A rat or mouse infestation can quickly bring your life to a grinding halt. It is vital to keep your eye out for any signs of rodents. When these pests aren’t taken care of immediately, homeowners can quickly find themselves dealing with emergency issues, such as damaged electrical wires, unsanitary droppings, and destroyed food in the pantry, that could have been avoided. Here is a quick look at a few warning signs that you might have a rodent infestation that needs to be taken care of by a professional.
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Damaged Food Products
Mice love cheese. Cartoons, movies, and even comic books have engrained this stereotype into our souls. Though this is a stereotype that we should fight when think out our rodent brothers and sisters. It is unfair to the rodents as they like to nibble on more than just our specialty cheese from the grocery store. Most all foods are in danger of being targeted by our house-dwelling, rodent, foes. This poses a problem because mice are known for carrying various diseases.
Even with modern medical treatments rodents can still be quite dangerous. Once they get into your food they will spread a wide variety of rodent based diseases including salmonella, HPS, meningitis, and tularemia. As soon as you notice any damage to your food products you should throw away all items that might be contaminated. These pests often chew through boxes and bags to get to food such as dry cereal and pasta.
Travel Marks
Being aware of potential places where mice might leave marks is a great way to avoid a bigger problem. Due to their very poor eyesight, mice they will stay as close to the walls as possible when moving around. Continuously traveling on these “mouse highways” will, over time, begin to leave behind a travel of marks that resemble either oily smudges or dark scuffs. Homeowners must contact a pest control company, like Pest Police Australia or a similar company in their area, as soon as they notice any discoloration or scuff marks on the walls, baseboards, or molding.
If you do not take immediate notice of those scuff marks and wait for weeks, there could be dozens of rodents in your home. Keep your eyes peeled for any new scuff marks or smudges at the bottom of your walls. Being aware of new travel marks early will help you avoid a bigger infestation of mice later on.
Shavings and Gnaw Marks
Many people don’t know that a rodent’s teeth are always growing, and that is one of the reasons why they must constantly chew things. Mice and rats will gnaw on practically any material imaginable, but they typically prefer relatively soft items like floorboards, electrical wires, and insulation. Once they are done chewing those items they will leave behind small piles of shavings.
This can lead to much bigger problems if not caught quickly. When checking around the house be mindful of potential gnaw marks and report anything that feels, or looks, out of the ordinary. The last thing, and expense, that you need to deal with is electrical problems because of a pest infestation.
Unusual Noises in the Wall
Depending on the age of your home and what materials were used to build it, you might notice unusual noises all the time. From that nineteenth century poltergeist to the house “settling” you know the typical sounds that your home makes. Any new, out of the ordinary sounds is what you need to keep your ears open for.
If you hear any sounds that resemble scurrying or scratching then you need to have your home inspected by an exterminator. Mice try to keep out of sight and that means they will move around your home in the crawlspaces, walls, attic, and basement. These noises can take place at any time, but most rodents are more active at night.
The easiest way to prevent an infestation of any kind is to contact a pest control specialist for preventative maintenance. One or two service calls a year could help you avoid thousands of dollars in damage by keeping rats, mice, cockroaches, bedbugs, and other critters out of your home. Don’t play a game of Tom and Jerry and try to handle them on your own, let the professionals help you take out these pests and protect your home.
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