Mice and other rodents would voraciously consume anything edible – at least for them. You might see them nibbling on your expired box of cereals and couldn’t care less about it. Sometimes, they’d start nibbling on almost anything inside the house – leftovers, crumbs, and even soap.
While some people may think that it’ll be a fatal mistake, eating soap won’t have much effect on mice or rodents. Their bodies don’t react the same way as a human would to the ingredients in the soap. Therefore, they are relatively unharmed from ingesting it.
Why Do Mice Eat Soap?
On a general note, soap mainly consists of fat. It’s made of vegetable oils such as olive oils and animal fat. Aside from fat, it also contains lye.
Lye is a type of alkaline ingredient that is used to make soap, and when consumed, it can be fatal if incorrectly handled.
This means that pure and untouched lye can be fatal to a mouse. However, during the soap-making process, the chemicals that make lye dangerous are no longer present.
The saponification process – a process that turns fat into soap – makes the lye in the soap inactive. Therefore, mice are not exposed to danger even if they consume it.
Additionally, mice don’t care much about taste. They’d eat anything that would satisfy their hunger and nutrient needs. Since soap is made of fats, mice will eat it to fulfill their daily fat needs for energy.
What Happens to Mice if They Eat Soap?
It’s important to remember that even though mice aren’t typically attracted to eating soap bars on their own accord (unless they are starving), they can occasionally nibble on them out of curiosity or confusion when they come across one within their environment.
However, if they do come across soap and munch on it, the worst thing that could happen to them would be an upset stomach. Some dehydration, vomiting, or diarrhea when the soap interacts with its digestive system are common side effects.
What to Do if You Notice Your Soap Has Been Eaten by Mice?
If you find out that a mouse has been feasting on your soap bar, then it’s a common sign of a rat or rodent infestation. Anything that’s edible, even soap, will be consumed by these pests.
As soon as you’ve noticed the infestation, it’s always recommended that you take the necessary steps to prevent it from growing further. There are several practices that you can adopt, such as using rodent traps and rat repellents and removing their food sources.
You should also check if there are any infiltration points in your house where the rodents have managed to enter inside. Seal these off with steel wool or caulk for maximum prevention.
Just remember that eating soap won’t hurt mice or any other rodents, but it’s still best to keep them away from accessing your bathroom and kitchen.
Try to remove all potential food sources, and make sure to keep your home clean at all times. Keeping your home clean and tidy is always the best way to prevent mice or other rodents from entering your house.
Nibbling on your soap is just one thing you should be worried about – there are plenty more. The next day, you’ll find them running around your house, searching for more food. So taking the necessary steps to prevent an infestation as soon as possible is always the best way to go.
Final Thoughts
Mice, rats, and their rodent relatives may nibble on soap bars if given the opportunity, but they’ll remain unharmed. This means that using soap bars to lure them as traps won’t be effective since they won’t suffer from any fatal side effects.
If you’ve recently noticed mouse bites on your soap bars, it’s advised to take preventive measures and remove any food sources that would entice them further. Keep the bathroom closed, seal off possible openings, and consult with a pest control company before things get worse.
