Rodent Proof Your Home

Rodents have long been known to carry numerous diseases, many of which are harmful to humans. These include rat bite fever, leptospirosis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome or HPS, bordetollosis, swine dysentery, salmonellosis and toxoplasmosis. These diseases can be spread quickly through the feces and urine of these rodents. This is only one of many reasons why it is important to rodent proof your home.

It certainly does not help that rodents are pretty good when it comes to finding sources of food, water and shelter, especially in human homes. Their unique anatomy enables them to squeeze through small spaces that you would not think they are capable of getting through. Worse, rodent populations can expand exponentially.

A Pest That Hides in Plain Sight.

If you think that you have just one or two rodents present in your home, you will be surprised to discover that there are many lurking inside, hidden in plain sight. A pair of adult mice can produce a litter of about six pups every five to six weeks. And those offspring can mature and reproduce in just six weeks, especially if there is a readily available supply of food and water.

Property owners often notice signs of rodent infestation during spring and summer when many animals come out of hiding or hibernation. However, rodents often take residence inside the home during the winter season, trying to escape the harsh temperature outside.

It is logical, then, that if you want to rodent proof your home, you have to start during winter.

How to Prevent an Infestation in Your Home

Everything begins and ends with the regular maintenance of your home. You should make it a point to regularly check your property and look for things that attract rodents and other wildlife, especially food and shelter.

Roofs, basements, attics, garages, crawl spaces and patios, in particular, are attractive to rodents. If you live near a wooded area, you must consistently conduct preventive maintenance in your home.

Apart from preventive maintenance, there are several other things that you can do to prevent the invasion of rodents to your home.

The best thing that you can do is to eliminate potential food sources. That includes making sure garbage cans are closed securely and not leaving cat or dog food outside. If you have any bird or squirrel feeders, consider removing these. Instead of taking the trash out at night, do this in the morning.

Next, ensure that your home is tightly sealed. Look for cracks in the siding, loose roof shingles and other possible entry points and seal these. If you have doggie doors, make sure that these are locked tightly.

Ignoring the signs could lead to a bigger financial burden in the long run as rodents are one of the leading causes of damage to an HVAC system. If you have done everything to prevent these pests but still feel like you might have a critter sticking around, call the pest control professionals