Today in this blog, we will talk about how to identify the signs rats leave, what problems rats cause, how to get rid of the rats, and how to prevent the mice & rats from returning to your sweet home.
Typically mice and rats enter the house in the winter season. Poisoning the mice and rats is not the only way to eliminate them. There are other ways too, such as mouse traps and deterrents, that cause far less unnecessary suffering.
You can see mice and rats in your garden area during the winter season. As long as mice and rats stay in the garden area and do not cause any damage to the shed or anything else. That means they should not cause any problems out there.
Which Mice & Rats Enter Houses?
You should know that house mice, brown rats, wood mice, and yellow-necked mice are all common in US houses. Of the three mice, the one you can see mostly in your houses is a wood mouse. This species is the most common in homes.
Brown rats and house mice are most in the houses close to the city centers. You can find wood mice in the suburbs and yellow-necked mice in the rural areas.
Mostly mice and rats stay in the roof spaces compared to cellars and cupboards. They can also survive in the wall spaces.
What Attracts Mice & Rats to Houses?
Food and shelter are the two main things that can attract mice and rats to your house. If you don’t tidy up the house properly and there is a waste of food on the floor, mice and rats can enter the house.
Mice and rats need shelter mainly in the winter to avoid the cold weather conditions. They also try to find a warm spot to raise their young ones. An untidy, heated home with many hiding places is a perfect shelter for them.
Mice can easily squeeze through gaps less than 2cm in diameter. However, rats need more space to enter the house. That’s why any small hole to the outside can give space straight to your home.
Signs of Mice & Rats in House
Let’s talk about the signs which can tell us about the presence of mice and rats in the house.
- You can smell the cloying characteristic of house mice, often described as vinegary. However, other mice leave little odor.
- You can hear the gnawing sounds because rodents need to gnaw continuously to keep their incisors short.
- You can also see the more prominent tooth marks made by rats. These rats can gnaw through soft metals such as lead and aluminum.
- Rat droppings can also be seen in the house that is 12mm long and often tapered at one end. Mouse droppings are roughly half the size and thinner.
- Greasy fur marks are also one of the signs to identify. House mice and rats leave dirty black smears along well-traveled routes where they squeeze under roof joints.
What Problems can Mice & Rats Cause?
Generally, rodents cause minor problems in the houses. Yellow-necked mice suffer forty-two percent damage to the furnishings and internal structures, thirty-one percent to food, and nine percent to insulation and wiring. Eighteen percent of the mice and rats suffer no damage.
The major problem is chewed wiring because it can lead to fires and is expensive to repair.
How to Get Rid of Mice & Rats in House
There are several ways to eliminate mice and rats from your house. Let’s have a look at them.
- You can choose snap traps which are mouse traps, and it kills mice and rats instantly.
- You can also go for live traps and dump the mice and rats in the wild. If you don’t take the mice and rats two kilometers away, they may arrive back at the house before you come.
- You can use indoor devices with electromagnetic interference and ultrasound to keep the mice and rats out of the houses. These devices can work brilliantly. Be careful to use them in case there are bats in the house and roof.
- One more option is to use the anti-coagulant mice and rats poisons that cause a slow and painful death. There could be problems like mice and rats being eaten before it dies by other animals like owls, stoats, polecats, and weasels. Forty percent of these animals carry rodenticides from eating poisoned prey. There is also a risk to your children and pets.
How to Keep Mice & Rats Out of House
You can follow the simple rodent control tips to keep mice and rats out of your house.
You should have a good tidy and clean house. Permanently remove all the traces of the food like crumbs, grains of sugar left on the counter, and droplets of juice dried onto the cupboard door. Left-out food is irresistible to mice and rats, so always wash it up and keep the house neat and clean. Always keep all food, especially the dry food and compost waste, sealed away in an airtight box.
Examine your house and keep it airtight as possible. Permanently seal up the large cracks in floorboards, and repair the broken air bricks and holes in the outside walls and skirting boards. Tidy up the cupboards and remove any material that could be used for nesting.
Mice and rats have a highly tuned sense of smell. That’s why strong scents such as peppermint oil are unpleasant and overwhelming for them. Try leaving cotton wool balls with eight to ten drops of peppermint essential oil in the corners of the rooms and suspected entry points. You can also use plug-in devices which emit a high-frequency noise disliked by mice and rats which can help.
How to Deal With a Serious Mice & Rats Infestation
If you have tried all the methods mentioned above to get rid of mice and rats and still suspect an infestation. It is worth contacting your local rats control services for advice. Because the mice and rats can carry diseases such as Weil’s disease. Mice control services can help you to get rid of the problem permanently.
Conclusion
Hope you have liked this blog. You can get the reasons why mice and rats attract to the house. You can keep them away from your homes by following the methods. If there is still a problem with mice and rats, it’s always advisable to contact the pest control company for rat extermination.
