Rodents like rats and mice are quite common in many households around the world. Colder climates like that of Canada, are rodent population supportive as well. Mice and rats like damp unattended places. Where you don’t expect them, they will be living in perfect harmony. If you have rodent problems in your home, the first significant step is to identify the type of problem.
Both rats and mice are rodent problems of different types. Both need removal techniques of their own nature. Rats are also the biggest pest concerns for a lot of homeowners. They are not scared of you and will attack food sources at different unpredictable times. Also, rats carry infectious diseases in the shape of viruses and bacteria. The bubonic plague of the middle ages is the biggest sign we need.
Quality pest control Vancouver or any other city of Canada service provider will tell you how fast rodents can grow in population. Here are some signs you can identify these pesky pests by:
How to Identify a Rodent Problem?
Rodent’s problems of different kinds may need different removal techniques, but identifying them can be pretty similar. Rats and mice both leave similar traces that can be identified in different ways. Make sure to look out for these signs and identify your rodent problem for further steps:
Look for Rodent Nests
Rodents are known to make nests from anything and everything they can find. This can include bits of shredded paper, cotton chunks, pieces of cloth and insulation, etc. Also, you’d most likely find rodent nests in places where light doesn’t get to a lot of the time. Wall cracks, basement underlayers, attic holes, spaces between floors, and other unattended places are their safe havens. If you do find a rodent nest intact, it is almost sure that you also have a rodent problem in the home.
Weird Squeezing and Squeaking Noises
While many squeaking and squeezing noises can be from furniture, not all can correspond to things you own at home. Some rather strange ones can originate from mice and rats as well. These rodents crawl fast and when they are in your ceilings, it is easy to hear them. They also produce some weird noises with their teeth when squeezing them. Chewing on wires and other materials also produces some strange noises. Once you hear any, it is time to investigate the problem further.
Look for Tracks or Rubbing Marks
When rodent problems start getting out of hand, these pesky crawlers find their ways to food sources inside your house. They will eat anything and everything organic as well. When they go hunting for food, they are likely to leave body rubbing marks and foot tracks all around. Greasy dirty marks along walls on floors can be tracks from mice or rats. This is often a result of them coming in contact with oily foods that get caught inside their fury skin.
Strange Gnawing Marks
Gnawing marks are typically related with mice. These rodents are known to chew holes in bags or containers with their sharp teeth. They will even chew some marks in your plumbing if that is accessible to them. These rodents have the ability to chew through just about anything apart from some metals. They will also leave some gnawing marks on your exposed cables, water pipes and others. Worst case scenario is that they will chew on your wiring inside the wall causing fire hazards.
Rodent Droppings
Often, rodents are likely to leave fecal droppings in areas they find food. Kitchen cabinets, food containers, food storage places, under sink spaces, pantries and cardboard boxes can often have rodent droppings. These will be small brownish balls. If you find any, almost surely you will have some kind of rodent problems as well. Make sure to not touch them with bare hands. Always wear gloves and other protective gear while handing rodent problems at home.
Seeing a Rodent, Yourself
Of course, the biggest sign is always seeing with your own set of eyes. This is something that will not need any investigation as well. If you see a rodent, you have rodent problems definitely. Having identified these rodents in your property, it is time to make them go away. Here are a few tips to help you do just that:
Rodent Control for Your Property
- Always store food in air-sealed rodent-proof containers
- Make sure you have covered garbage bins that will stay shut when not in use
- Store tree limbs and branches away from walls of your house
- Seal any wall cracks or holes and also floor passageways there might be
- Make sure to keep all less frequently attended storage containers outside the house at least 3 feet away from your doors and windows. This can allow them routes inside when too close
- Use concrete or any solid flooring in your basement. Rodents can chew through wood floors
- Keep away your rodent problems by keeping all plumbing in good condition. There should be no holes in any pipes allowing rodents to crawl through
- Keep your floor drains tightly sealed; these can let small rodents in as well
- Reduce clutter in storage facilities at home. Storages are usually not visited, often paving ways for rodents to nest inside of them wherever clutter is
- Rodents can take shelter under hoods of vehicles parked in the garage. Make sure to check there as well
If your home is already infiltrated and nested by rodents, it should be time to call your pest control services. Professionals can eliminate your rodent problems better than anyone else. These tips will enable you to keep rodent problems away. Professionals will remove rodents if they are already living happily inside your home.