The possibility of getting mice or rats in your house increases over the winter as they look for a place to get out of the cold and find their next meal. The problem with rodents is that they tend to multiply exponentially very quickly, and since they are so good at avoiding contact with people, you can develop a serious rodent issue before you even realize you have rodents.
Here are some signs to watch and listen for that point to the possibility of having a rodent infestation.
Scratching sounds in the walls.
While rodents are good at avoiding contact with people, they are not magicians. When they move through tight spaces, they will rub against walls, insulation, wiring, or whatever else is inside your walls. Scratching sounds inside your walls is never a good sign and the first sign that you may have a rodent issue.
Dropping
Mouse or rat droppings are usually the first thing people notice. Rodent droppings are small, black pellets that are unmistakable. Since rodents tend to stay away from open spaces, you will likely find these droppings in cabinets, along the baseboard, or molding. Dropping will tend to be where the food is or in rodent high-traffic areas such as countertops or by doors or windowsills.
Grease
Rodents excrete oil to keep their coats in good condition. This grease tends to rub off onto walls and fixtures near openings that mice or rats squeeze themselves through. You will most likely find these grease stains between the place they have made their nests and the closest food source, such as the kitchen or pantry.
Urine
Well, where there are droppings, there will also be urine, and the stench of urine is unmistakable. When you combine the urine with the grease, you tend to get urine pillars. These are urine mixed with grease and other dirt, which are generally signs that you have had an infestation for quite a while already.
Mouse odors
We mentioned the smell of urine, which has an ammonia-type smell. That smell and droppings are some of the first signs of an infestation. The smells will most likely be the strongest in the morning since rodents tend to be most active when everyone else is not around or when people are sleeping. If you have these smells in the morning or after you return home after being out for a while, it is a sign that you have unwanted guests.
Footprints
Even if you clean every day, you will still have dust around the house. The benefit of dust is that if a rodent runs through the dust, they will leave tracks. These tracks are a sure sign of an infestation. One way to verify rodents is to sprinkle flour over their countertops or floors overnight, and if the flour has tracks through them in the morning, you know rodents are present.
Rodents are a dangerous pest to have in your home. The damage they cause can be pretty expensive to repair. The work to even get the odors out can be extensive. Rodents are also known vectors for several diseases, and they contaminate the food they come into contact with.
Rodents are a guest you do not want. We offer rodent exclusion services to avoid the problem before it starts, but if you have mice or rats in your home, you need to contact us immediately.
Comments