gnaw marks are tiny, about 1/32 inch (under 1 mm) wide, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Wider tooth marks, about 3 mm, point to voles instead (see the garden section below).

Mouse Droppings Nearby

Mouse droppings around the potato bin confirm that mice are feeding there. A house mouse leaves about 50 to 75 droppings a day. They are dark, about 3 to 6 mm long and pointed at one or both ends (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, HealthLinkBC).

Chewed Bags and Boxes

Chewed bags and boxes are an early warning, often found before the potatoes inside are damaged. Mice chew clean-cut holes through paper, cardboard and thin plastic, and they shred paper to build nests. Torn potato sacks, shredded paper and bits of potato skin on the floor all point to mice.

Scratching Noises at Night

Scratching or chewing sounds in the walls, the cold room or the pantry when the house is quiet are a common sign of mice (HealthLinkBC). House mice are nocturnal, so the noise usually comes in the evening or overnight.

Are Potatoes Chewed by Mice Safe to Eat?

Potatoes chewed by mice are not safe to eat and should go in the garbage. HealthLinkBC warns that eating food contaminated by rodents can cause foodborne illness, and mice leave urine and droppings where they feed. Health Canada also advises cutting away damaged parts of potatoes and discarding the whole potato in severe cases, for a separate reason (damage raises natural toxins called glycoalkaloids). When mice are involved, the safe choice is to throw out every gnawed potato and wash or replace the container.

How to Store Potatoes From Mice

Storing potatoes from mice comes down to a metal container with a tight lid, kept off the floor in a cool, dark, dry place. These steps also keep your potatoes fresher, so you lose fewer to sprouting and rot.

Use a Metal Container

A metal container is the most reliable way to store potatoes from mice. UC Riverside Environmental Health and Safety notes that mice easily chew through paper, cardboard and plastic, and that the most effective containers to keep rodents out are made of metal. A galvanized metal bin, a metal bread box or a lidded metal can all work.

Choose a Tight-Fitting Lid

A tight-fitting lid matters as much as the container. The Public Health Agency of Canada advises storing food in containers with tightly fitted lids. Check that the lid sits flat with no warped corners, and close it every time you take potatoes out.

Keep Air Holes Smaller Than a Mouse

Air holes keep potatoes from going mouldy, but they must stay smaller than a mouse can squeeze through. Mice can fit through openings slightly larger than 1/4 inch (about 6 mm), according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Keep any vent holes below that size, or cover larger openings with 1/4 inch metal mesh. Avoid burlap and mesh produce bags on their own, since mice chew straight through them.

Raise Containers Off the Floor

Raising containers off the floor makes them harder to reach and easier to inspect. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln recommends keeping stored materials at least 8 inches (about 20 cm) off the ground and at least 1 foot (about 30 cm) from walls, where mice prefer to travel. A wire shelf in the middle of a cold room or pantry works well.

Pick a Cool, Dark Storage Spot

A cool, dark storage spot keeps potatoes safe to eat for longer. Health Canada recommends storing potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place and not below 8°C, which rules out the fridge. A basement cold room or a cool pantry is ideal, as long as the potatoes are in a mouse-proof container.

Remove Other Easy Food

Removing other easy food makes your home less attractive to mice in the first place. Store pet food, bird seed, grains and cereal in sealed containers, keep garbage in bins with tight lids, and pick up pet food soon after feeding (HealthLinkBC).

Is It Mice or Voles Eating Your Garden Potatoes?

Voles are more often the culprit than mice when potatoes are damaged in the garden. The University of Saskatchewan states that house mice and deer mice do not damage vegetable gardens, while voles feed on roots and nibble garden vegetables. UConn does note that mice can dig into tubers, so both are possible, but voles are the first suspect outdoors.

How to Tell a Mouse From a Vole

A house mouse is slim and dusty grey, 2.5 to 4 inches long, with large ears and a tail as long as its body. A vole is stockier and greyish brown, 4 to 7 inches long, with a blunt nose, small eyes, small flattened ears and a much shorter tail (University of Saskatchewan). Voles are often called meadow mice or field mice, which adds to the confusion.

