Signs Of A Rodent Infestation

It is never a good idea to allow rodents to take up residence inside your home or business. But sometimes it is difficult to detect these sneaky creatures. Rodents are excellent hiders, and they can move silently in the dead of night without being detected, sometimes for months. It is important to know the signs rodents leave behind, and the dangers they pose to humans.

Noises

If you have rodents infesting your wall voids or attic spaces, you are likely to hear them. When they are out in the open, stealing through your kitchen or pantry, they are hyper-sensitive about being quiet. But, when they are safe inside walls or attics, they aren’t so careful. If you are hearing noises, such as scratching, scampering, chewing, or thumping inside your walls, you can be certain there is an animal of some kind in there. And the louder the noises, the larger the animal, or number of animals, crawling around in there.

Rodent Droppings

If there are mice or rats wandering around your house in the midnight hours, they are sure to leave their calling cards. Rodents leave urine and droppings everywhere they go. You may not be able to see the urine, but the droppings are quite noticeable. Rat droppings are about ⅜ of an inch long and black in color. In fact, the blacker they are the fresher they are. If they are black and soft, they are very fresh. If they are more of a grey color, and dry, then they are old. If you are seeing droppings that are smaller than grains of rice, these are likely mouse droppings. But, while mouse droppings are smaller, rats have nothing on mice when it comes to quantity. A rat can leave up to around 50 droppings in one day; while a mouse can produce up to 150. That’s a lot of pellets.

Smells

If you have rodents leaving urine and feces everywhere, there is sure to be a smell. And you might want to act immediately. If rodents are allowed to deposit urine for long periods, the smell can be extremely difficult to eradicate. For example, field mice, especially males, have proteins in their urine that send signals to other mice, and those proteins are designed to stick around for a very long time. Another smell rodents can leave that sticks around for awhile is the smell death. If a mouse or rat dies within your wall voids, you will be smelling that noxious odor for some time, unless the animal can be removed and the area cleaned.

Teeth marks

If you are seeing tiny gnaw marks on pantry items, the edges of cupboards, paper, and any other item or structure in your home, this is a good sign you have rodents. And if you are seeing chew marks inside your home, you can bet those critters are chewing up the insides of your walls and attic areas and the items stored there.

Paper scraps

If you notice tiny scraps of paper, cloth, or other materials in various places around your home, this is an indication of rodents. Rats and mice will steal materials from your home and carry them back to build or reinforce their nests.

Grease marks

If you notice grease marks around your home, they could have been left by rodents. The fur of a rodent contains grease and other filth, and rodents tend to travel the same pathways over and over. This means they are rubbing against the same walls, corners, and holes, over and over. When this happens, the grease from their fur rubs off and leaves a dark, greasy mark behind.

What Are The Dangers Of Rodents Inside Your Home Or Business?

If you are seeing some, or all, of the signs listed above, it would be wise to take action to get rid of the rodents that are leaving them. When rodents invade your home, they continue to come and go from filthy places outside, such as sewers, garbage dumps and trash cans, potentially bringing in all sorts of disease-carrying bacteria, as well as secondary pests, such as lice, mites, ticks and fleas.

If you need help with rodents, the pest professionals here at Schendel are ready to assist you in controlling an infestation, cleaning up affected areas, and sealing up your home against future rodent invasions. Reach out to us today, we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.