5 Ways to Tell If You Have a Rodent Problem

Finding out you’re sharing your property with rats or mice can be absolutely unnerving. Maybe you’ve seen some droppings or heard scurrying at night, or maybe you’ve even seen one run across the floor. Whatever stage you’re at with a rodent problem, it’s never too late or too early to take action by calling in pest control professionals. Here are some signs that you might be dealing with a rodent problem and how pest control experts can help.

Droppings

Finding droppings is a tell-tale sign that you have a rodent infestation. Fresh droppings appear brown or black in color and are typically found near food sources. Often, rodents will rummage through cabinets and pantries where your food is kept and gnaw their way through packaging. Additionally, you may find droppings in places like warming drawers or cookware storage spaces where tiny bits of food may end up. 

Rodents also leave droppings where they nest and travel. The highest amount of excrement will be found near nests, so if you find a significant amount in a specific place, it’s likely an active nest is nearby. Rodent excrement can be dangerous to humans, so it’s important to get pest control specialists involved early. 

Odor

Rodent urine and droppings emit specific odors that can be sensed early by pets. If the infestation is bad enough, you may be able to pick up on the scent as well. However, if you have a pet that just won’t leave a spot alone, they may be alerting you to a rodent problem. 

In addition, rodents can get caught in small spaces and die or simply pass away from natural causes. This will also give off a foul odor as they decompose within your walls or under appliances. If you have signs of an infestation, don’t wait to treat because going into walls to retrieve dead rodents can be costly. 

Bite Marks

Rodents can chew through most materials including plastic, wood, and even metal. A sure-fire sign of rodent activity is finding things around your home that have been gnawed into or chewed through. It’s likely that you’ll find food packaging with holes or find bite marks or holes in drywall if you have rodents infesting your property. 

Taking preventative measures when it comes to pest control can save you money and time when it comes to rodent infestations. Working with pest control specialists who know how to pre-treat and protect your home from rodents is key. 

Nests

Rats and mice make their nests out of found materials they’ve shredded up like paper, clothing, dry plants, stuffing, and more. They aim to build nests in places where they won’t typically be disturbed. Once nests are established and there’s a consistent food source, rodents reproduce rapidly with a gestation period of just about three weeks. Once a rodent gives birth, she can immediately become pregnant again, so it’s not uncommon for 5-10 litters to be born a year.

If you’ve spotted a nest in your home, you may even find babies within it. Nests are a blatant sign of a rodent infestation and need to be handled very carefully. As noted, live rodents could be in a nest you find so it’s best to call pest control professionals to help in handling your problem. 

Seeing Rodents

If you spot a rodent in your home or business, there are many, many more hiding. Rodents don’t like to interact with people because we’re a threat, so if you see one running from one of their known tracks to another or sneaking around looking for food, you have a bigger problem than you realize. As noted, rodents reproduce quickly, so you could have several nests at your property by the time one rat or mouse makes its presence known by visual confirmation.

How Pest Professionals Can Help

While there are lots of DIY methods on the market like traps and poison, only trained pest control professionals, like those at O’Connor Pest Control, have decades of experience in handling these specific situations. The experts at O’Connor have more than six decades of experience helping residential and commercial customers deal with their pest problems. From rodents to roaches and everything in between, our technicians know what it takes to deal with pests. Contact us today!