A pest infestation doesn’t have to seem big to cause you big problems. Rodents like mice and rats are good at hiding and can populate quickly. That means that, by the time an infestation is apparent, the dangers are already mounting. Learning why you should take preventative measures rather than reactive measures can help you stay safe and protect your home from damaging rodents.

Mice & Rats: Common Invaders

Did you know that homes are rarely infested with both mice and rats at the same time? The territorial pests don’t like to compete with one another, and they can detect the presence of other rodents from far away. Why is this crucial? Because identifying the problem is the first step in solving it. That means it’s important to know how to tell mice and rats apart, which you can do by looking for the following traits:

Size: Rats are typically larger than mice, which only grow to a few inches. Baby rats can look an awful lot closer in size to mice, though, so you’ll need to spot other differences to be sure.
Ears: Mice have large, circular ears that rest directly on top of their heads. On the other hand, rats have ears with pinched ends that sit much further back on the skull.
Face: Rats have elongated faces, whereas mice have triangular, short snouts.

The Destruction Of Rodents

It’s important to take early, proper action against rodents because they can do a lot of damage if left unchecked. Here are just some ways that rodents, whether they’re mice or rats, can damage your property:

Biting: Rodents have front incisors that never stop growing, meaning they must file their teeth down by chewing on hard surfaces, quickly leading to chewed-up wires and bite marks on household items.
Stains: Rodents leave urine and feces in their tracks, leading to stains and corrosive damage.
Holes: Whether you’ve seen it in a cartoon or in person, you may already know that rodents will burrow through wooden slats and floorboards to access nesting corners.

Dangerous Health Hazards

If the property damage they cause weren’t enough, rodents could also pose direct health risks to people and pets. Here are some of the known health risks associated with a rodent infestation:

Disease: Rats and mice carry and spread many types of diseases and parasites, including ticks, fleas, salmonella, and plague.
Bites: While rodents tend to stay away from people and pets that can harm them, they can bite if provoked. Not only can diseases be transmitted this way, but one disease, rabies, can specifically make rodents more aggressive.
Odors: We typically only think of an odor as a bad smell, but some harmful germs actually radiate from rodent droppings. Even the presence of their urine and feces in your home can make you sick.

Expert Protection From Rodents

With the numerous problems and health risks that rodents pose to your home, you really don’t want to take a chance on them thriving in secret. Rather than wait for the signs of an infestation to become apparent, call a local expert for a thorough inspection of your home today. At 1st Response Pest Management, our technicians can determine your level of risk. Not only does this let you sleep easy knowing a trained pair of eyes has inspected your property, but we can also provide you with helpful tips for preventing pest problems and spotting the signs early. If we see any signs of rodents during an inspection, we can implement preventative measures and effective solutions for treating the problem.