Your Guide to Rodent Infestation
Pests are incredibly common, but rodents can pose a huge problem because they may carry a variety of diseases. If you would like to know more about rodent infestations, keep reading.
What Attracts Rodents?
Like any living animal, rodents need food, water, and shelter. Your home automatically provides shelter, so make sure the home is well-sealed. Rodents can sneak through cracks in the exterior walls, damaged windows, unprotected chimneys, or open windows. If you have a lot of debris near the home, it can serve as a ladder to reach openings, but it also gives rodents a place to hide.
Of course, rodents are more likely to choose your home if you also have food sources, and rodents will eat just about anything, so any food poses a risk. Make sure you keep food sealed and stored properly. Similarly, rodents want water, and they often use leaking pipes for their water supply, so maintaining your plumbing system can help reduce the risk of pests.
What Are the Signs of Rodent Infestation?
In some cases, you may see rodents, or you may hear them scurrying in the walls and ceiling. However, rodents don’t want to be spotted, so they tend to stay hidden, but they still leave many signs. First, look for rodent droppings. They are usually small oval-shaped pellets. Naturally, the droppings may also leave an odor.
Rodents may also chew to maintain their teeth or access areas of the home. Of course, they may also chew on food packages. Rodents also create nests, so look for shredded paper or fabric. Finally, rodents tend to follow the same path as they move around your home, and they like to hug walls. Eventually, the grease from their fir leaves a greasy streak along the base of your walls and floors.
What Are the Complications of Rodent Infestation?
A rodent infestation can be scary, especially if you have young children or animals. Dead rodents and droppings may make the house stink, and people may assume your home is dirty. More importantly, however, rodents can damage the building materials. While they probably won’t impact the stability of the home, they can make the home look shabby and worn.
Rodents may also chew on electrical wires. This can cause parts of the system to fail, but it may also lead to a fire, especially if the wire is surrounded by insulation. Finally, rodents and the fleas they carry can spread a wide variety of diseases.
What Disease Do Rodents Spread?
Rodents can directly spread diseases to you with scratches and bites. However, even breathing in contaminated air can cause infection. One of the most common diseases spread by rodents is the Hantavirus or Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which causes difficulty breathing, coughing, and fluid in the lungs. Other diseases spread by rodents include:
- Leptospirosis
- Monkeypox
- Salmonellosis
- Sylvatic Typhus
Rodents also have fleas, which can spread diseases if they bite you. In fact, some rodent fleas may even still carry the black plague. More commonly, however, fleas, ticks, and mites may spread:
- Borreliosis
- Flea-borne typhus
- Lyme disease
How Can You Eliminate a Rodent Infestation?
Rodents breed and multiply fast. In fact, one male and one female rat can have a total of 2,000 offspring in one year. For this reason, eliminating the rodent infestation means eliminating every single last rodent, which can be difficult. For this reason, hire professionals to find all the nests and fully eliminate the pests. They can also help identify problem areas that may attract pests or let pests easily get inside.
No one wants pests in their home, but rodents can be especially problematic. Not only can they spread disease, but they damage the home and make it look dirty and poorly maintained. If you would like to know more, or if you want a quote on rodent pest control services, contact us at Highland Pest Control, Inc., today.