Visual Cues
Mice and rats are nocturnal, stealthy, and well adapted to staying out of sight. The first sign of an infestation is often the identification of rodent droppings in or around the house.
Mouse poop is dark colored and about the size of a rice kernel, while rat scat is black and bean-sized.
Rodent feces typically show up in garages, kitchens, bedrooms, and other areas the pests frequent. Not only are these pellets unsightly, but they fill the room with a foul, musty odor.
Homeowners can also look for rodent scat in the following places:
- Near improperly stored garbage
- Behind shelves, stoves, and tables along the wall
- In attics and wall voids
Diet
Rodents prefer to eat fresh food, but they can live their entire lives on nothing but garbage.
An ounce each of rotting food and dirty water is all it takes to keep a rat alive for one day. It also provides plenty of fuel to create piles of rodent droppings.
This survival skill makes it hard to simply starve out or wait out an infestation. As a general rule, for every visible mouse or rat, about 25 more remain unseen.
Rodent Feces Contamination
When mice and rats make their way indoors, they search for food in kitchens and pantries.
The pests can easily gnaw through packaging and taint the contents with rodent feces and urine. Since this waste can transmit Hantavirus and salmonellosis, it's a serious threat to residents.
Rats and mice contaminate as much as 10 times the food they eat. As soon as rodent poop is identified in pantries or cupboards, it is safest to get rid of anything not stored in a tightly-sealed container.
Heavy-duty materials like metal, thick plastic, and glass are the most rodent-proof.
Additional Problems
Even if not directly consumed, rat or mouse waste may still transfer disease. An act as simple as moving rodent scat can release infected particles into the air. Never vacuum or sweep rodent poop, urine, or nesting material in an attempt to clean up.
Before cold weather begins, seal structural gaps or any small entry points into the home. This will reduce the possibility of rodent droppings showing up indoors. However, it can be difficult to identify every crevice.
Reach out to Critter Control for professional rodent prevention and removal.
Get them out.
Keep them out.®
Experience wildlife or pest issue? We can help! Complete this form and your local Critter Control® office will contact you to assist.
Best Bat Removal
Brandon was out to please and make out lives easier with out bat situation. Above and beyond of the call of duty and got the job done. Thank you!
BAT POOP CLEAN-UP AND PREVENTION! Bat guano removed from gables. No bats found in attic, so put new screens on all gable vents, as one screen was close to breaking and then bats may have gotten in! Great work in
Tulsa!
Squirrels and chipmunks were in our attic. So we called Critter Control to do an inspection. Their representative climbed all over our very steep roof and found several places where squirrels had entered our attic.
Upon inspection of the attic, evidence of bats was also found. The Critter Control team came on time to completely caulk the entire perimeter of the house and create an exit strategy for the squirrels and bats.
Because
bat droppings can cause histoplasmosis, this also required total removal and replacement of our attic insulation and sanitizing the space. Not a small job in a 1,300 sq. ft. attic! While Critter Control’s cost was high, our homeowners insurance covered most of it. Everyone representing Critter Control was professional, courteous and timely. I would highly recommend them to anyone who thinks they might have unwelcome guests living in their attic
On recommendations from a nearby pest control company, I called Critter Control for suspicious
bat droppings.
Madison came out the same day to do an inspection. She was knowledgeable, thorough, and highly professional. She examined the ‘matter’ that had been scattered on my threshold and thought it was foliage. But she then asked to go up to my attic space where the bats could be roosting. She had to walk up 3 flights of stairs with a heavy ladder. She again spent some time searching all the nooks and crannies and found nothing.
She seemed so interested in her craft, it was truly inspiring to see! She reassured me and is writing up a prevention strategy for my appraisal. She charged me NOTHING!! I am so impressed. We need more Madisons in this world!
Service:
Bat Removal in San Diego
We noticed droppings on our brand new deck - we were given their number from our contractor. They came the next day. Brian looked at it and said - yeah, bats!! He then checked every area in our attic and he explained exactly what needed to be done.
He found evidence of a mice infestation, provided a referral and they are helping us as well. Great service, very informative, very professional! We are very satisfied and would recommend them to anyone who has any issues with any critters!
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