You’re all too-familiar with the presence of rodents around your Rochester home. The trouble is, you’re not sure what keeps bringing them to your property – or what factors prevent them from leaving on their own.
Thankfully, we’ve put together this guide about getting rid of rodents around your Rochester property. Once we discuss the signs of rodents and explain how to act on them promptly, we explore their health concerns, professional rodent removal services, and expert tactics for rodent prevention.
Not sure how to get rid of rodents already present around your property? We also explain how RodentX Wildlife Control can help with rodent removal in Rochester.
Now, let’s jump into the nitty-gritty details of a rodent infestation – starting with the most important signs of their presence and what you can do to get them out.
Signs Of Rodents: How To Recognize Them And Act Promptly
Before we discuss the signs and symptoms of a rodent infestation, we need to explore the types of rodents common to New York state.
Rats and mice are the two most common invaders, with four major species to consider: house mice, deer mice, Norway rats, and roof rats.
Let’s break it down:
- House mice are tiny rodents with bodies no more than a few inches long at maturity. With their big ears, pointed snouts, long tails, and round body shapes, they usually prefer to live in wall cavities or dark places in basements and crawl spaces.
- Deer mice are slightly larger and prefer to infest outbuildings and other exterior structures. These mice are typically brown in appearance with white bellies, long teeth, and furry tails.
- Norway rats are some of the biggest rodents you can find in New York state. With bodies reaching nearly nine inches long and scaly tails, they’re easy to identify by their blunt muzzles, rounded droppings, and burrowing behavior.
- Roof rats prefer to invade human homes by dropping in through the roof. Their long, thin bodies are slightly smaller than Norway rats and perfect for squeezing through small gaps.
Although each of these rodent species come with different appearances, shapes, and sizes, they share many similarities and behavioral characteristics you can easily identify in your home.
For example, many rodents prefer making nests out of soft, light materials found around the home. If you find a mysterious pile of shredded paper, insulation, and string, you may have stumbled upon a rodent nest with dozens of growing pups.
Rodents also tend to leave behind droppings near food and water sources. Rat droppings are larger and blunt at both ends, while mice leave tiny, pointed droppings.
Keep in mind all rodent species express gnawing behaviors of some kind. If you don’t see teeth marks on packaging, walls, and furniture, you may see telltale signs near baseboards, pillars, or doors.
Starting to get worried? There’s no need to panic. If you think or know you’ve spotted the signs of rodents near your Rochester property, don’t hesitate to contact RodentX Wildlife Control for a complete rodent inspection.
Rodents And Your Health: What You Need To Know
Ongoing rodent activity isn’t just a bad look – it’s also a dangerous health concern. Here in Rochester, both rats and mice are known for spreading viruses, bacteria, and certain kinds of parasites. Left alone to their own devices, they can make you and your loved ones extremely sick.
Rodents don’t even need to be physically present to transmit disease to you and your family. Contamination from their dropping, urine, and saliva can be spread around your home including throughout your kitchen. Direct contact with rats and mice can also cause health concerns.
Above all, you can’t overlook the negative effects of rodent activity on your food and water. Rats can break into even the toughest plastic packaging with ease, while mice nibble on the edges of leftovers and lap up water around kitchens, bathrooms, and basements.
Remember that everywhere rodents run is just another trail of pathogens. Grime, dirt, dust, and other germ-filled particles can coat food prep surfaces and leave your family worse for wear. Since many of these pathogens are transmitted from rodents on a microscopic level, there’s rarely a way of telling which surfaces are tainted (and which are perfectly clean).
And it's not just your health that's at risk. With their gnawing behavior, rats and mice can also damage your home and belongings. They will chew on a variety of materials, including wiring, siding, and molding. This can lead to expensive repairs as well as fire hazards and structural issues.
It’s clear rodents pose a number of problems to homeowners and their families. However, it’s possible to keep the worst at bay with ongoing preventative measures. Let’s take a look at what you can do to get rodents out of your house for good, starting with professional rodent extermination services from the pros at RodentX Wildlife Control.
Professional Rodent Extermination: Seek Expert Help
It’s one thing to follow rodent prevention advice, and another to get active rodents away from your home. It can be quite difficult to dispel breeding populations without getting the help of professional exterminators. Rodents are extremely intelligent, after all, and rarely fall for conventional tactics.
Vinegar sprays and essential oils are two of the most common of these. Although they sound good on paper and may help keep future rodents away, they do next to nothing when it comes to eliminating existing populations.
Some people opt to try rodent traps and over-the-counter baits. However, not only are those inefficient at best, but they can put your children and pets in harm’s way.
You can always try using rodent exclusion tactics to get rats and mice out of the house. But again, keep in mind this is primarily for prevention; you cannot necessarily get rid of rodents via exclusion once they are inside your home. In fact, there’s a good chance you may trap them inside, leading to carrion, disease, and pungent odors.
So what’s the best way to get rid of rodents around your Rochester home? In short, finding a professional wildlife control expert, including the team behind RodentX Wildlife Control.
Hundreds of Rochester property owners trust RodentX Wildlife Control to take care of their rodent control problems. From deer mice and roof rats to house mice and Norway rats, we have the tools you need to eliminate infestations fast. You don’t have to take our word for it; just take a look at the facts:
- We offer free and no-obligation inspections to get started with your rodent control process.
- We command more than a decade’s worth of rodent control and wildlife management experience.
- We provide same-day and emergency services to protect the people of Rochester.
Set yourself and your family up for success with our rodent control services in Rochester today. RodentX Wildlife Control would be happy to serve you with inspections, treatments, and follow-up services.
Prevent Rodent Recurrence: Long-Term Strategies For A Rodent-Free Home
Nobody wants a rodent infestation around their Rochester home. So what can you do to get rid of dangerous populations and then keep them out for good?
If you ask the team at RodentX Wildlife Control, it all starts with long-term strategies.
Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be complicated. The best way to stop rodents from re-infesting your property is to follow these helpful steps:
- Get rid of any standing water around the inside or outside of your home. Stagnant puddles should be filled by rocks or topsoil, while toys and tarps with excess water should be drained and put away.
- Be sure to keep a close eye on the food inside your kitchen and pantry. You should keep perishable goods in strong glass containers, then remove any produce from the counters and closets. Remember: even the tiniest crumbs and spills can look like a feast to rodents.
- Make a point of vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping your floor on a regular basis. If you have carpet, consider switching out to hardwood floors or laminate. Otherwise, you may consider renting a steam vacuum to pull attractant factors out of the carpet.
- Caulk, seal, and otherwise waterproof any vulnerable entry points around your property. This means addressing even the tiniest holes and fissures; remember that rodents can slip through gaps the size of a quarter.
- Replace old window and door screens as needed. This can help you keep pushy rodents at bay and remove ‘easy’ entry points from the equation.
- Consider regular rodent inspections if you think or know you’ve had infestations in the past. Experienced professionals like RodentX Wildlife Control can help you rule out possible causes and develop an action plan for your home.
Keep in mind many Rochester residents have dealt with at least one rodent infestation over the course of their lifetimes. There’s no shame in dealing with a rodent infestation despite your best prevention tactics – and with the assistance of RodentX Wildlife Control, you can get the help and hope you need to move past any rodent problem.
Give us a call today to discuss our mouse and rat control process.
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