Mice will move into occupied houses but would prefer to live in unoccupied houses, so what you have seen is what ever passes for normal.
The "do not vacuum" advice has more to do with raising dust that you might breath then anything else since the mouse droppings are known to contain disease pathogens.
Mice will eat almost anything and do sometimes leave bits of food laying around, especially if something distracts them. Usually, however, they will pack the food into the larder which is separate from the nest.

Thanks, kimmsr

That put my mind at ease, a little. I would've thought they would like occupied houses better since there would be food around. As we've pulled some more baseboards it seems that it's mostly the exterior walls so they probably were never inside the home itself.

Still, it's pretty gross. Oh well, weren't not moving in til the end of the month so there's time to clean up. We have indoor cats and neighbors have outdoor ones that hang out at the house sometimes. The fig trees will stay and the cats will be our integrated pest management system!

Go to the store and buy a respirator. Not the white paper kind but a regular respirator. Wear it. Fill up a spray bottle with water and bleach (3 parts water to 1 part bleach). Go around and spray EVERYTHING (walls, floors, baseboards, appliances, bathroom fixtures, inside cabinets, etc.) When everything dries, while using a respirator, sweep up carefully. Take a bucket with bleach and soap, wear rubber gloves, and while wearing the respirator, wash everything down that you plan to keep, like appliances, bathroom fixtures. Mop the floor with the remaining solution. Only after you do all that can you then vacuum with a disposable bag vacuum, all while still wearing the respirator. Make sure you open all the windows to air the place out. If you get sunlight in the place all the better since ultraviolet light kills many pathogens. Don't want to make you freak out but I've been there and that's what I had to do to feel safe. Also, it's really the only way to get rid of that mousy smell. While you're at it after you clean set some traps
inside ( the jaw kind work best) to see how bad your mouse problem is. I wouldn't use poison because they're finding it doesn't work well and could possibly harm you, your children or animals (if you have any), and might not give you the evidence you need to evaluate how big or small your problem is. Besides, there's nothing worse than having the smell of a mouse you poisoned die in a wall in your house.
As to your question about mice liking figs - Mice will eat anything if hungry enough. The main thing is to clean up the yard, keep the grass short and any fallen figs cleaned up. Good luck.