With nasty pests like mice and rats, it’s not surprising that people try to eliminate them quickly on their own. The mistake that many homeowners make, however, is to only react to rodent problems once they’re apparent, at which point it is often too late to truly address them. Instead, only proper prevention and professional rodent removal can guarantee that you get rid of a rodent problem before bigger issues occur.
The Most Common Rodents
The two most common rodents to invade homes are mice and rats, which are similar in behavior and appearance but aren’t exactly the same. Despite their differences, the destruction and illness that both of these rodents can cause are nearly identical. Still, you should look for the following features to tell mice from rats:
- Size: Rats are often much larger than mice, which only grow a couple of inches in length. Both have long tails that trail behind them.
- Face: Rats have long, slender faces while mice have triangular, compact snouts.
- Ears: Mice have much bigger ears than rats in relation to their bodies. Rats have small, pinched ears tucked back on their head while mice have large, circular ears right atop their heads.
Dangers Posed By Rats & Mice
Despite their often subtle differences, mice and rats pose many of the same dangers to you and your property. No matter which of these two pests you suspect is in your home, these problems are not far off:
- Damage: Rodents have front teeth that never stop growing, and because of this, they must chew on hard surfaces to file them down. This means bite marks — everywhere.
- Disease: Rodents are also prolific purveyors of harmful diseases, including rabies, plague, and salmonellosis.
- Odor: As they brood and leave their droppings behind, rodent populations result in foul smells that permeate your property.
Why You Shouldn’t Try Removal Alone
Since they are such dangerous and disgusting creatures, many homeowners try to eliminate rodents with household methods or store-bought solutions to try and quickly tackle the problem. The downside of these attempts is that they often don’t work and they expose you to dangers and risks that aren’t necessary for proper removal. All of the following are reasons to not try to remove rodents on your own:
- Danger: Many of the diseases that rodents transmit can be done through physical interaction like bites and scratches. By getting near enough for these things to happen, you’re exposing yourself to more health risks than their presence already causes.
- Proliferation: The main reason DIY methods don’t work is that they don’t account for the unseen rodents that are the true problem. A trap or chemical might kill a few visible rodents, but they won’t do anything to the pups that they’ve already given birth to.
- Money: Even after all the effort and money you expend to try to get rid of the problem on your own, it’s still not gone. That’s why it’s always cheaper to turn to the experts right away.
Safe & Effective Rodent Control From Dynasty
Since the damage they cause can be so severe, you really don’t want to waste any time on ineffective solutions when it comes to rodent infestation. Rather than wasting time and money on online anecdotes and unproven products, turn instead to pest experts who can guarantee solutions. At Dynasty Pest Control, our trained staff can provide you with helpful tips for preventing and identifying rodent problems. If an infestation is already there, we’ll work quickly to eliminate it and follow up to make sure it stays gone. Let us get started on an inspection of your home right away.
Don’t let a rodent problem become more than you can handle; contact Dynasty for total protection.