Even hearing the word “rodent” is enough to make some people shudder. You probably picture a furry, dirty creature with two long front teeth. Or the disgusting Rodent of Unusual Size from “The Princess Bride.” Well, the first description is definitely closest to reality. Thankfully, you’re not going to be attacked by a giant, man-eating rodent, but that doesn’t mean you want the real creatures scurrying around your house. Don’t worry – Fox Pest Control wants to help.
You might already know for sure that you have a rodent problem. But here are a couple of the most common signs of a rodent infestation in Lafayette.
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, nightly noises might happen 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.
Think you have a rodent problem? Call Fox Pest Control for a free rodent control quote.
Schedule same day service with one of our certified Pest Pro technicians.
Your Pest Pro will conduct a thorough inspection of your home and property in order to provide a customized rodent treatment plan that will be most effective for your situation.
You will receive a detailed report of the service provided and helpful recommendations to remain rodent free.
We come back regularly throughout the year to ensure the Rodents don’t come back. If you see any rodent activity between your regularly scheduled service, simply give us a call. We’ll come back for free!
The best control of rodents is prevention. Like the Helpful Hints above suggest, 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’ve already got a rodent infestation, these measures won’t fix the problem on their own. Call Fox 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.
Rodents like rats and mice can carry various diseases, including the bubonic plague, rat scratch disease, hemorrhagic fever, tularemia, and hantavirus. They can also carry ticks and fleas with them, which can also spread disease.
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.
People 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 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.
Mice and rats can fit through tiny spaces. A mouse can fit through a hole or crack the size of a dime, and rats can fit through openings the size of a quarter.
After they come inside, 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.
Actually, rats and mice prefer other foods besides the cheese we buy at the store. As omnivores, they will eat anything, but they prefer high-energy food like peanut butter, gum drops, and pet food.
Rats, mice, squirrels, and other rodents are more fond of foods with high lots of sugar or lots of protein, like gum drops or peanut butter. They also like pet food because it’s rich in nutrition.
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.
We have never needed pest control in the past and we randomly called Fox. We couldn't be happier with Phil the technician that came to service our home. Phil was extremely knowledgeable, thorough and patient. He answered all of our questions and put us at ease. If all of Fox's technicians are like Phil then you'll be in good hands.
We've been using FOX for the last few years for seasonal pest maintenance. Every time we see some sort of pest activity outside our regular seasonal treatment, they come quick and take care of it. The workers are always kind and courteous and answer my questions and concerns. We've recommended this company to a number of family and friends who have also used FOX for treatment.
We have only experienced outstanding service from our techs, especially Sterling. He is very respectful and so sweet!! Good communication from their main office too! Happy customer, will recommend to friends in our area :)
At Fox Pest Control your comfort and safety is important to us. That's why we promise a 100% satisfaction guarantee. The FOX PROMISE means you'll get exceptional professional service from all aspects of our company--from our hometown branch team, to our route managers, to the Pest Pro technicians that take care of your home. And, if you see any pest activity between your regularly scheduled treatments, simply give us a call; we'll come back for free.