Rodent problems can be incredibly frustrating. It’s a stressful feeling coming home and not knowing if you’ll see a mouse or rat in the corner of your basement. Plus, it’s just downright disheartening to unpack boxes of your stored items only to find they’ve been subject to rodent damage. With all of this frustration, it can be tempting to take matters into your own hands, but you’ll soon regret relying on your own methods of rodent control. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the many problems rodents cause in Phoenix homes and why you’re always best off leaving your home in the care of professionals instead of going it alone.
Mice And Rats: Danger And Damage?
If you asked anyone if they would want to allow mice and rats into their home, they would definitely say no. However, many people don’t understand just how dangerous mice and rat infestations can be, and how much they can cost you. First of all, you’ll never have to deal with both at the same time, which is good. However, both of them can bring a variety of dangers and costly damage to your home.
Mice are the smaller of the two, with brown to light grey bodies that typically measure three inches long, not including the tail. Rats, on the other hand, usually measure six to eight inches in length (not including the tail) and are much darker in color.
One thing both of these invasive rodents have in common is their sharp front teeth and their incessant need to chew. This causes them to chew holes in your walls, wood, drywall, linens, laundry, and more. Their incessant chewing also allows them access into your home as they can chew through most siding materials and squeeze their bodies into very small spaces.
More alarming than the potential damage to your house, however, is the health threat that mice and rats pose to you and your family. As creatures of opportunity, mice and rats will spend most of their time in the landfills and sewers around town searching for food waste. This makes them well-known carriers of bacteria, which puts you and your family at risk of incurring dangerous diseases in the event of an infestation. Mice and rats will spread this bacteria to your frequently touched surfaces along with your food preparation areas, creating an unhealthy environment quickly.
Rodent Prevention Done Right
Since rodents can be so damaging to your home and health and can enter your home so easily, it’s important to understand the most effective way to keep them out of your house. With their sharp teeth and flexible bodies, mice and rats can get into almost any space.
Your focus, then, should be on limiting the factors that would attract them into your house or onto the property in the first place. Ways to do this include:
- Store food in plastic, tightly secured containers
- Seal up holes and cracks in the foundation of your home
- Store pet food properly and clean up any loose food after their meals
- Limit the clutter in the yard and the home that could provide hiding places for rodents
While these are all effective tips, you might still incur an infestation. If you see mice or rats in your home, notice items being chewed up, or see their droppings lying around, don’t try and take matters into your own hands. Typically, homeowners who try to handle the problem themselves with traps and poison cannot keep up with the rapid rate of reproduction that both of these rodents have.
Prolonging the infestation by not using a guaranteed solution is increasing the chances of danger and exposure, so why not go with the solution that works every time? The safest and most effective way to get rid of rodents is to contact the professionals at White Knight Pest Control as soon as you see them. Call us today and find out why Phoenix residents trust Knight Pest Control for all their rodent control needs.