Even hearing the word “rodent” is enough to make some folks shudder. Although rodent control isn’t always top-of-mind, picturing a dirty little creature with two long front teeth scurrying around your house probably makes you want to call a rodent exterminator. That’s where we come in –Spire Pest Control wants to help you get rid of rodents.
You might already know you have a rodent infestation but here are a few of the most common signs rodent exterminators look for in the your area.
The first sign of a mouse or rat infestation is their droppings. These are usually found in their favorite hiding spots, such as basements, attics, crawl spaces, behind shelves or drawers, or in cabinets or pantries.
Sometimes the second most common sign of rodents in the house are nightly noises when mice or rats scurry from place to place, fight each other, or gnaw on something.
Because their teeth never stop growing, mice and rats have a strong urge to chew things. They can chew through wood, hard plastic, or even metal to get to food, find shelter, or make nests.
Though less common than the other signs, it is possible to surprise mice and rats in the house when turning on the light in the kitchen, attic, or basement. In rare cases, a mouse or rat may run into the open to find water, food, or better shelter.
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The best control of rodents is prevention. Filling in any holes of the house’s exterior and sealing any food in airtight containers will make your home less attractive and less accessible to them.
But if you already have a problem and need to remove rodents, these measures won’t fix the problem on their own. CallSpire Pest Control today for a free estimate, and make your home safe and comfortable again.
Yard Rodents: Gophers and groundhogs dig massive tunnels and eat plant roots, fruit, and vegetables. Voles tend to stay above ground and eat plants. Mice and rats may also dig burrows through the grass. Moles also dig tunnels while they look for insects, but they aren’t technically rodents.
House Rodents: Mice and rats chew on wiring, gnaw on walls, invade storage containers, rip up papers and fabrics, and contaminate food. Rats and mice can also spread fleas and ticks as well as diseases like hantavirus, leptospirosis, tularemia, and the bubonic plague.
Squirrels are a very common problem in some areas. They can crawl inside attic spaces, chew through wood or wiring, and spread diseases, fleas, and ticks.
A bite from a rodent can be extremely serious, but these are relatively rare. Rodents typically try to stay away from humans and avoid contact with us.
Humans contract diseases spread by rodents when we are bitten, when we come in contact with a rodent’s droppings or urine, or if we handle a rodent, including a recently dead one. If you're bitten by a rodent, seek medical attention immediately.
Common signs of rodent activity in your house are:
Feces. Rats tend to gather theirs in one particular spot while mice scatter them everywhere.
Sounds at night. Rats sometimes fight over food or dominance and squeal and make rustling noises. You might also hear mice scurrying or chewing on something.
Nests. Mice and rats make nests after they mate. They prepare for juveniles by building nests out of soft materials like paper, fabric, pillow stuffing, bits of cloth, loose carpeting, or wall insulation.
Rodents like rats, mice, and squirrels have a strong sense of smell, which is why cleaning the house and storing both your food and pet food in airtight containers is one of the first steps to rodent prevention.
Professional pest experts can help you discover specific things you can do to keep rodents from invading your home.
Yard Rodents: Gophers, groundhogs, mice, rats, and voles will come to your yard looking for plants, nuts, berries, fruit, and shelter. Moles also like to dig in the yard while looking for insects, but they aren’t technically rodents.
House Rodents: Rats and mice are the most common rodents that will invade homes.
After they come inside your place, mice and rats will find a hiding place that is as close to food and water as possible. The most obvious room to hide in is the kitchen, although rodents are timid enough to hide in the basement, attic, or somewhere in the wall voids.
Body size. Adult rats are larger than adult mice. Norwegian rats also have a characteristic hunch in their back.
Ears and Tails. Rats have larger, more pointed ears and shorter tails than mice. A mouse’s tail has fine hairs along it while a rat’s tail is entirely bald.
Droppings. The common Norwegian rats have cylindrical or pill-shaped droppings, and roof rats have a banana shape to theirs. Mouse feces look like little grains of brown or black rice
Dropping placement: Mice scatter their droppings randomly throughout their hiding places. Rats are more aware of their droppings and find a hiding spot to use as a latrine, sort of the way a cat uses a litter box.
Behavior. Mice are extremely curious about everything in their environment and will explore new things readily. Rats are “neophobic,” which means they are frightened of new things and require more time to grow accustomed to something new.
Society. Rats and mice both can live in colonies or family groups, but rats can create very large colonies very quickly. Compared to mice, rats are much more violent with each other when they dispute over territory, dominance, or food.
Intelligence. Unlike mice, rats can observe and mimic each other’s behavior to navigate the world around them and avoid anything that seems dangerous.
To ensure our customer's safety, we insist on a thorough screening process for all Spire Pest Control Technicians. They also complete extensive training in the classroom and on the job with an experienced mentor before servicing alone.
See photos of our team by visiting the Meet Our Team page for your branch.
If a Spire Pest Control customer has an infestation of covered pests in their home or business between regularly scheduled Home Protection Plan treatments, we will come back and perform targeted treatments to get rid of the pest at no charge. If Spire Pest Control cannot resolve the problem after three such targeted treatments, we will cheerfully refund the customer’s last monthly subscription fee, as long as all other terms of the agreement have been met.
And if you see any pest activity between your regularly scheduled treatments, simply give our office a call; we'll come back at no additional charge.
*Call us today before 2 p.m. (Monday-Friday) for a same day, zero-obligation inspection and estimate or to provide pest control & extermination services near you.