How To Get Rid Of Mice This Fall
The first step to solving any rodent problem is to know if it’s rats or mice you’re up against. You need to be sure you have a mouse problem and not a rat infestation. Learning how to get rid of mice this fall will vary depending on which species of rodent you are dealing with. In this article, we will explain how you can easily tell the difference between mice and rats.
Both mice and rats are nocturnal creatures so, it’s very unlikely that you’ll see either of these rodents during the day As an early warning of having a mouse infestation is if you see them in daylight hours. Mice are much smaller than rats to begin with. Mice will also have longer, thinner tails covered in fur with small, round ears.
What’s The Difference Between Mice And Rats?
Mice are much smaller than rats and have larger rounded ears. Mice have gray to brownish fur with white bellies. The head of a mouse is triangular and they have longer whiskers than rats. Mice will also have longer tails with hair.
Rats are much larger than mice and leave behind on their trails droppings. Rat droppings are much larger than mouse droppings. Rats can be blackish in color, gray or brownish also with white bellies. The head of rats are blunt when compared to the triangular head of a mouse. Rats are identified having tails that are longer, pinkish in color with no hair.
How Do Rodents Behave?
Both mice and rats are shy preferring to hide far away from people and other animals. Although both rodents are known to walk around in filthy places, rats leave behind a distinct sign. Rats are oily creatures and on every path they travel back and forth you will find greasy marks. These streak-like smears can be found on walls and along baseboards where rats travel back and forth each night.
Mice and rats seek out warmth, secluded places to make a nest, find food ,and give birth to their young. Both rodents give birth to several young. An infestation can begin inside any type of structure! Rats and mice both love to chew – rats especially. As they seek out food both rodents begin chewing their way through everything from storage containers to wood and drywall. Mice and rats have sharp teeth that continue growing throughout their lives. Another sign of having rats and not mice is that rats can chew electrical wires and small plumbing lines causing major damage in a home or business.
How To Prevent Mice And Rats
The most rodent control begins with prevention. We are focusing on the identification and prevention of mice in this article but this advice will work for rats as well. First, start in your kitchen because this is an area for both types of rodents to seek out a food source. Trash should be properly disposed of in a sanitary manner. Good sanitation practices must be maintained inside and outside of the home or business. Piles of trash is an all-you-can-eat buffet for both types of rodents. This also means storing pet food in an airtight container.
Areas of standing water and leaky pipes must be repaired. Your winter supply of firewood and other wood piles should be moved far away from home. Rodents will seek shelter in these types of areas. Overgrown areas of vegetation should be trimmed away from the structure or eliminated completely.
It’s a good idea to call a professional pest control services company like Around The Clock Pest to eliminate any mice or rats you have. But, if it’s not within your budget to call a professional immediately there are a few ways to keep the populations of rodents at bay until pest management professionals arrive or you can afford to hire one.
There are many types of rodent control products and devices you can purchase at almost all Home Depot and Lowes stores. Control products like glue traps mouse traps work well if placed properly with a little peanut butter for bait. Live traps are usually effective for large populations of rodents but these traps will capture rodents and keep them alive. Problem is once caught these traps may be have multiple mice in them. Once caught they will need to be gotten rid of and placing them free outside is a mistake. Once freed, mice and rats both will come right back inside. Glue boards, some may argue is inhumane as the rodents get stuck and die several hours or days later. Once captured, you’ll need to dispose of in a sanitary manner.
Learning How To Get Rid Of Rodents
- Seal all entry points such as sewers, cracks, crevices, and air vents with a stainless steel mesh or steel wool pads until pest control management arrives.
- Repair or replace damaged screens around the foundation and under eaves
- Install a tightly-fitted access panel or door for the crawl space.
- Seal all openings around pipes, cables, and wires that enter through walls or the foundation.
- Be sure that windows are screened and that screens are in good condition.
- Cover rooftop plumbing vent pipes with screens.
- Make sure exterior doors are tightly fitted with weatherproofing at bottoms.
- Finally, pick up and discard any type of nesting materials like insulation out of place, cotton balls laying on the floor of a closet, and any other type of soft fabric or paper products rodents can use to build a nest.