Are You Feeding Rodents In Your Home?
Are you feeding rats or mice within your home’s walls?
Rodents feed in special areas within your home: places where they can find food, or places where they bring food from other locations because they feel they can eat safely there.
Normally you can identify these areas by seeing a greater than normal amount of rodent feces, urine deposits and hair. Or, by finding a variety of food leftovers such as candy wrappers, nut shells, and cockroach carcasses.
These special feeding areas can be hidden from view and often found in unexpected places. The usual locations are kitchens and bathrooms. Other areas are: in corners or behind large objects or furniture, under or behind the bottom drawers in kitchen cabinets and in under-sink cabinets, under or behind stoves or refrigerators, and where garbage is stored.
Rats and mice cause more damage inside our homes than any other mammal in the world. They spoil food; spread salmonella, hantavirus and 17 other diseases, and chew essential house parts such as electrical wires. Some species even kill young poultry and other livestock. Phenomenally fertile, a cute pair of mice living in your garage can grow into a gang of 20 or more in only a few months.
Rodent Proofing Tips
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Repair all holes and cracks in foundation, walls, basements and such.
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Equip doors and windows with fine-mesh, well-maintained screens.
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Chimneys should be capped.
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Seals around all exterior lines leading through walls must be tight.
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Cover vents with metal grill-work and rust-resistant screening.
If you suspect that your home has a rodent infestation and would like a free inspection or estimate click here.
Click here if you would like to learn more about rodents in Virginia.
