Redding Homeowners' Handy Guide To Effective Rodent Control

Rodents inflict billions of dollars in damages to U.S. homes and businesses annually. Every year hundreds of Redding homeowners turn to professional rodent control to stop the damage rodents inflict on their homes and their health.

Rodents sneak into our homes through holes and cracks that logically should not be able to fit an animal that size. A mouse can dislocate plates in its skull and squeeze through an opening barely the size of a nickel. Mice and rats can run up vertical walls, burrow through the ground to get into the basements, or balance across phone and electrical wiring to squeeze into the attic.

Let's look at the rodents you're likely to run into your Redding home, how to convince them to stay out, and where to find reliable pest control in the Redding area if that fails.

Common Types Of Home-Invading Rodents In Redding

There are hundreds of species and subspecies of rodents in California, but in Redding, you're likely to encounter one of these four types of rodents trying to make their home on your property:

• Norway rats grow 8 and 9 1/2 inches long, not counting the tail, and have a long brown body and grey underside. Norway rats are social rodents and capable burrowers. You're likely to run into them in the basements or lower levels of the house.
• Roof rats are smaller than Norway rats, growing up to 8 inches long. They are usually black with grey undersides, a long, skinny body, and a scaly tail. Roof rats are great climbers; watch for them in the attic and around the roof line.
• House mice are usually 2 1/2 to 3 3/4 inches long, not counting the tail with a dusty grey round body, large ears, and a pointed nose. House mice are the most common rodent to invade homes and are capable of reproducing with astonishing speed.
• Squirrels grow up to 2 feet long from the head to the end of the tail and are usually grey with white undersides and a bushy tail. Squirrels are excellent climbers and are known for burying nuts for later use.

All rodents are nocturnal and great at keeping off our radar, making spotting an infestation in the early stages very difficult.

Rodents Can Make You Sick & Damage Property

All rodents carry multiple bacteria and pathogens on their bodies and spread them on the surfaces of your house. Rats and mice spread numerous infectious illnesses, such as:

• Leptospirosis
• Rat-bite fever,
• Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM)
• Tularemia
• Salmonellosis

All rodents gnaw on the surfaces around them to keep their teeth a manageable size, and mice are known to chew through electrical wiring, causing outages and house fires.

How To Remove Factors That Attract Rodents To Your Home

For a DIYer, it's almost impossible to clear out a rodent infestation fully, so let's look at what you can do to stop them from coming into your home in the first place:

• Keep food stored in tightly sealed glass or metal containers.
• Dispose of garbage regularly and keep it in rodent-proof garbage cans.
• Fix water leaks.
• Reduce clutter and keep boxes off the floor.
• Fix up loose mortar around your foundation and window frames.
• Cover vents with metal mesh.
• Keep grass around the house short.
• Don't store firewood next to the house.
• Regularly inspect basements, attics, and outbuildings.

The trick to effective rodent control is spotting the infestation in its early stages and getting an experienced professional on the job as soon as possible.

 The Trick To Stress-Free & Effective Rodent Control

At Jefferson Pest Control, we've been serving Redding residents with reliable home pest control for many years, helping them get rid of rodents and other pests, offering customized service plans, innovative pest prevention solutions, and a proven pest-free guarantee.

If your home has a rodent infestation, get in touch with us for a free inspection today!