Mice and rats might seem like cute little creatures but that doesn’t mean you want them in your home.
When you spot a rodent in your house, it might not seem like a big deal. A simple mouse trap will do the trick to return your home to a rodent-free state.
However, seeing a single rodent is an indicator that there is probably more hiding somewhere in your home. Rodents tend to hide in dark places that make them much harder to spot.
Mice and rats are attracted to your home because they are seeking food and shelter. Leaving leftovers on the kitchen counter or failing to take out the trash regularly can attract rodents in the hundreds.
Your property is a warm and safe haven for them to seek shelter rent-free. Your cozy home looks particularly attractive during winter when it’s freezing cold outside.
Here are some important steps to take when you have a rodent infestation in your home.
Identify Their Location
If you spot a rodent in your home or yard, the first step should be to search around the rest of your property. There could be many more rodents hiding in your attic or basement.
Identifying where the rodents have settled in your home means you can tackle the problem as effectively as possible. However, you will still need to do a full walkthrough of your whole property to ensure there aren’t any creatures in other areas.
Signs of rodent infestation include droppings, gnaw marks in your furniture, black smear marks on the flooring in your home.
Set Up Traps Around Your Home
If the infestation doesn’t seem too out of control, you might be able to handle it with a few mouse traps.
Snap traps are the most common method of capturing small rodents. They kill the creatures instantly so you will need to dispose of the carcasses after using the traps.
You can also use live traps that don’t kill the mice or rats. You’ll need to take the live rodents out of your home in the traps and leave them somewhere far from your home. Otherwise, they might return with a vengeance.
Use a Poison
Rodenticides are anti-coagulant mouse or rat poisons that slowly kill the rodents. However, if you have small children, babies, or pets, this might not be the safest option.
Cats and dogs might lick or eat the infected rodents before they die, potentially passing the harmful chemicals onto them.
Call the Professionals
If none of the above works to get rid of all of the rodents in your home, you might need to call the professionals. A quick search of ‘rat exterminator near me’ will pull up the best companies for the job in your area.
Rodent exterminator companies will use highly specialized, professional equipment that will banish mice and rats from your home.
