Have questions about rats or mice in your home? Our pest control heroes took the time to answer common questions we get from our customers about rodent control, signs of rodents or other wildlife in your home, and how to prevent an infestation. View the table of contents below to learn more about rodents or find the answer to your specific question!
The following content was provided by Jason Floyd, one of our pest control heroes and wildlife experts here at Clegg’s Pest Control. Jason has extensive experience dealing with rats and mice across North Carolina. Some relevant links have been added to audio transcripts to provide resources or additional information.
Table of Contents: Rodents
Click on a link below to be taken directly to the answer for that question.
- How do I know if I have rodents in my home?
- What are the signs of a rodent or wildlife infestation?
- What happens during a rodent inspection?
- What attracts rodents?
- How do you get rid of rats or mice?
- Can rats or mice come back after treatment?
- How can I keep rats out of my house?
- How can I prevent mice?
- How do I know if I have rats vs mice?
- What do rodent droppings look like?
- Can you get rid of mice without killing them?
- Why does construction create rat and mice problems for nearby homes?
- Does cheese actually attract rats and mice?
- Do mouse or rat traps from the store work?
- Why are rats and mice so common on Bald Head Island, NC?
Need help with a rodent infestation? Contact us through the form below or give us a call to schedule your FREE initial inspection. Otherwise, continue reading below to learn more about rats and mice!
How do I know if I have rodents in my home?
Well, once we do the inspection, we’ll be looking for droppings, urine odors, gnawed holes, rub marks, rodent nest. And once we discover the droppings, we can tell if it’s mice or rats by the size of the droppings. Mice droppings are usually about a fourth of a inch long. Rat droppings are about a half a inch or longer in size.
What are the signs of a rodent infestation?
Again, it would be the droppings, urine odors. Urine is a musky smell. Also, the rub marks. The rub marks are caused by the rodents going in and out of the structure. If you can go up to them and rub them and it smears them, then you know that is an active hole that the rodents are using.
What happens during a rodent inspection?
What we do is we come out, we want to check the property inside, outside, and underneath, and we will be looking for the openings, again, the droppings, nesting sites. Sometimes if the homeowner’s got pets, we’ll be looking for unusual pet behavior.
What attracts rodents? Why do I have rats or mice in my home?
All right. Well, unfortunately, sometimes mice can be brought in by accident, bringing in boxes, towards boxes and so forth. Rats, on the other hand, take the opportunity to come in if a lot is being cleared or new construction going on, things like that.
How do you get rid of rats or mice?
Well, we have several tools that we can use, one being bait stations that we can place out around the house or underneath. You can also use snap traps, glue boards, and there’s also multiple catch mousetraps. Sometimes you’ll have concerns from the homeowner that they don’t want to kill the mice, so there are options that we can do to catch the mice and rerelease them. Of course, not on the property, but that is an option as well.
Can rats or mice come back after treatment?
Unfortunately, they are wildlife so sometimes they can be a little unpredictable. But with the correct baiting program or trap program, along with exclusion, will help prevent that.
How can I keep rats out of my house?
To keep rats out of the house you want to seal up any hole that is the size of a quarter or larger and you can do that by using steel wool, hardware cloth. And again, you just want to make sure that the house is as tight and sealed as possible.
How can I prevent mice?
What you want to do is make sure any hole the size of a dime or larger is sealed. And again, using hardware cloth, steel wool and so forth.
How do I know if I have rats or if I have mice?
Mice are smaller. They’re about six to seven inches long and they can wait anywhere from a half an ounce to an ounce. Now, rats, on the other hand, they can get up to 11 to 16 ounces in weight. They’re much larger and, again, the dropping size. Mice droppings are very tiny, a quarter of an inch long, and rat droppings can be anywhere from a half an inch or longer.
What do rodent droppings look like?
Depending on if you’re dealing with a rodent, or a rat, or mice, again, the rat droppings are anywhere from a half a inch or larger. Also, rat droppings are pointed on both ends. Mice droppings, again, are much smaller, averaging about a fourth of a inch long. And they’re also pointed on both ends as well.
Can you get rid of mice without killing them?
Yes, you can. There’s a trap, it’s called a multiple-catch mousetrap, and it allows the mice to go in there but can’t escape. Once you’re done trapping them, or think you’ve got all the mice, then you could take that trap somewheres else and release those mice without harming them.
Why does construction create rat and mice problems for nearby homes?
Because we’re destroying their habitat.
Does cheese actually attracts rats or mice?
Well, I don’t know. I’ve never tried the cheese. I know peanut butter works real well with them, but I’ve never tried the cheese.
Do mouse or rat traps from the store actually work?
In a small infestation, they do work. If you place them out properly, but for larger infestations, you definitely going to need a professional.
Why are rats and mice so common on Bald Head Island in NC?
Well, one of the things about Bald Head Island, and everybody thinks it’s an island, but when it’s low tide, you can actually walk over there from Fort Fisher. So, if we can walk over there, so can the mice and rats. Another thing, there’s a lot of construction over there, so we’re tearing down their habitat, and they have nowhere else to go, except into unfortunately people’s homes. And it’s real natural over there for the tree foliage and so forth.
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