For Monmouth County residents, rodents can be a problem throughout the entire year – and you’re most likely to deal with one of three types:
House mice: With cream-colored bellies and dusty gray fur, house mice have smaller, plumper bodies than rats do.
Norway rats: Compared to roof rats, Norway rats are known to have larger bodies, shorter tails, and lack the same climbing abilities.
Roof rats: Roof rats may be smaller than Norway rats, but their tails are often just as long as their bodies, and they’ll use their excellent climbing skills to scurry up tree branches or rooftops.
When they first discover a rodent problem in their home, some homeowners may assume that they’ve got mice and rats – but it’s almost impossible to have both types of rodents at the same time. Not only do rats enjoy making a meal out of house mice, but the odor that rats emit often scares any nearby mice away. Regardless of which rodent you’ve got in your Monmouth County home, here’s what you should know about how they get inside, the problems they cause, how to prevent them, and how to accomplish total rodent control.
How Do Rodents Get Inside Your Home & What Problems Do They Cause?
When it comes to getting into your home, rodents like mice and rats are crafty. Their flexible bodies allow them to crawl through the tiniest of holes in the foundation of your home or through torn window and door screens. House mice, for instance, only need a hole that’s the size of a pen or dime to crawl through, while rats only require openings as big as a quarter.
Rodents come into your home for the same three reasons that a lot of pests do: they’re looking for food, water, and warm shelter in the colder months. While they’re resilient enough to survive in most homes, houses that provide easy access to leftover food or moisture are especially attractive to rodents.
Once they do get inside, mice and rats can cause a long list of problems, such as:
Spreading diseases and bacteria like hantavirus, tularemia, or salmonellosis
Causing property damage by chewing through electrical wires, insulation, or other building materials in your house
Bringing parasites with them, such as fleas or ticks
How To Prevent Mice & Rats In Monmouth County, NJ
Rodents may cause big problems, but there are a couple of things you can do to prevent them, including:
Seal potential access points. Rodents only need a small hole in the foundation of your home to crawl through, so you’ll want to block off any gaps with a rodent-proof material like steel wool. Mice and rats have powerful teeth and jaws, so they can chew through plastic, vinyl, and even wood.
Don’t leave food sitting out. Any food, including pet food, can lure rodents into your home, so it’s important to properly store any food sources in airtight containers.
Trim tree branches and shrubs near your home. Roof rats may use low-hanging tree branches or overgrown vegetation to climb onto the side and top of your home. Make sure you regularly trim any tree branches or shrubs that are too close to your house.
Eliminate moisture sources. Leaky pipes, flooded gutters, and other excess moisture can lure rodents in, so you’ll want to address drainage issues as soon as you notice them.
Inspect yard debris and other items before bringing them into the home. Rodents may hide in yard debris, like playground equipment or firewood, so you’ll want to store items away from your home – and inspect any items before they’re brought into the home.
Total Rodent Control In Monmouth County, NJ
The prevention tips above are always a great place to start with rodent control, but if you’ve got an existing problem, there’s only one effective solution: enlisting professional help from Alliance Pest Services. We’ve got years of experience getting rodents out of Monmouth County homes – and we can do the same for the mice and rats in your house.
If you’re spotting the signs of rodents around your property or have already discovered an infestation, don’t put you or your family’s health and property at risk any longer. Contact us at Alliance Pest Services for more information about our total rodent control services and how we can help.
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