If a rodent invades your home, you and your family could be in danger. These destructive animals will stay and destroy your home until they are forced out. If you are seeing any type of rodent in your home, our Pensacola pest control specialists can help. At EnviroGuard, we can locate, identify, and eliminate rodents. Here is a look at how to tell if you should seek the help of a professional rodent control specialist.
Identifying A Rodent Problem In Your House
Rats and mice are both able to sneak into your home and cause a lot of problems. These tiny animals will usually squeeze into the space above your ceilings or behind your walls in order to travel throughout your home without being noticed. Even if you don't see a rodent with your own eyes, there are still several ways that you can tell if a rodent has invaded your home. Some of the most common signs of a rodent infestation include:
- Gnaw marks and holes in your cabinets, furniture, clothes, walls, and any other surface that is not made of metal or glass.
- High-pitched squeaking or scratching sounds coming from behind your walls.
- Food packages with holes in them that are about the size of a quarter or larger.
- Chewed-up paper, cloth, or other nesting materials.
You are also likely to find rodent droppings around your home if you have even one rodent hanging around. Rat and mouse droppings look similar. Both droppings are dark brown and shaped like an elongated oval. However, mice droppings tend to be around 1/4 of an inch long, and rat droppings can be closer to ¾ of an inch long or more.
Why Effective Rodent Control Is So Important
Rodents in Pensacola are not only destructive, but they can also be dangerous to have around. A rat or mouse will chew on almost anything. Many times, this will include the electrical wiring in your home. If a rodent chews through the protective coating on the wires, it could cause the system to short out, or it could also cause a fire.
Rodents are also known to carry a wide range of pathogens, which they can easily spread to you by leaving their urine and feces throughout your house. Some of the most common types of illnesses that you are likely to catch from a rodent infestation in or around your home include salmonellosis, rat-bite fever, and leptospirosis.
How To Identify And Remove Factors That Attract Rodents
Rodents commonly enter a home in search of food. They are able to chew through plastic and cardboard containers with ease. All food that is not kept in the refrigerator or freezer should be placed in a metal or glass container with a tight lid.
Rodents are overwintering pests that will come into your home if the temperature gets too cold outside. Once they have deemed your home to be a warm and safe place to stay, they will continue to live there even after the outside temperatures have warmed up. To ensure that rodents don't come into your home, be sure to seal off all vents and gaps around your home using a metal mesh material.
Know When It's Time To Call The Rodent Control Experts
Once a rodent finds its way into your home, it won't leave on its own. At EnviroGuard, our technicians go through extensive training to learn how to safely and effectively get rid of any type of rodent in your home. Give us a call to see how our rodent control plans can quickly eliminate the rodents from your Pensacola home and prevent them from returning in the future.