Mice and rats are not welcome in people’s homes. But they can still be drawn to your living space. Knowing what attracts rodents into your home is the first step to eliminating an existing rodent issue and preventing one from recurring. When you understand the common factors that contribute to a rodent infestation, you can better manage these unwanted guests.
Rodents carry diseases and spread them in your home. Also, they are quite destructive as they can chew through insulation, walls, and electrical wiring. As rats and mice urinate and leave fecal matter wherever they are, they can easily contaminate worktops and foods. Because of this, you want to partner with a pest control company like Mug-A-Bug Pest & Termite Control that can help you keep rodents at bay.
What Rats and Mice Want from Your Home
Rats and mice enter your home for the following:
- Shelter. Rodents enter your home to seek shelter. They dig around or under foundations or get into the attic through vents until they reach your living space. When they are inside your house, rodents will hide under furniture, in dark, corners, and behind walls. Also, they make nests under or inside appliances. Attics provide mice and rats warmth and protection against the elements.
- Food. Mice and rats can eat anything they can access. Rodents can ransack your kitchen and pantry for food or even feast on fruit trees in your garden.
- Water. Rodents can survive for at least one month without consuming water since they get water from the food they consume. But if they have to consume water, they can find enough in drains, pipe condensation, or pet dishes.
How to Make Your Home Less Attractive for Rodents
To prevent rats and mice from invading your home, take the steps below:
- Look for signs of rodents. To control rodent populations in your home, check for their presence first. Since these creatures live in hidden areas such as wall voids, crawl spaces, and attics, inspect these places to identify rodent harborage areas, feeding zones, and runways. Common signs of rodents to look for include piles of droppings, tracks, gnaw marks, dirty burrows, smudges, strange noises, dark urine stains, nests, and sights of dead or living rodents.
- Get rid of their food and water sources. Rodents tend to stay in places near their sources of food and water. To eliminate rodents from your house and prevent an infestation from happening, get rid of their harborage areas. Also, clean dishes right after use and clean the garbage containers frequently. Make sure your food is stored in airtight containers. Other steps you can take include getting rid of tall grass and weeds, eliminating wood and rock piles, and keeping compost in containers with tight lids.
- Prevent rodents from entering your home. To control rodents and prevent them from entering your house, take exclusion seriously. This can be done by blocking all entry points for rodents. Rats and mice can squeeze through tiny openings. Thus, it is important to seal gaps and cracks. Rodents can enter your home through gaps and cracks around electrical, water, drain, and AC lines and pipes. So seal these openings with sheet metal, chew-proof hardware cloth, mortar, and stainless steel fill fabric. Copper mesh or stainless steel wool can be used to make a chew-proof barrier. Make sure to seal piles that lead to outdoor sources of water and water tanks using steel wool.
- Set traps. When it comes to rodent traps, you have many options to choose from. Snap traps kill rats instantly while live traps capture and contain rats and mice until they can be released. To ensure the effectiveness of your traps, put them in high-activity areas like the space along walls, under furniture, or behind appliances.