When Should You Contact a Rodent Exterminator?

It’s pretty much a given that you will, at some point in your life, encounter nuisance wildlife on your property. Depending on the area you live in and an assortment of factors, this may be a raccoon, possum, fox, bat, or a rodent. Which is what we’ll be focusing on in this blog.

Rodents are probably the most common wildlife intruder, thanks to their incredible resilience, and inventiveness. Think about it. Rodents have adapted to so much human development. As our cities have grown, robbing wildlife of its own habitat, these critters have learned how to not only live, but actually thrive, alongside us.

So, when’s the right time to call a professional rodent exterminator like A Team Rodent Control Services? Here’s how to tell.

📌 Observe your pet’s behavior.

Pets will actually be aware of a problem long before their owners. That’s because they smell the furry intruder long before you spot it. If your pet has started acting odd recently, it might be a sign of a rodent infestation. So keep an eye on your pet. If you notice erratic behavior, or particularly agitated movement around a specific spot/area of the house, it might be trying to tell you something.

📌 Examine the walls. Look for greasy marks.

Luckily (or perhaps unluckily), rodents are coated with a naturally oily substance. This means that when they squeeze through an opening in your wall, they will leave greasy marks around that area. Now, you should be examining your walls regularly anyway, as that’s a good way to prevent wildlife intruders. And if look-around results in inexplicable greasy marks along the walls, then it might be an indication you’ve got rodents.

📌 Look for droppings.

One of the clearest signs of a rodent infestation is finding droppings. Usually, if you run across rodent droppings (round pellets with a pointed end), it’s a good sign you should call a professional. If you see mice in the home, but no droppings, that may be a good sign, as it indicates the infestation is in its early stages.

If, on the other hand, you find significant amounts of droppings in one place, it suggests there’s already quite an intense infestation in that specific area. Lastly, look for the size of the droppings. If you find larger ones, these typically hail from older mice/rats, which might mean one of your neighbors has a serious infestation.

📌 You see structural damage.

Another clear sign of a rodent infestation (and by far one of the more worrying) is structural damage. Since a mouse’s teeth never stop growing, it needs to constantly be chewing. On wooden structures, electrical wires, furniture, and so on. Given enough time, a rodent can cause significant damage in your home. So if you’re seeing marks on the furniture, wires, rugs, or even walls, then it’s an indication the rodents have been here a while.

📌 You hear noises.

If you hear scurrying noises during the night, it’s an indicator that you’ve got a wild animal on your premises. Now, it can be difficult to tell the animals apart simply by noise, which is why you should call a pest control professional. They’ll know the difference for you. Even if it’s not a rodent, chances are, it’s still bad news, and you’ll want to remove it as quickly as possible.

📌 Finally, you see a rodent.

By far the clearest sign of a rodent infestation on the premises is a rodent sighting. Whether you see one scurrying across your kitchen floor, or moving around in your yard, chances are it thinks your home is pretty neat. So you want to take steps to get rid of it.

✅ Guide to a Rat-Proof House

Here are our favorite quick 5 steps for rat-proof roof:

1. Frequently inspect the roof, and replace missing shingles/weather damage.
2. Clean up the attic, removing boxes (great rat hiding spots), and reducing clutter.
3. Trim nearby trees, to stop rats from climbing up to your roof.
4. Reduce attractors. To avoid attracting rodents, consider potential water and food sources (pet food, leftovers, etc) and remove them.
5. Maybe repurpose your attic, since a populated area of the house won’t attract wild animals.