Mice Rats And Rodents

What Kind Of Mice Are In My Home?

You don’t have to be a pest management professional to know about mice. You likely don’t know all the pertinent details like the differences between mice, rats, and other rodents. But, you probably have a good generalization of the rodent species. You may be able to pick the rat and mouse out of a lineup, with other rodents. This is a start!

In Los Angeles, there are two types of mice species that you need to be concerned about. These are the house mouse and the deer mouse. The house mouse is smaller and nearly hairless with a pointy black nose, protruding eyes, and rounded-tipped ears. The species ranges in color from light brown to black. Its abdomen is normally gray or tan.

The house mouse’s fecal droppings are black with a musty smell. This will be important to remember, as it’ll help with the identification process.

The deer mouse, on the other hand, is larger, furry, and multi-colored. The rodent has white feet and a white underside. The head and back range between light and dark brown. The tail is probably the most distinctive feature of the deer mouse, as it is slightly longer than other like species.

The eyes and ears don’t quite protrude as much as the house mouse, but they are distinguishable. The fecal droppings are black and smooth with sharp pointy ends.

Learning The Warning Signs

Whether you are dealing with a house mouse or a deer mouse, you need to know the early warning signs. So, you can identify an infestation as soon as possible. The earlier, the rodents are identified, the quicker, you can regain control of your property.

• Fecal droppings on countertops, garbage bins, kitchen sinks, and dining tables
• Both species construct nests from common materials like twigs, grass, and newspaper
• Gnaw marks on structural components, electrical wiring, and food packages
• Scurrying may be heard through thin walls

Mice And Hibernation

Most mouse species hibernate throughout the winter season. The rodent enters a deep sleep in the late fall or when the winter season is set to kick in. While in hibernation, mice rarely move, other than a few minor body position chances.

Hibernation helps protect mammals, include the mouse from extinction. Instead of spending the harsh winter season exposed to freezing temperatures, snow, and sleet. The mouse remains in a deep sleep, feeding on nutrients from stored fats.

Without hibernation, the rodent would be forced to spend a big portion of time outdoors, searching for food. If you know anything about the animal habitat, food shortages are a common problem in the winter season. Thanks to hibernation, the mouse will remain warm and secure in a discrete hiding place, while feeding on nutrients from stored body fats.

Why Are Mice Infiltrating My Property?

Despite what you know about mice and rats, you are dealing with commensal rodents. This is a term utilized in reference to the rodent’s behavior. Commensal rodents are known to live in the habitat of humans.

What’s even more interesting, some mice species depend on the human for survival. It could be that you are contributing to their existence in the home and don’t even know it. In fact, your lifestyle decisions may be the reason mice infiltrated your home.

Mice and rats are always on the lookout for food, water, and shelter. If your home is accessible, with the essentials, it will be on the rodent’s radar. The key is to remove your home from the rodent’s radar. With the help of our Los Angeles extermination team, we can safe-proof the perimeter of your property to keep rodents at bay.

Of course, keeping the rodents off your property will be much harder than you could imagine. With the ability to squeeze a tiny body through a ¼-inch opening, no residential or commercial property is 100 percent safe.

Rodents are unpredictable. Even the most influential scientist could not predict the rat’s next move. Our exterminators have years of experience in the pest control industry. We know the common behaviors of the house mouse and the deer mouse. We can pinpoint areas within a residential establishment that are targeted by these rodents. These are the areas, where rodents tend to build their nests. The pest control treatment will target these areas because this is where the rodents and their young will be hiding.

Are Mice Dangerous?

You had better believe mice are dangerous. The rodents are dangerous in more ways than one. To start, they are defecating and urinating along the paths traveled to the food supply and back to the nest. This is just one reason why mice are known for spreading such diseases as Hantavirus, Hemorrhagic Fever, Lassa Fever, Leptospirosis, Plague, Rat-Bite Fever, and Chorio-Meningitis.

Rat-borne illnesses are contracted through contaminated water and food. The insect drops its contaminated fecal material in the family’s main food supply, on surfaces utilized for food preparation, and in insulation and other materials. The contaminants are ingested and inhaled into the lungs, resulting in rat-borne diseases.

In addition to this, rodents are known to be destructive. While extremely rare, rats and mice can damage a building to the point of collapse. Given enough time, rodents can gnaw their way through thick structural components responsible for keeping your home safe and secure.

