The home should be a safe haven for you and your family, and when pests invade that feeling goes right out the window. In the case of rodents, a general feeling of unease inevitably occurs. This is largely thanks to people in Yakima County having to be wary of two different rodents.
house mouse in a home
Both rats and mice invade Yakima County homes and they cause similar problems. While they may seem similar at first glance, they're actually quite different. Some key differences between the two are:
- Mice: This rodent is typically grey in color and only grows to about four inches long. Mice possess rounded fur-covered bodies and boast a long thin tail with large rounded ears.
- Rats: Much bigger than their cousin, rats can grow up to 16 inches long. They also have proportionally larger jaws and smaller ears than mice. Finally, their tails are thick and scaly and they are brown or black in color.
The good news is you will rarely see both rodents invade your home at the same time. They possess different nesting habits and rats have been known to kill mice when food is scarce so mice tend to leave rats alone as a rule.
Rodents Are Dangerous In The Home
Whether it's a mouse or a rat, both represent a danger to your home and your health. Both species scratch up surfaces when scurrying along the floor or inside the walls. They're also both known to chew through things so problems like chewed wires, insulation, and holes in the walls are just a few potential problems. Besides property damage, both rodents bring about health problems thanks to the number of diseases they carry. Some common illnesses linked to rodents include rat-bite fever, hantavirus, bubonic plague, salmonella, tularemia, and others.
In addition to the diseases they carry, both mice and rats are known to carry ticks, fleas, and other parasites, which expands the number of potential illnesses drastically. At this point, you may be wondering how to tell if you have an active infestation. Fortunately, rodent infestations are easy to detect if you look for the following signs:
- Droppings: Look for these, especially around food packages, in drawers, cupboards, and under the sink.
- Nesting: If you notice shredded paper, fabric, or other material, you likely have a rodent infestation.
- Signs Of Chewing: Whether it's on food packaging, furniture, or anything else, if you notice chew marks then you have an infestation.
- Holes: When the walls or floors have been chewed through, that equals an entry point that lets the rodents inside.
Don't Do It Yourself (DIY) With Rodents
We get it! It's tempting to save money and address rodents as you notice them. However, this is a mistake that will quickly cause things to spin out of control. DIY with rodents never works for the following reasons:
- Rapid Reproduction: Rodents reproduce rapidly and make it impossible for any one-on-one approach to work effectively.
- Sneaky: Mice and rats are smart and sneaky. They know how to avoid danger. In fact, the ones you catch are extremely brave or stupid. Considering there are dozens more waiting, the odds are against you being successful.
- Lack Of Time: Even if you have all of the resources necessary, do you really have the time to take the fight to a rodent population? Chances are you don't, which is why rodents win in this matchup.
Rodent Prevention With Prosite
The best thing you can do is to practice rodent prevention and control by bringing in trained professionals who know what they're doing. At Prosite, we've honed our process over the years to perfection. With us, you get a consultation, rodent removal and cleanout, exclusion, monitoring, and ongoing rodent control so a rodent infestation is the last thing that happens to your Yakima County home. Call us today at Prosite!