Tips for Early Rodent Detection

Just like other pests, if you have rodents you want to detect them early.

Undetected, rodents can do tremendous damage. Their chewing can destroy property and create a fire hazard, they can spread disease, and their waste can ruin your possessions. Finding them early is important, but they are great at hiding.

Here are some things you can do to detect rodents early.

First, make sure everyone in your building or household knows the signs of rodents. That way, no one ignores early warning signs. Instead, they can let you know if they see signs so that you can take immediate steps to get rid of them.

Droppings are often the first sign of a rodent infestation. Rats and mice defecate regularly. Their oval droppings let you know that rodents have been there.

Noises are another sign you may have rodents. They make scrambling, scratching sounds in walls or ceilings. They are most active at dusk and dawn.

Bite damage is another sign of rodents. Mice are known for holes in food, packages, paper products, and boxes. Rats and mice bite wires and may create bit holes into buildings. You may even see mouse or rat holes in your walls.

It may seem silly to track rodents, but you can often see their pawprints. If an area is dusty, you may be able to see five-toed small tracks through the dust.

Rodents mark routes with grease from their body and with urine. So, you may notice grease or urine pathways along walls or on the ground. If you have unexplained tracks low along your walls, they are probably rodent tracks. You may not be able to see urine tracks, but rodent urine smells like ammonia. If you have an unexplained ammonia smell, it is a sign that rodents have been there.

Finally, if you see rodents, you know they are present. Whether you see them alive or dead, if you see one rodent there are probably many others present.

How do I get rid of rodents?

Once you have detected the possible presence of rodents, you need to tackle the problem as quickly as possible. Rats and mice both breed very quickly and you can have a huge infestation within a short period of time. Call Flick to schedule extermination services. We can help you get rid of the rodents that you have, plus set up monitoring and extermination services to keep you from getting rodents in the future.