Rats have also been associated with electrical fires. The electrical fires are the result of exposed wires making contact with flammable materials. Rodents cannot differentiate between a safe component and a dangerous component.

When the exposed electrical wiring makes contact with flammable materials, the risk of an electrical fire will reach the maximum level.

The need to constantly gnaw is a natural instinct. Continuous gnawing is a necessity to prevent the teeth from growing out of control.

A Recap Of The Dangers

• Contamination of the food supply, food preparation surfaces, water sources, and the environment
• Rat-borne illnesses are life-threatening
• Extreme structural damage
• Damaged electrical wiring, resulting in severe fire damage

What Is The Most Effective Professional Mouse Pest Control Strategy?

As pest management professionals, we’ll be the first to tell you, rodent infestation is extremely hard to fully eradicate; Rodents are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night, while the household members are asleep. Most people struggle to stay awake throughout the night, in hopes of catching the rodents in action.

Rodents need only a few essentials to survive in the human habitat. When a threat is detected, the rat will virtually pack up and relocate to another area of the property. Rats are quick-witted with the ability to potentially sidestep traps and lures.

This is why it is best to rely on our pest control experts when dealing with mice and rats. Regardless of the severity or location of the infestation, our extermination team in Los Angeles will gladly step up to the challenge.

What Are Your Customer Support Contact Options?

Our pest management motto is to go above and beyond. We are fully prepared to put our pest control skills to the test with minimal notice. When our community members need help, we are always ready to take on the challenge.

During the peak season, the demand for our professional pest control services is at the maximum level. However, we are willing to adjust our schedules to make room for more new cases.

We strive to ensure quick and easy access to our customer support. We have three contact options – email, social media, and landline.

Rat Species

What Is A Rat?

While rats and mice may look alike, they are entirely different species. The rodents do share similar physical characteristics, but there are key aspects that make each species unique. The best way to differentiate between the two species is to know their physical features and behaviors.

The most common species of rats found in Los Angeles include the roof rat and Norway rat. Both species share many of the same features, making them extremely difficult to positively identify.

Roof Rats

• The body length ranges between 7 to 9 inches
• The fur is coarse and brown
• The nose is pink and pointy
• The tail is between 6 and 8 inches long
• The fecal dropping is shaped like a cooked granule of rice, but slightly larger

Norway Rats

• The body is between 6 and 8 inches long
• Their dense fur is brownish/gray
• The nose is pink and pointy
• The tail is between 7 and 10 inches long
• Fecal droppings measure about ½” long

What Are The Common Signs Of A Rat Infestation?

Damaged food packagings, gnaw marks on electrical wiring and other structural components, and scattered fecal droppings are signs of rats. It is crucial to know the signs because every home and business in Los Angeles is at risk.

Some witnesses claim to have heard scurrying noises behind walls and in cabinets. The strange noise has been contributed to the rodents’ paws running on floors and other surfaces.

Are Rats Dangerous?

Rats pose health risks to humans and animals.  They spread diseases through contaminated fecal matter and urine, which are dropped in the family’s food and water supplies. We highly recommend transitioning from manufacturing food packagings to glass, ceramic, stainless steel, and durable plastic storage containers. Utilizing resealable lids will provide quick access to the content and create a full seal to keep rats outs.

How Do I Eliminate Rats?

Both Norway Rats and Roof Rats are going to be hard to eliminate and control. This is primarily because they are elusive, rapid-moving, and nocturnal. It is for these reasons alone, do-it-yourself pest control is not recommended. Over-the-counter rat baits may not be potent enough to deliver a full eradication of a colony of rats.

Rats erect nests in dark, warm, and discrete areas of the home. The nests are more commonly found in crawlspaces, basements, and attics than any other room of the home. We suggest utilizing metal sheeting to cover large openings like utility passageways. Smaller exterior-to-interior openings can be filled with stainless steel pot scrubbers.

Our Los Angeles Extermination Team!

As was mentioned previously, we are one of the premier pest management companies in Los Angeles. We stay extremely busy during the rodent peak season. During this time, our pest control service is in high demand. We receive dozens of service requests from both consumers and businesses during the peak season.

Another reason we stay so busy, our extermination team is willing to make exceptions for our customers. All you need to do is give us a call and we’ll dispatch an exterior to your property within the next 24 to 48 hours.

We also offer same-day and emergency professional rat management services. Reach out to our Los Angeles customer support via landline, social media, or email.

If you have any other pest control issues please check out other services.