Rodent Rundown: Keeping These Dangerous Pests Away From Your Raleigh Property

Go-Forth Home Services provides science-based solutions for rodents and many other pests. When you need pest control in Raleigh, you can count on our friendly and experienced team. Jump to our contact page to connect with us!

Common Rodent Species: Identifying Different Types Of Rodents

We're sure you know that different rodents behave in different ways. What you may not know is that it is helpful to know the differences. If you catch a glimpse of a rodent and are able to identify it, you can learn a lot. Let's quickly look at the four common kinds of rodents you can expect to have in your yard and what you can learn from them.

• Deer Mice: If you open your shed and see a tawny-colored mouse go running for cover, you just had a sighting of a deer mouse. It is tawny on the top and white on the bottom, just like a deer. These are outdoor mice. While they can get into structures, they don't typically get into homes or businesses that are kept clean. Deer mice like dusty, dirty, and undisturbed environments. You will likely find them in a barn, shed, storage locker, or some other outbuilding.
• House Mice: If you use a flashlight to go looking for rodents and you see a gray mouse, you've found a house mouse. These are the worst of all home-invading rodents. They live on morsels of food, grow large populations, and permanently infest homes or businesses. Mice are expert jumpers. You may even notice them hop away rather than scurry out of sight. They use their ability to jump and climb to work their way up and down through wall voids. They also have strong teeth that can chew through sheetrock. But, the most important trait you should know is their propensity to live as close to food as possible. House mice can set up a nest in your pantry or kitchen wall and access your food in mysterious ways, without making any bumping or clawing noises inside your walls.
• Roof Rats: If you shine a flashlight into a tree or on your roof at night and you see a black rat, you've found a roof rat. These rats share many similarities with squirrels when they're on the outside of your home, and many similarities with house mice when they are on the inside. The most notable difference between roof rats and house mice is that they require a more substantial diet. Your attic is the first place to check for roof rats.
• Norway Rats: If you see a brown rat waddle across your lawn, that is a Norway rat. They are burrowing animals, but not quite the same as underground rodents. Gophers are underground rodents. They spend most of their time in the ground. Norway rats spend much more time topside. They also live in places no self-respecting gopher would ever live, like a sewer culvert. Norway rats can get into your home and stay permanently, but often they'll create a burrow in the yard and go in and out of a home as they search for food. Patching ground floor entry points is one way to stop them.       

Now that you know something about the different kinds of rodents we have in Raleigh, let's turn our attention to the sorts of things they do when they get into a home or business. You may think that these are harmless woodland critters, and you would be mostly right. But rats and mice do things to harm us by accident. Here's what you need to know.

Rodent Dangers: Health Risks And Property Damage

Even the smallest mouse can present a big rodent problem in Raleigh. Not by choice. Mice and rats don't want to make us mad. They want to live off our generosity, and it is harder to do that when we are breaking our backs to get rid of them.

• Rodents can chew on wires and gas lines. They actually chew on pretty much anything, but these two things are important to consider. One little mouse can create a dangerous fire.
• Rodents crawl in tall grass, woodland areas, mulch, landscaping and more. In these places, they pick up ticks. One little mouse can have dozens of seed ticks on its body. When those ticks mature, they drop off and go looking for a large animal. That is when they can get on your dog, cat, or you. Ticks spread alarming diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, tularemia, Lyme disease, red meat allergy, and more.
• Rodents explore unsanitary places and their fur gets contaminated with microorganisms, such as E. coli, salmonella, hook worms, and giardia. As they move about inside structures, they can contaminate surfaces, dishes, and food.
• Rodents leave excrement and urine as they move about inside structures. These can present a health risk when touched, or when dry fecal matter becomes dust in the air.    

It is best to keep rodents out of your Raleigh home. If you already have a rodent infestation, contact your local service provider for professional rodent control. In Raleigh, reach out to Go-Forth Home Services for assistance.

Rodent Prevention Tips: How to Keep Your Property Rodent-Free

After we're done applying professional rodent control in Raleigh, what comes next? You could continue on with a year-round pest control service plan if you want the highest level of protection. But you're not without options if you want to do things yourself. Here are the best suggestions from our on-staff experts:

• Remove ground clutter next to your home.
• Keep trash covered and receptacles washed.
• Rake nuts and store them in a bin.
• Trim branches away from your roofline.
• Apply guards on any pipes that run up the sides of your home or wires that touch your roofline.
• Seal gaps around your water main and other utilities.
• Fill in holes or gaps with expanding foam.
• Weather-proof your doors and windows.
• Repair screens.
• Remove bird feeders.
• Insert wire mesh into downspouts to keep rodents from working their way up to your roof.
• Apply hardware cloth around the base of your deck to keep rodents from getting into this hiding place.
• Trim the bases of the plants in your landscaping.
• Remove junk piles, wood piles, stones, bricks, etc.
• Keep pizza boxes in a covered bin.
• Thoroughly clean recycling cans and bottles.

Steps like this will remove the attractants that bring rodents into your yard and near your home. They will block entry points that lead inside and remove routes to your roof. It's hard work, but keep in mind that you'll do more than keep rats and mice out. These methods work to deter a long list of other pests, and there is no need for specialized knowledge of pest control applications.

If you need help reducing rodent populations or applying control methods to keep rats and mice away then contact us as Go-Forth Home Services today to get started and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Raleigh.