Tips For Identifying A Rodent Infestation

If you suspect that rodents may have snuck into your home, you are not alone! The National Pest Management estimates that about 29% of American homes have a rodent infestation problem. The first step towards eliminating whatever pest is hounding you is properly identifying it. After identification, elimination should be the next thing, and for this job, call reputable experts like Team Veterans Pest Control.

Rodents often invade homes during the fall season in search of food and warmth. The two kinds of rodents that often pester homeowners are rats and mice. Rats are more common in cramped city areas and mice are more common in spacious and sparsely populated areas.  This article will provide you with many handy tips that will help you determine if your pest problem is caused by rodents or not. 

Observe Your Pets Behaviour

Your household pet will often be the first to notice if another creature is invading their territory. Cats and dogs have superior senses of smell, sound, and sight that allow them to notice a rodent invasion way before you are aware. Rodents bring parasites in your home that are likely to affect your pets e.g. fleas, mites, and lice. 

If you notice your pet scratching at particular parts of the walls while making aggressive sounds, this could be a sign that they have heard the rodent moving behind the walls, floorboards, or ceiling. Your pet could have picked up the rodent’s scent and is reacting to it. 

Watch Out For Rodent Droppings

If you have noticed small brownish or blackish rice-shaped droppings in your cabinets, drawers, or along your baseboard, this could be a sure sign of a rodent infestation. If the rat infestation in your home is serious, then the droppings will also be present in more visible areas. 

Clean up any suspected rodent droppings immediately with a mask and gloves on. If you are not sure what kind of droppings are present in your home, you can call up a professional exterminator for an evaluation and recommendation.   

Be On The Lookout For Strange Odors

Any strange odors that you notice in your home might be a sign of rodent infestation. Rodent urine carries a musky and unpleasant smell that grows stronger as your rodent problem becomes worse. 

Dead rodents trapped somewhere in your home will produce a gut-wrenching rotting odor that is impossible to ignore. If you come across a musky scent or a rotting odor in your home, then you should call an expert exterminator immediately. Removing dead rodents and obliterating and infestation is not an easy task to perform without expert help. 

Look For Stains And Signs Of Gnawing/Chewing

Rodents need to chew on things consistently so that their teeth do not grow too long. If you have notice bite marks on your cardboard, electrical wiring, food packaging, TV remote buttons, etc, then rodents are the likely culprits. Rodents also make small holes in thin walls and baseboards that they can use to navigate around your property unseen. Rodent urine also leaves distinct streaky stains in areas like the bottom of drawers and cabinets.  

Listen For Scratching Or Scuffling Noises At Night

Rodents are nocturnal animals that forage for food at night. You will never spot a rodent foraging for food in broad daylight unless your infestation is very serious. At night, you should keep an ear out for scuffling or scratching noises at night that rodents make while running in the ceilings or walls. Take note of any strange noises you hear and then look for other signs of a rodent infestation.  

Look Out For Nests

Rodents often build their nests in dark, damp, and hidden places using clusters of torn cloth, cardboard, paper, etc. If you have trouble locating these nests physically, then the odor they produce is an easy way to narrow in. Professional exterminators are well trained and fully capable of locating nests when eradicating your rodent infestation. In order to fully rid yourself of a rodent infestation, then you will have to locate and destroy all their nests in and around your home. 

Rodents pose a risk not only because of the significant property damage they cause but also the various health hazards they introduce into your homes. When rodents invade your home, they track all kinds of dirt, pathogens, and parasites into your environment. Rodents are very difficult to completely eliminate without professional help. If you suspect you have a rodent infestation, call up a reputable company of exterminators near you.