You may already know this, but rodents don’t like the cold. Despite having fur to keep them warm, a rodent can only take so much cold weather before seeking shelter. Most often they find this shelter in a hollowed-out log, a burrow in the ground, or a hole in a tree. But what are these compared to the walls and ceiling voids of a cozy and warm home? 10 times out of 10, rodents will choose our homes over anything they might find in the wild. Are you worried that your Raleigh home is at risk? Are you wondering if you already have a rodent infestation? We will help you find out.
Identifying A Rodent Infestation
When rodents invade, they leave some telltale signs behind. Some of the most common signs you might see or hear include holes that rodents chewed through baseboards, grease trails across the base of walls, gnaw marks, droppings, or scampering sounds late at night overhead or in your walls. Another common sign is chewed-through boxed foods. If you find a hole in your cereal box, don’t eat it, it was probably invaded by rodents.
Problems Rodents Cause Around Homes
Rodents are born with sharp teeth and a constant need to chew. This brings trouble. As mentioned above, rodents can use their sharp teeth to chew through walls, creating holes. What you might not know is that they can also use their teeth to chew through piping and electrical wiring inside your walls. This can lead to water damage and potentially can be a fire hazard as well.
Rodents are also known vectors of bacteria and pathogens that can make you sick, and they are carriers of parasitic pests such as fleas, mites, and ticks which can be transmitted to pets. The diseases they can spread include Rat-Bite fever, Salmonellosis, hantavirus, and Hemorrhagic fever. They spread these diseases through their fecal matter and urine which is left around homes they infest. (If you decide to clean areas where rodents have left droppings and urine, make sure to wear protective gear, including a face mask, to avoid touching or breathing in harmful pathogens.)
How To Make Your Home Less Attractive To Rodents
There are a variety of factors that can attract rodents to your home. Here is our list of the factors you can change to try to keep rodents away.
Holes, gaps, or cracks in the exterior of your home that rodents can use to get inside.
Trashcans without tightly sealed lids where rats can crawl in and search for food scraps.
Pet food left out on the floor from which rats can get a late-night snack.
Food inside cardboard boxes that can be easily accessed with a small amount of chewing.
Easily accessible food left out on countertops or tabletops that are easy meals for rats.
Here are some suggestions to amend the above attractants.
Seal exterior openings rodents could use to get inside using wire mesh and a caulking gun.
Make sure all trashcans have tight-fitting lids.
Pick up pet food dishes after your pets are done eating.
Store boxed and leftover foods inside plastic containers.
What To Do About A Rodent Infestation
If you are dealing with a rodent infestation in your Raleigh home, you can set down traps to reduce populations. With a small enough infestation of two to three rodents, these traps may fully deal with your problem, but with any more than three rodents, professional rodent control in Raleigh is the only way to go.
Do you want to learn more about rodents? Or would you like to schedule an appointment to have your home inspected for rodent activity? Contact us today for reliable pest control in Raleigh!