Rodents | Nature's Way Pest Company

Pests » Rodents

Rodents (rats and mice)

Its night, do you hear noises – the squeaks, rustling, scampering or scratching sounds – from behind walls or in the ceiling? Does your house suffer from a musky odour? The culprits are bound to be rats and/or mice. These highly sociable creatures quickly adapt to living in close proximity with you.

Fact: The teeth of rats and mice are continually growing and as such these rodents need to wear down teeth in order to accommodate their mouths. It is because of this that rats and mice are constantly biting, chewing, and gnawing at objects. Of course this can bring problems to your home, resulting in damage to walls, water piping and electrical wiring.

Fact: An infestation of rodents can bring disease. Rats and mice are also notoriously incontinent. This means they are constantly leaving faecal droppings and a steady stream of urine (which you can’t see) all over your floor and benches. This behaviour is to mark locations within their habitat.

Fact: Compared to rats, mice behave differently. Mice are inquisitive and will readily approach something new within their environment. This makes using the common ‘mouse trap’ an effective measure of control. In managing mice populations, the problem that arises is the fast rate of reproduction. In comparison rats are very sensitive to new things in their habitat and rather than an inquisitive nature, rats tend to shy away from anything new. So, over the past decades, control of rats with regular baiting programs, rather than the common ‘rat trap’ has been very successful.

The roof or ship rat Rattus rattus is a common invader of houses. A noisy inhabitant of roof voids.

Whilst baiting and traps reduce numbers, there is no better way than by implementing hygiene and sanitation measures. Certain substances remain strong attractants and so removing any animal food sources (chicken food or birdseed), discarding of all lawn clippings and disposing of all household garbage as soon as possible can contribute to reducing populations.

Knowledge of rodent biology and behaviours, where they are likely to live and hide is essential in eradicating infestations. We use a variety of techniques including exclusion, habitat modification, trappings and baits alongside a management plan.