Rats and mice often shy away from humans, but the signs of their presence is easy to identify. Learning what to look for will help you distinguish between the two and decide how to deal with the problem.
Why Do They Get In?
Rodents aim to find enough food and nesting material so they can breed. Both mice and rats are adept at finding resources in the kitchen where it is readily available, and your attic insulation often makes for excellent nesting material for them. They search for grains, seeds and flours to eat, and plastic, paper and fabric to use in building their nests. They leave easily detectable droppings anywhere they forage for food, eat, or nest, so once you learn to identify the shape and the size your can determine what type of infestation you're dealing with. Mice droppings look like black rice, and are about 1/8”- ¼” long, while rats leave larger ones - 0.6” to 0.8” long. Keeping food in airtight containers and leaving clean kitchen at night is a good start to preventing an infestation. Making sure your attic is organized and clean and that all of your stored belongings are in sealed cases and not cardboard boxes is another important preventive action you can take.
Preventing Unwanted Entrance
There are many routes by which rats and mice can get into your attic, and it's important that you block as many of them as possible. Our professionals will patch and fill holes and cracks with caulking material, and apply wire mesh netting when needed to ensure these pests can't use nooks and crannies to get inside your attic.
How To Deal With The Problem?
If rodents do get inside your attic, once you notice all or some of the aforementioned signs, it is time to call a professional. Our team will set humane and non-lethal traps that will allow us to capture and remove these critters without hurting or killing them. Then we'll set to cleaning and decontaminating all the infected area, and removing the nest. Contact Attic Cleaning Newport Beach today to get an effective solution to your rat or mice problems, or to take precautionary measures to prevent an infestation from taking place.