Plenty of people know that vermin like rodents can be dangerous. Not only can they damage property with their incessant chewing, but they can also spread dangerous diseases and parasites. But do you know just how difficult a rodent problem is to get rid of once they’ve moved in? With the help of our expert guidance, you’ll learn all you need to know about proper rodent control.

Mice & Rats: Common Area Rodents

The two most common rodents that pop into our minds are mice and rats. While they look similar, they have different traits and behaviors. Both types of pests are territorial, however, and a property with a rodent infestation is usually one or the other. Here’s how to tell them apart:

Mice

Size: Mice are typically much smaller than rats, though it can be hard to tell based on size alone when baby rats can look a lot like adult mice. For reference, adult mice typically only grow to a few inches in body length, though their long tails trail behind them, often longer than the rest of them.
Ears: Mice have large, round ears that sit right atop their heads. It’s this iconic shape that’s been sketched into cartoons for decades, but mice are anything but a cute thing to have around.
Color: Mice tend to be brown or gray and their fur is less mottled and slick-looking than that of rats.

Rats

Size: Rats can frequently grow to over a foot in length, not even including their creepy, hairless tails that trail behind them. They have larger, rounder haunches than mice and long, narrow faces.
Ears: A rat’s ears are more pinched than a mouse’s, and they sit further back on the skull. This is a key trait to discern small rats from mice.
Color: Just like mice, invasive rats are often brown or gray.

How Dangerous Are Rodents On Your Property?

Aside from being upsetting to have around, rodents can pose some serious health risks and bring a whole host of other problems with them. Here are some of the potential risks of a rodent infestation:

Damage: Not only can their constant gnawing cause irreversible damage to common household materials, but their feces and urine can stain the walls and carpeting.
Disease: Rats carry dangerous diseases like plague and salmonella. They also are often flea-ridden or carry ticks that also spread additional diseases.
Odor: Rodents aren’t clean animals. They root around in filth looking for food and they leave droppings and urine behind resulting in reeking odors.

Rodents: A Growing Problem

Despite the risks of a rodent infestation, far too many property owners think that they can handle the problem on their own. Often, people will spot a solitary mouse or rat and think that a simple store-bought or homemade trap will do the job. But the true scope of a rodent problem is in how quickly they reproduce. Rodents stick to the shadows and scurry out of sight, so you’re not likely to spot them, anyway. But if you do, you should always consider that their real numbers are far greater than the signs you do see. That’s why only proper, professional treatments can truly solve the problem.

Stay Protected With Professional Service

With the dangers they can pose to your health and property, rodents aren’t a pest you ever want to have to deal with. By partnering with local pest professionals, you can rest assured that the proper steps are being taken to drive rodents out and keep them out. At American Pest Solutions, our expert staff can provide you with helpful tips to make your property safer from all kinds of pests, and a routine inspection can help determine your level of risk. If we spot rodents or the signs of them, you can trust American Pest to deal with them quickly and completely.

Rather than go it alone on rodent control for your property, trust American Pest Solutions and contact us today.