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Signs Of Rodents In Your Home

While eradicating a rodent infestation in your home will be difficult, identifying it should be reasonably easy, especially as the infestation amplifies and the rodents can no longer be discreet. If you suspect that rodents might have settled in, you will want to look for these signs of rodents in your home:

• Rodent nests: Rats and mice will make nests out of plant-based material like cotton, shredded paper, twigs, and more. These nests will generally look like loose balls, and some rodents, like rats, will return to the same nest to birth more offspring. If you see a rodent nest, do not remove it alone, as it could cause the animals to become territorial and aggressive. Moles (which are not technically rodents but cause similar damage), voles, and gophers will usually build their nests outdoors by digging galleries under your yard, disrupting the soil in the process.
• Rodent feces: Rodent feces are one of the most common signs of a rodent infestation. Rat droppings are shiny and black but get duller if they aren’t fresh and can be over half an inch long. Mouse droppings look like rice grains and have tapered ends, while squirrel droppings have rounded edges. Mole droppings resemble small dark pellets, and vole feces can be green when fresh or brown after they’ve been exposed to light and started to dry out.
• Rodent noises: Mice and rats are generally quiet during the day but more active at night. You might hear scratching noises behind the walls and floorboards. Voles and gophers are usually silent unless they communicate with each other or feel threatened, in which case they might make high-pitched squeaks.
• Live rodents: If you see rodents on your property, you can be confident that there are more underground, behind walls, or under appliances. Because rodents multiply rather rapidly, it is always a good idea to have a selection of local rodent control companies you can contact. 
• Property damage: Rats and mice will chew through various materials in your home, from wooden furniture to electrical wires, and they won't forget walls as they create entry points. As for yard pests, voles will effortlessly dig up through the soil, creating galleries, tearing up roots, and even killing trees. Gophers are also known for damaging sprinkler systems and underground pipes and killing off plants and shrubs.

Suppose you have seen signs of a rodent infestation. In that case, it is crucial that you eliminate it as soon as possible, not only because of the cost involved with rodent damage but because rodents in your house can make you very sick by transmitting dangerous diseases.

Can Rodents In Your House Make You Sick?

Rodents in your house can make you very sick because they are carriers of many diseases that can be life-threatening, especially to people with a weak immune system, the elderly, and young children. The CDC warns about the risk of leptospira. This bacterial infection can require hospitalization and can lead to death, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, a rodent-borne viral infection, and the plague, which is often the result of rodent bites, hantavirus, and typhus. These diseases can cause some of these symptoms:

These diseases can spread in various ways, from breathing air in areas infested by different types of rodents to eating food contaminated by these unhygienic pests. Rats, mice, and other rodents can transmit dangerous illnesses if they enter your home and start building nests. If you are struggling with a rodent infestation, now is the time to learn the safest way to eliminate it safely but effectively.

Tips To Keep Rodents Away From Your Home For Good

You do not want to take care of a rodent infestation only to see it return in a few months. Use these tips to help you keep rodents at bay and away from your home for good by removing the factors that might be attracting them and making it more difficult for them to build nests:

• Don’t leave food around: Cleaning the kitchen and dining areas can feel like a full-time job, but leftovers, spills, and other food items can quickly attract rodents, especially mice and rats. Be sure to vacuum your home daily, mop floors as often as possible, wipe down and disinfect surfaces, especially in the kitchen, and keep your food in sealed containers. Because mice and rats can chew through hard materials, regularly inspecting your food containers is a good idea. 
• Seal holes and cracks in your home: If your home has holes or cracks in the walls or foundation, they can serve as entry points for rodents. A pest control professional can help you understand how to seal them safely.
• Keep a tidy yard: The outside of your home needs to be clean and decluttered. Keep bushes trimmed and trees appropriately pruned with branches as far away from the structure of your home as possible, and get rid of leaf piles as soon as possible. If you have a compost pile, keep it away from the house and maintain it, so it does not attract pests.
• Declutter basements and attics: Dark, humid rooms rarely frequented are a great place for rodents to settle and start a family.

If you are unsure that you are doing everything possible to keep rodents at bay, call us. We can help you keep your home free of pests and prevent them from returning with the most effective rodent control tips and treatments.

For good reasons, we are one of the highest-rated pest control companies in Los Angeles county. Our licensed technicians have the expertise needed to get rid of rodents with safe treatments for pets, children, and the environment. They also get the training necessary to keep up with new findings and products to keep your home free of pests long-term. HomeShield Pest Control is locally-owned and operated, as well as organic and eco-friendly. Our services come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee with unlimited free maintenance calls between scheduled visits.