How rats and mice get inside the home

These rodents are intelligent. Although rats can appear to be large in size, they are able to squeeze into the tiniest of openings. It can be difficult to prevent this from happening. They will also hide away during the day and come out at night. Mice can squeeze through openings the size of a small coin. They have sharp teeth and they are able to chew through wood that is not very solid.

Older homes are more likely to be infested with mice and rats. The foundations can often be loose. There will be bricks that have become loose and there are gaps for the rodents to enter into the home. They can even get through the plumbing of the toilet.

When infestation occurs

People may find mouse or rat, but don’t realize that there are others. It is very common for this to happen. These types of rodents will reproduce very quickly. In fact, a female can easily give birth every three weeks and this will obviously cause homeowners to have a big problem on their hands.

Knowing whether there is a rodent in the home

These rodents can be invisible for so long, that they almost become tame. People will eventually spot them in the kitchen as they get up in the middle of night having a glass of water. However, if you don’t see them, you will eventually begin to notice a couple of signs that you have a problem on your hands.

Most people will wake up in the morning to find that there are chunks that have been taking out of fruit that have been left in the kitchen. There may be droppings in various parts of the home. When you start to notice a lot of these, you should begin to panic because you will probably have more than one rodent crawling around. This can be the start of an infestation.

You may tell the difference between a rat or a mouse in the home by the type of behavior and habits that you discover in the morning. For example, when your grains have been attacked and scattered all over the floor, you will probably be dealing with a mouse. Rats will tend to go for any food type. In dusty areas, you will take note of the paw prints which will tell you more about the size. Besides the frustration of not being able to detect the mouse, you may also end up with a lot of damage to the home. Rats can gnaw through wood. They can bite through wiring and cables and cause damage to furniture. They will obviously leave behind their germs and bacteria, which is a health hazard.

How to prevent rats and mice from entering the home

Although it can be difficult to avoid these types of problems, there are a couple of things that homeowners need to do in order to avoid an infestation. It is important to be prepared before the winter months set in. You need to do a full inspection of the home.

This will include making sure that there are no cracks in the windows or gaps in the doors. These need to be sealed properly. Avoid adding a piece of wood to a small gap because some rodents can quickly gnaw through this.

Make sure that the vents are protected. You can use wire screening in a case like this. You need to make sure that there is no way in through the chimney or in the attic. Sometimes the rodents make their way in through the basement, so you have to make sure that the foundations are solid.

Rats and mice also love to obtain heat in the garden. There are compost heaps where they can gather heat. This is also a great way to pick up the odd snack. You have to maintain this and do a thorough inspection. You also need to make sure that you keep your branches and hedges trimmed. This is another place where rodents like to hide away.

How to get rid of rats and mice from the home

The most common way of getting rid of these nasty pests is to set traps. There are some very advanced traps on the market these days. It is not recommended to use poison when you have small children and pets in the home. It will mean that you have to move out for a couple of days. In the case where the problem is more severe, the best bet is to call in a pest control company.

A pest control company can be a good idea to look into. They know what to look for. They know the best hiding places. They have the most advanced tools. They will usually use bait to eliminate the rodents. These bait boxes are placed at points where rodents are most likely to enter the home. They also recommend that ongoing maintenance is something the homeowner considers.

Alliance Pest Services has all your pest and rodent control protection plans to keep you rodent free. Call today for your free pest evaluation.