Rat, Mice, Rodent Control Problems

Rat Control | Rodent Problems

We effectively remove and eliminate rat and miceproblems from your home or business.

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Rodents are a significant problem in Northwest Washington and if not eliminated properly can cause significant health concerns. Two types of rats can be found in Washington; the Norway Rat & the Roof Rat. In addition to rats it is common to find house mice in homes, especially during cooler times of the year.

The Norway rat is sometimes also called the sewer rat, gray rat, brown rat, dump rat or even the wharf rat.. It is larger & stockier than the roof rat, having a blunt nose, short ears & small eyes, coarse fur which is usually brownish or reddish grey. The Norway rat can climb, but most often inhabits the lower levels of buildings & structures.

The Roof rat is quite smaller than the Norway rat, it is a more agile climber, is black or slate grey in color, with a slender body, prominent ears, & large eyes. It is also commonly called the ship rat or black rat. They most commonly live in attics, walls, trees, or thick vegetation. This species are sometimes found living near poultry barns or other farm buildings, as well as industrial sites where shelter, water & food are available.

Rodents and mice can cause significant health concerns.

Rats do live in close proximity with humans. They tend to live around residences, warehouses, stores and sewers. They can burrow or climb to make nests in buildings, structures, in trees around pond, underneath concrete slabs, in garbage dumpster, overgrown landscape, and other locations where there may be food, water and shelter. Rats can have 5-8 young, and they develop rapidly, reaching maturity at about 3 months of age. Their eye sight is very poor, but they rely heavily on their sense of smell, taste, touch, and hearing.

Rats will typically begin looking for food near dusk, when the sun starts to set. They will travel a considerable distance to get the food they want, sometimes even crossing over power lines. Rats will eat nearly any type of food; the “Norway” rat prefers meats & fish, the “roof” rat prefers cereals, grains, nuts & fruits. Rats will eat the fruit from your fruit tree, vegetation, also the pet food you leave out on your patio or deck, bird seed & garbage. They actually try to select a “nutritionally balanced diet” preferring anything wholesome & fresh to stale.

Sometimes people think when they see a rat chewing on wood that it is for nutritional purposes, but this is a necessity they have is not for nutritional reasons, but to keep their teeth worn down. This gnawing can create damage within buildings & structures; they can gnaw on electrical wires, and tear up insulation for nesting materials Rodent- borne Diseases: these rodents can spread various diseases, both directly & indirectly, through their urine & feces contaminating foods, soils, or nesting materials such as insulation, or the fleas & mites that live off them. The most commonly talked about in the new is referred to as the “Hantavirus” which can affect the respiratory system of humans, can be fatal, but it is carried from DEER MICE, urine, saliva, feces & nesting materials. Rodents can also spread “Salmonella” by their feces contaminating food sources.

House Mouse: this is the most common mammal in cities next to humans. They have poor eye sight are slender, small, and grayish in color, large ears, small black eyes, pointed nose, & a nearly hairless tail, they have a keen sense of smell, taste , & touch . These little rodents are the most troublesome in the United States. The House mouse lives in & around homes, farms, & commercial areas, they tend to move into structures with the encroaching winter season looking for shelter and food. They do prefer to eat seeds and grains, but they also like candy, peanut butter, bacon, and chocolate. They can cause structural damage to buildings with their gnawing, and nest building; they can cause extensive damage to insulation inside walls & attic spaces. Please note: Seeing mice in the daylight hours usually indicates a high population, a female mouse can have 5-10 litters per year.

Exclusion is an important to effectively eliminate your rodent and mice problem

The best way to keep rodents out of your home, keep them from damaging your wiring, insulation, family heirlooms, & spreading diseases, fleas, mites etc. Rats can fit through a ½ inch square opening, but they often go through doors that have been left open for extended periods of time. Some entry points could be: vents, windows, exterior doors, foundation areas where wiring, plumbing or gas fittings are coming through, construction flaws where the wall framing or siding meets the foundation, poor fitting crawl space access doors, damaged crawl wells, tunneling underneath the crawl wells, drain pipes, sewage systems, utility lines going in to the home, trees branches hanging over the roof line, and many more.

Pesticides used to control rodents are governed by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act