Helpful tips to keep your home rodent-free

                        
Summary: No need to worry about traps or poisons to eliminate mouse or rat infestations if you take precautions to keep the pests from entering the house in the first place. Clever creatures can be outsmarted when you seal cracks, keep tree branches trimmed and keep property free of trash, clutter and places where rodents might hide. Temperatures are dropping quickly and it won’t be long before the dreaded signs of rodent infestation can be seen inside. The obvious signs of droppings and chew holes in the bread bags signal they are not only getting in but they are making themselves quite at home. Preventing the rodents from entering in the first place is the key to success when dealing with the three main house pests common to our region. The house mouse is cute in children’s stories and in animated movies but when he’s in our homes he is a nocturnal eating machine that can run up to 8 miles an hour. It’s no wonder he’s creepy to so many of us. He loves birdseed, pet food and anything made from grain. Female house mice have as many as 8 litters a year with up to 6 pups per litter. That’s a lot of mice. The Norway rat can grow up to 18 inches long if you include the hairless tail. He’ll eat almost anything but prefers meat and grain and will do just about anything to get it. Rats need adequate water in order to survive. Reproductively mature by three months, the Norway rat can have as many as 6 litters a year with up to 12 offspring making them a nuance rather quickly. Not as common in Ohio is the roof rat. Isolated infestations can occur and are usually the result of cargo shipments from Lake Erie. While smaller than the Norway rat, he reaches 8 inches in length with a tail that is generally longer than its body. When they make their way into the home they tend to live in walls and can be heard scratching and scurrying about. Fruits, seeds, nuts, meats and eggs are the choice diet for the rat that can have 4 litters a year with each litter producing up to 8 young. Mice and rats can slip through small cracks and holes we might never imagine are big enough to accommodate their girth. A mouse only needs ¼ inch or a hole as small as a dime to find his way in. • Inspect the home inside and out and seal all cracks larger than one-fourth inch with steel wool, hardware cloth, metal sheeting or mortar. Mice and rats will chew through almost anything so the more permanent the seal the more effective it will be. • Mice and rats can access the home from tree branches. Trim back tree branches so that none come within 6 feet of the roof. Mice and rats can and will jump but it is unlikely they can successfully jump this distance. • Mice and rats will eat almost anything and even prefer pet and livestock food. Storing these items in metal containers with tight fitting lids can guarantee the rodents will not be able to access the food. Plastic containers, even where the lids fit snuggly are no match to the clever and hungry beast willing to work incessantly to find his next meal. • Keeping outdoor areas neat and free of clutter can eliminate places where mice and rats might hide. Woodpiles, while more convenient when kept close to the house can be a favorite hiding place for undesirable rodents that seek the warmth of a heated house. Keep the garage door closed so as not to tempt the critters indoors where even without access to the home might still nest and cause damage to stored items. • Mice and rats tend to travel the perimeter of a room when they have made their way inside. Storing items up off the floor and way from walls will give them fewer places to hide and allow them to be seen when they do venture out. Seal up the house now so it won’t be necessary to trap any intruders later. If an indoor cat or dog brings you a mouse or rat praise them and hope that that one was the only one that made his way in.


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