What Vole Damage Looks Like

Vole damage on potatoes shows larger tooth marks than mouse damage. UC IPM describes vole gnaw marks on tubers as about 0.12 inch (3 mm) wide and 0.36 inch (9 mm) long, at various angles. Other clues are 2 inch wide surface runways in the grass and small round burrow openings near the bed. Voles often move into potato plantings in August or September, and if many are present at harvest, they can keep feeding on the tubers in storage.

Hardware Cloth Barriers

Hardware cloth with 1/4 inch mesh, buried several inches into the soil around the bed, keeps both mice and voles away from the tubers (UConn). Lining the bottom and sides of a raised bed before planting gives the best protection.

Hilling Your Potatoes

Hilling your potatoes, along with traps and hardware cloth fences, gives some protection from voles, according to the University of Saskatchewan. Keep the area around the bed mowed and free of weeds and thick mulch, which give voles cover. For more garden tips, read how to keep mice out of your garden.

How Do You Get Rid of Mice Eating Your Potatoes?

Getting rid of mice that are eating your potatoes takes snap traps near the storage spot, sealed entry points and no other easy food. Protecting the potatoes alone only sends the mice to your next food source.

Snap Traps

Snap traps are the method HealthLinkBC recommends for mice. Place them at 90 degrees to the wall where mice travel, with the bait end facing the wall, and use dried fruit, peanut butter mixed with oats, or cheese as bait. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln suggests setting traps close to walls and in dark corners, no more than about 10 feet (about 3 metres) apart where mice are active, and checking them in the morning. Wear gloves when handling traps and dead mice. See our step-by-step guide on how to set a mouse trap and our picks for the best mouse trap.

Sealing Entry Points

Sealing entry points keeps new mice from replacing the ones you trap. Seal any opening larger than 1/4 inch (about 6 mm) using steel wool, wire screening, metal flashing or cement, as the Public Health Agency of Canada recommends. Soft materials like latex, rubber or plastic are not suitable, because mice chew through them (University of Nebraska-Lincoln). Our guide to finding mouse entry points shows where to look.

Scent Repellents

Scent repellents, such as peppermint oil pouches, may make a cupboard less inviting, but they do not solve a mouse problem. UConn states that no repellent has been found to solve a mouse problem completely. Manufacturers of peppermint pouches say each one lasts up to 30 days, so they need regular replacing. Use them only as an extra, never instead of traps and sealing.

Ultrasonic Devices

Ultrasonic devices are not a reliable way to protect potatoes. HealthLinkBC says ultrasonic repellers are effective at first but not successful in the long term, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln found little evidence that sound devices drive established mice out, since mice get used to repeated sounds and the sound does not pass through objects. If you still want to try one, compare models in our review of the best mouse repeller.

Rodenticides

Rodenticides are a poor choice near stored food. In Canada, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency requires homeowner rodenticides to be used in bait stations, allows only block or solid baits, and prohibits the second-generation anticoagulants brodifacoum, bromadiolone and difethialone in products for homeowners. HealthLinkBC advises against poison because mice can die inside walls and cause odours, and bait can harm children, pets and wildlife. Never place bait near food or food preparation areas, and always follow the label.

Cleaning Up After Mice

Cleaning up after mice protects you from the germs in their droppings and urine. Air out an enclosed space for 30 minutes first (HealthLinkBC), wear rubber or plastic gloves, and do not sweep or vacuum droppings. Soak the area with 1 part bleach to 9 parts water for 10 minutes, then wipe it up with paper towels and double bag the waste (Public Health Agency of Canada). Follow our full guide on how to clean mouse droppings.

When to Call a Professional

Calling a licensed pest control professional makes sense when you keep catching mice after a couple of weeks, when you find droppings in several rooms, or when you cannot find how they get in. A professional can inspect the whole building, find entry points and set up trapping or bait stations safely. You can get quotes from local exterminators, and our mice hub covers every other mouse question.