Students at Halifax’s Dalhousie University are dealing with unwelcome visitors at some of the residence buildings on campus.

“I’ve had two mice in my room at separate times, but if you call the front desk they take care of it pretty easily,” says one student.

“There’s been nights when we’ve come out at two in the morning and people are screaming because there are so many mice out there,” says another.

The university says mice move in to stay warm during the cold winter months and that pest control will be increased while students are away over the holidays.

Pest control expert Andrew Wheelock says older homes and buildings are vulnerable to rodents.

“The best way to deal with rodents is prevention, to look at the envelope of a building to try to find out where the weaknesses are and try to find a way to prevent the rodent from coming in the building,” says Wheelock.

Janet Bryson, a spokesperson for the university, says the number of complaints staff have received this year is comparable to those received in previous years.

She says the university has ongoing pest control management, which includes weekly visits, and that extra traps will be set over the holidays.

“So Christmastime is a time to get in there and put out some additional traps that you might not traditionally have in a common area when there is a large number of students living in the residence,” says Bryson.

Students are encouraged to report any mice sightings.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl