Loving Rats and Mice. But I Don’t Want Mice In My Home!
Loving rats and mice. Whatever age you are, I’ll bet you loved cartoons when you were younger. Or still do. Particularly those featuring cats and mice.
Micky Mouse, Mr Jinks, Pixie and Dixie. Tom and Jerry, Mighty Mouse, Dangermouse. And, of course, Itchy and Scratchy.
Or Roland Rat, the saviour of ‘TVAM’ when breakfast television was launched back in the 1980s.
Whatever the decade, they were all great characters of their time, causing all sorts of trouble and making countless kids and adults laugh.
Image by Merio from Pixabay.
In those cartoons you would often see the feet of someone standing on a chair and shouting for help as the mouse ran them ragged. And the cat always failed to have any effect on the situation, being constantly outwitted by the mouse.
You may even have a pet rat or mouse in your living room or bedroom.
Then, why do you love your pet, and look back on the classic TV cartoons with affection, but if you saw a wild mouse or rat in your home or on your premises would you run a mile?
Loving rats and mice – There’s A Mouse Around The House
As Autumn turns to Winter and the days get shorter and colder, our wildlife, particularly mice, look for a warmer and more inviting environment.
This could be your kitchen, your garage or your outbuildings. After all, loving rats and mice only goes so far.
The problem is that once they these animals get into a building they make themselves at home very quickly. They breed fast and are then become even harder to get rid of.
Mice breed all year round and a female can have five to ten litters in twelve months. This means that the mouse population increases very quickly.
They also can do lots of damage. Mice will chew your electrical wiring, damage pipes, insulation and floorboards and shred material or paper for nesting. Gnawing on cables can also cause an electrical short and fire.
Mice can spread disease in their search for food and shelter, posing health risks, particularly in kitchens and food storage areas. They also multiple quickly, which can increase the problem exponentially. They deposit urine, leave droppings and this all starts to smell. Also, their faeces can cause a health risk.
In fact, they are exactly the opposite of those funny characters you remember from television.
There’s A Rat In The Kitchen, What Are You Gonna Do?
If you think mice are a problem, then shut your eyes now.
Brown rats are well known for digging large systems of burrows to use for food storage, shelter and nesting. It is common for them to build rat burrows adjacent to solid objects or other structures.
As well as burrows, rat nests can also be found in attics, lofts, under eaves and even in cavity walls. They are particularly at home in lofts, where they will shred easily accessible materials like cardboard, insulation fibre and other soft items to create nests.
The photographs (left and centre) show the use of Using tracking dust to see the rodents using cabling to traverse through loft spaces, and more importantly, where they are entering from. The right hand image shows rodent entry into a house via a defective drain.
They can also be found in and around drains, under decking and in tool sheds. These are places where you should look for entrances to burrows or flattened grass where their regular comings and goings have created small paths, or rat runs.
Other places that you should check for rats include garages, compost bins, overgrown vegetation and compost heaps, as these provide warmth for nesting and breeding.
Signs of gnawing around decking and at the bottom of doors indicate the presence of rats. Gaps around door frames on sheds and out buildings also offer access to a rat, and the inside door of an integral garage and vents can encourage rats to gain access to your living area.
And finally, check for broken drain covers or for holes dug close to them. Avoid leaving piles of rubbish or scrap lying around as this is a big attraction to a rat.
How Can I Get rid Of Mice And Rats?
If you have a problem with rats or mice, then jumping onto a chair and shouting for help won’t do you any good at all.
What you need is a professional company, an expert in the field, that can not only remove rats and mice from your property, but can also advise you about how to stop them coming back.
Ensure that the company you use is reputable and check what qualifications they hold. All of Anston Pest Control operatives are highly trained and qualified to required health, food and safety standards.
For more information, call our head office on 01909 562813 and we will arrange for a qualified expert to come to your premises. We work for individuals, householders and businesses.
Use this link to go to the Rats and Mice page.
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Chesterfield and Worksop area.nd Chesterfiel, controlling rats. controlling mice. Anston Pest Control in Sheffield
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