Rodents cause a lot of damage. They chew through everything, burrow into small spaces, and leave droppings all over the place. If a rodent infestation gets out of control it can cost thousands. So it’s important to know the signs of rodents in your home so you can catch it early. Look for these 5 signs of rodents in your home.
Rodents tend to leave a mess wherever they go and that include droppings and urine stains. If they are recent droppings they will be dark and moist. If they are older they will be dry and gray. They are most likely to be found in hidden places like corners in the garage, under a sink, or anywhere near food.
Since rodents chew through everything, gnaw marks are an obvious sign of an infestation. Look for gnaw marks on wooden barriers, food packaging, and wires.
Rodents are stinky creatures. Their droppings start to stink up small spaces and then seep through the walls. If you’ve started to smell something foul, search for other signs of a rodent infestation.
Rodents make nests out of any materials they can find. In the winter, they need these materials to stay warm. If you find a nest you know for certain that there were rodents infesting the area. Check to see if the droppings around are fresh. If they are it’s probably an ongoing infestation.
- Dogs and Cats Acting Strangely
Dogs and cats are super sniffers and have incredible hearing. They can hear the tiniest scratch and smell rodents through the wall. If your dog is sniffing walls and getting agitated, it could mean you have a rodent infestation.
Rodents Can Cause Structural Damage
- Rats Rat infestations are very common and should not be ignored. Rats cause damage to a variety of places in your home. They chew through whatever is in their way in order to get to a warm, dry place. By chewing through insulation and ducting, rats cause your heating bills to rise drastically. They chew through electrical wiring which can cause electrical fires. They chew through furniture, cars, and plumbing fixtures which can cause flooding. Another way they can cause damage is from their droppings and urine stains on wood and insulation. A rat’s teeth never stop growing, so they are constantly chewing through everything. If a rodent infestation isn’t dealt with, the possible damage is endless. The cost of the damage that rats cause is very high, so it’s important to take care of the problem right away.
- Mice Mice are similar to rats in that they chew through everything to find a warm place to stay. The difference is they are much smaller and can squeeze through tighter spaces. This makes them hard to notice, so it’s important to know the signs of mice in your home.
The cost of the damage that rodents cause is very high, so it’s important to take care of the problem right away.
Rodents Carry Dangerous Diseases
In addition to the structural damage, rodents can cause health issues to the people around them. Diseases that people can get from rodents include:
- Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome – This virus can be picked up from the droppings and urine of deer mice. It causes severe illness in humans and nearly one-third of the cases reported in Washington state resulted in fatality.
- Plague – The Plague is a serious bacterial infection that humans can contract from flea bites. Fleas contract this bacteria from infected wild animals, such as rodents. Dogs and cats can also contract the disease and spread it to humans. In 2015, there were fifteen reported cases of the Plague.
- Salmonellosis – Salmonellosis is a bacterial infection of the intestines caused by the bacteria Salmonella. The bacteria is spread through the droppings of infected animals and humans. It can cause serious disease in children, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems.
- Monkeypox – Monkeypox is a virus that spreads through contact with rodents or their blood and can cause respiratory problems in humans. There is no specific treatment for monkeypox, only a vaccine that lowers your risk of contracting it.
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