What Attracts Rodents to My Home?

Living creatures have three basic needs for survival: water, food, and shelter. Conveniently for you, your house probably meets all three of those needs for you at most times. Not so conveniently for you, your home could also meet all three of those needs for mice or rats.

Obviously, you are not intentionally providing food, water, or shelter opportunities for rodents. However, there may be things you are doing to make those things more easily accessible, which will attract rodents to your home. Flick’s Constant Home Protection plans include regular inspections, where our technicians look for signs of pests and point out factors that could attract rodents to your home.

What Attracts Rodents the Most?

The most obvious thing that attracts rodents to your home is also the one thing that you cannot change. Your home is a great shelter. It keeps you warm (or cool) and dry. Rodents are attracted to these same features in a shelter. The best way to keep rodents out involves sealing any exterior entry points, holes, and cracks.

Rodents are attracted to food. They can smell food, even food in sealed containers, from a distance, and they will travel to find it. This means that you need to make sure and seal all food that you have stored in your home. This includes pet food, birdseed, and seeds for your garden.

Speaking of your garden, if you are growing food in your backyard, it will attract all sorts of pests. This not only means rodents but can also mean insects and some types of birds. People who are growing fruit trees, potted herbs, and edible flowers can be constantly plagued by pests if not correctly managed. This also applies to houseplants. Some houseplants are good food sources for rodents, which may also take advantage of larger pots as places for their nests.
Of course, rodents are not very picky about their food sources. If you have food waste in a trash can, it is a source of food for rodents. Rodents will even target digested food in pet feces, so regularly removing pet waste from your lawn is essential in a rodent prevention plan.

Finally, rodents need water. Dripping faucets, small water leaks, pet water bowls, birdbaths, ponds, swimming pools, spas, and fountains are potential water sources for rodents.

It is impossible to remove everything from your home that might attract rodents. However, it is vital to keep your home free from mice and rats. In addition to doing extensive property damage, they are a health hazard, contaminating food sources and spreading a wide range of diseases. That is where Flick can help you. We can help you make your home much less inviting to rodents or other pests, from exclusion strategies to digital monitoring and responsive pest control.Call Flick today at 1300 270 019 to learn more!