Rodent Identification

What are rodents?

Rodents are mammals with sharp front incisors in their upper and lower jaws that continuously grow throughout their lives. Rodents use their teeth to create nesting sites, eat, and defend themselves. To keep their teeth healthy and from overgrowing, rodents are constantly chewing on objects they come across. Whether living in your yard or home, rodents will chew and are destructive pests.

Throughout Northern California, the following rodents are common visitors of our indoor and outdoor spaces:

• Norway rats
• Roof rats
• Mice
• Moles
• Voles
• Ground squirrels

Are rodents dangerous?

Rodents are wild animals, and wild animals can always be dangerous to people. Their behavior is unpredictable. Though rodents typically like to stay away from people, they will defend themselves or try to escape by biting or scratching if cornered or directly handled.

The biggest concern with rodents is not their ability to bite us but their ability to spread diseases, damage our lawns and gardens, and cause structural damage inside our homes. Salmonella, rat-bite fever, and murine typhus are all diseases spread by rodents. As rodents travel throughout homes and businesses, they contaminate surfaces and food with parasites, pathogens, and bacteria they carry on their bodies and in their excrement and saliva.

Rodents will gnaw on and damage walls, floors, furniture, cabinets, wires, and cables when living and nesting inside our structures. Their teeth allow them to easily create holes in food packaging, boxes, and other storage containers.

Garden pests like moles, voles, and ground squirrels damage our outdoor spaces, harming garden plants, grass, and trees.

Why do I have a rodent problem?

Rodents are active year-round; they do not hibernate. These mammals constantly search for food, water, and shelter and take advantage of any property that provides them with those basic needs. While these pests typically live and nest outside, it is common, especially for mice and rats, to move inside searching for nesting sites and to feed on the food stored in our homes.

The following things in your yard will attract rodents:

• Open trash cans and recycling bins
• Gardens and fruit trees
• Leaking pipes and fixtures
• Lots of harborage sites

After foraging for food and shelter on your property, these curious creatures will eventually make their way inside. Poor weather conditions like lots of rain, heat, or cold weather often drive these pests into our temperature-controlled homes.

Common entry points for rodents include the following:

• Holes along the roofline, at roof intersections, or open chimneys
• Vents and openings around wires and pipes
• Holes in the foundation and gaps under doors
• Torn screens or damaged door or window trim

Where will I find rodents?

Though rodents can use their teeth as a means of defense, they are a source of prey for many other larger animals. Rodents stop themselves from being another animal’s next meal by nesting in areas that provide them with lots of dark, quiet hiding spots. In our yards, mice, rats, and other rodents like to hide under woodpiles and brush piles, within dense landscaping or ground cover, and in tall grass and overgrown gardens.

Some rodents like moles, voles, and ground squirrels have adapted to tunneling through the ground and creating underground burrows as a way to stay out of a predator’s view. Roof rats have adapted to nesting up off the ground and often nest in trees, vines, and roofs.

When rodents like rats and mice find their way into our homes, they often create nests in the following areas:

• Attics
• Wall voids
• Basement and closet clutter
• Upholstered furniture
• Behind large appliances and cabinets
• In garages, sheds, and on rafters

How do I get rid of rodents?

Various species of rodents can find their way onto our California properties. The best way to identify and remove these pests is to partner with professionals. At Redding Spray Service, we provide our technicians with extensive training and use advanced materials and effective treatments to ensure that each of our customer’s rodent problems are solved, once and for all.

Delivering affordable solutions for pest-free living is our top priority. Serving the North State in Shasta and Tehama Counties, we are committed to helping home and business owners protect their properties from destructive and dangerous rodents and other structural-invading pests. To learn more about our residential or commercial rodent control services, give us a call today!

How can I prevent rodents in the future?

Let’s work together to prevent rodents from taking over your yard and home in the future. In combination with our pest control services, the following prevention tips will help you avoid a rodent infestation.

• Repair damage to your home’s exterior that could allow rodents to move inside.
• Keep the contents of trash cans, recycling bins, and compost bins away from rodents by always keeping locking lids on them.
• Pick up uneaten pet food each evening to keep rodents out of it.
• Remove dense vegetation, maintain gardens, and keep the grass cut short to limit harborage sites on your property.
• Repair leaky pipes and hoses to eliminate water sources.
• Cut tree branches back away from your roof.
• Place metal flashing around the base of tree trunks to prevent roof rats from climbing them and ground squirrels and other rodents from gnawing on and damaging the tree’s bark.

Learn more about our home pest control and commercial pest control solutions.