When rodents find their way onto your property or even into your home, the results are often more than just annoying. These critters can squeeze through even the smallest of holes in your roof soffits or the siding on your home, and once inside they quickly set out to nest and reproduce. Here’s what you need to know about rodent infestations to keep you, your family, and your home safe.
Types of Rodents in Port St. Lucie
The critters most commonly found inside Treasure Coast homes include:
- Squirrels – As the largest of the most common rodents we see, squirrels can do a lot of damage when left alone in your walls or attic. They commonly chew on things like insulation, wiring, and wooden structures – resulting in expensive damage.
- Mice – Don’t let their small size fool you, if mice are left alone to nest, they can almost triple their size in a matter of weeks. The larger your infestation grows, the harder it will be to get them out.
- Rats – They love your attic because it’s safe and warm, and has plenty of nesting materials for them. Unfortunately for you, those materials are hard to get to, so rats need to chew through your drywall and other obstacles to rip it out.
The most likely place to find rodent infestation is in your attic. But wall voids, areas behind kitchen appliances, inside cupboards are all favorite rodent hiding spots.
Signs of Rodent Infestations
Common signs of a rodent infestation include:
- Droppings– often the first sign of an infestation, rodent droppings tend to be dark in color, with rat, mouse, and squirrel droppings being about the size of a grain of rice.
- Chewing marks– rodents have teeth that must be trimmed continuously to prevent overgrowth, so you will find gnaw marks on personal items and cables
- Scratching noises-rodents scurry around in attics, crawl spaces, under floorboards, and anywhere else they can get into
- Tracks– rodents don’t have good eyesight and tend to use the same paths to get around your house, so you may find dark marks or smudges along walls and floorboards
- Nests and burrows– rodents build these with organic or man-made materials, such as newspapers, to shelter their young
- Ripped up materials like cardboard, paper, insulation, or other nesting materials
- Bite marks or holes in food packaging
Rodent removal has to be a priority in your home. Rodents are dangerous pests that lurk in many areas of homes and businesses. They can remain hidden and hard to spot for a long time until their population grows to higher levels. When this occurs, it puts you and your family at a high risk. It’s important to recognize the risks of a rodent infestation and to take action immediately to rid your home of unwanted and dangerous rodents.
Why Are Rodents So Dangerous to You?
Rodents of all types (mice, rats, and other varieties) are one of the highest risk pests that invade homes. What makes them specifically dangerous is the risk of the diseases that they carry. They carry a variety of parasites and diseases that are very hazardous to humans. This includes salmonellosis, rat bit fever, listeria, and hantavirus. Each of these causes long-term health complications and may be fatal in some cases.
Of course, rodents can also damage your home including damaging your home’s wiring and structural integrity. They can reproduce very quickly and leave you and your family at risk. A few other things you need to watch out for when it comes to rodents includes:
- Rodents carry deadly diseases
- Rodents can be especially harmful to those with allergies
- They can damage your home leading to thousands of dollars in losses and repairs
What Can You Do About a Rodent Infestation?
If you suspect, you have rodents in your home – even if you have only seen them once or perhaps just the evidence they leave behind – it is always best to call a professional to trap and exterminate them. Rodent removal should always be done by a professional like the ones at Critter Control®. Our experts are trained in not only removing the rodents from your home, but also keeping them out for good.
Testimonials
This company has been great. The technician Kensi was very through and checked everywhere to make sure all access points were found. After a skunk was found in the trap on a Saturday morning they came to pick it up very quickly.
Michael was super friendly and knowledgeable. He checked my entire house and recommended and installed the solution within an hour.
We are under contract with your company and so far they are doing a fine job. Many thanks.
Excellent work environment full of presence of God. Professional and dedicated staff. A good place if you want to have your children in a place where Christian values are protected and encouraged.
Great company and amazing service, the staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly! Thank you to the staff and especially to Bubba for taking care of my property and giving it that "personal touch" to rid and maintain it from pests and bugs! Appreciate you guys and look forward to continuing business together!
Thank you!
So when I went to have my insulation replaced I figured out that I had a critter problem that was beyond anything I was aware of. Not wanting to waste time I decided to call a professional and these guys were really good from day one. From the gentleman who gave the estimate to both of the guys that came out and did the work there was great communication and they were very effective at what they did. One little thing got missed and all it took was one text message and somebody was out the next day to take care of it. They always text me when they're on their way or going to be at the house and they let me know what they found along with photographs. My first thought when they gave me the quote was wow that was a lot of money and I didn't want to spend that much and now that I've had them do the service I feel like it's worth every penny and it's actually pretty damn reasonable considering the number of times that they come out and all the things that they do take care of.
I had an issue with squirrels getting into a small section of roofing without access from the attic or inside of the home. Critter control was a huge help in solving the issue, especially thanks to Brandon and Nate. Ended up catching 3 squirrels living in the roof plus they seal the entrance point after all is said and done. I would absolutely recommend critter control, Brandon and Nate did a stellar job.
Dominick was very friendly and he consistently put on his shoe covers each time he entered the house. He looked over every inch of the storage room where we thought the animal was and did a walk around the yard to see if there was evidence of entry. He was very thorough. He did not find any animal at that time. He said he would leave a trap and review the outside area of the house over the next week. It was the next day that the smell in our storage room indicated that the animal had died. We followed the small and discovered a dead bird in an open storage bin. I would highly recommend Dominick for 'Critter Control'.
Thank you,
Valerie
Great explanations regarding findings, friendly, quality work! Each encounter with their tech has been professional and educational.
your representative (Dominic) was very friendly and quickly removed the dying raccoon from our outdoor window-well. He also shared information with us regarding raccoons on their behavior, what they liked/disliked, and provided information on how to disinfect the area the raccoon had been trapped in for a couple of days. I'd rate him 9 stars if I could. -pja