The Best Way To Keep Mice And Rats Away From Your Del Rio Home

Mice and rats are common indoor pests that are synonymous with the word "rodents." Squirrels are also rodents that can get into Del Rio homes, but they aren't as troublesome as rats and mice. Gophers and voles are rodents, but they don't get into homes at all. Chipmunks can get indoors and explore basements or ground-level areas of a home, but this is rare. Rats and mice are the worst of all rodents. When you say, "I have a rodent problem," few will wonder if you're talking about squirrels, gophers, voles, chipmunks, or some other pest rodent. Today, we're going to discuss a few reasons why it is bad to have a rat or a mouse in your home and how these two rodents differ. We'll share five practical tips to help you keep all rodents away from your Del Rio home and tell you what works to exclude them from your home. If you currently have rodents in your home, you can jump to our contact page and reach out to us for immediate assistance, if you'd like. Gold Star Exterminators offers rodent pest control in Del Rio and our technicians have the experience, training, and cleverness to outsmart mice and rats and get them out of your home. 

Pest identification is essential for all pest control. The methods that work to control one pest may fall short in controlling another. How do mice and rats differ?

Mice: These are small rodents. An adult mouse can squeeze into a hole the size of a dime. As you consider how to keep mice out, the size of the holes you find can help you determine if mice are the pests infesting your home. Here are a few more factors to consider:

• Mice are curious animals. They will check out traps and may readily go for a trap if it has the right food and is placed in the right location.
• Mice prefer seeds and nuts. You won't have much success capturing a mouse with cheese. It is best to use peanut butter. The downside of using peanut butter is that you may actually catch a mouse and have to dispose of it.
• A mouse can jump thirteen inches straight up, an impressive height for its size. Keep this in mind as you attempt to exclude mice.
• Mice are incredible climbers that can climb exterior walls of homes faster than Spiderman.   

Rats: These are big rodents, but an adult rat can squeeze into a hole the size of a quarter. As with mice, you can tell that you have a rat problem by the size of the holes these animals are making to get into your home and go from wall voids to interior spaces.

• Rats are suspicious animals. They tend to avoid traps, particularly when they come upon a trap in a previously explored location. It is harder to capture rats with traps.
• Rats prefer cheese, meats, dog food, and other hearty foods. These food options work better for trapping them.
• A rat can jump thirty-six inches straight up. You need to work harder to keep these rodents out of high locations.
• Rats are great swimmers and can come up from the culvert system by way of toilets. The good news is that they rarely do this.

Do you see how these simple facts can impact your rodent control strategy? Now, let's take a look at why keeping both of these rodent pests out of your Del Rio home is critical. 

Both Mice And Rats Are Dangerous To Have In Your Home

A rodent's gonna do what a rodent's gonna do. All rodents gnaw on things, it is a very rodent thing to do! Unfortunately, all that gnawing can present problems for you and everyone else who lives in your home.

• Rodents are known to chew on wires. When they cut a live wire, it can spark a fire. Experts say 80 to 85% of fires resulting from unknown sources are likely rodent-related. 
• Rodents chew holes to get into homes. These holes can allow moisture in, leading to wood rot, mold, and other issues. These holes also create a pathway for other pests that don't chew holes. Some secondary pests pose a disease or stinging and biting threat.
• Rodents carry ticks and fleas. These parasites are associated with many diseases, including Lyme disease, meat allergy, and Rocky Mountian spotted fever.
• Rodents gnaw on stored items and cause damage. They also contaminate these items with their waste products.
• Mice and rats move about your home, exploring every level, and they may contaminate surfaces, dishes, silverware, cutting boards, stored food, and more.

We recommend hiring a licensed pest control service provider if you are currently dealing with a rodent infestation, or rolling your sleeves up to do the hard work of prevention if you don't yet have an infestation. 

Five Practical Rodent-Exclusion Tips For Around Your Home

When mice and rats enter your yard or explore the exterior of your home, you can stop them. The secret is to counteract their natural behavior patterns. Here's how it works.

1. Remove Clutter. 

Mice and rats have poor eyesight so they must use their other senses to navigate. As these two types of rodents move through your yard, objects on the ground will assist them. They will explore your yard and move closer to the exterior of your home, aided by the objects they find. When you remove yard clutter, you naturally deter mice and rats. You also remove an attractant that lures Norway rats onto your property. These rats create ground burrows underneath piles.    

2. Remove Food. 

Mice and rats are looking for food. When they find food in your yard, they may decide to stay. Some food sources are hard to control, such as nuts and fruit that fall from trees. Others are easier, such as bird seed in bird feeders. All you need to do is move bird feeders away from your exterior and rodents will hang out where those feeders are rather than explore your exterior for entry points. You don't want to give mice or rats reasons to hang out near your home. 

3. Remove Smells. 

All it takes is the promise of food to lure a mouse or rat close to your home. A common attractant is the scent of a dirty trash receptacle. The strong odor may be unpleasant to you, but mice and rats don't mind it. They know that the smell of rotting organic matter means food could be available. Both kinds of animals are food-motivated. A mouse eats as many as twenty times a day! Clean your trash receptacles to remove this rodent-attracting odor.     

4. Remove Harborage. 

When mice or rats get underneath decks, patios, porches, stairs, and other exterior structures, they may create nests or chew holes in sole plates. Use fencing material to seal the voids underneath structures. Also, remove places around your home that mice and rats can use as hiding places, such as leaf piles, brush piles, and stacked wood. 

5. Prevent Entry. 

Mice and rats often get into homes because they can. They may not spend the time chewing a hole to get inside because they don't know that there is anything inside your home they desire. If you offer a tiny hole, a rodent is likely to make the hole larger. So, while a rodent can chew through caulking material or expanding foam, these two products can keep rodents out. Fill in gaps, cracks, and holes. Also, replace building materials that keep pests out, materials such as door sweeps, door and window screens, weatherstripping, and vent covers as needed.    

When you roll your sleeves up and do the hard work of rodent prevention, your efforts are not in vain, even if you have to contact a pest professional at some point. Rodents are always entering your yard, and rodent pressures may increase to a level where these methods won't stop them. It may never happen, but if it does happen, these methods provide an essential level of protection that will be in place before and after your rodent control service.  

The Most Effective Way To Keep Mice And Rats Out Of Your Home

At Gold Star Exterminators, we offer rodent control to arrest infestations inside Del Rio homes. But that isn't the only way we give you protection from rodents in Del Rio. We provide exterior pest control that can give you ongoing protection from common rodents and the bugs these animals eat. Yep. Along with seeds, nuts, cheese, meat, and dog food, mice and rats often eat bugs. We also provide targeted recommendations that can help you with the specific vulnerabilities of your property. There is no better way to keep mice, rats, and the occasional squirrel, out of your Del Rio home. Would you like to learn more about our services or request a service visit? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out to us by phone or e-mail. We're here to assist you with all your pest concerns.    

Gold Star has been spraying our house for a few years now and I can't express how much it has helped.  I was spraying Demon WD myself and barely made an impact on the scorpions and spiders.  after they started doing it, we have very few sightings now.  Great company.