While mice may be fun and furry little pets for some people, finding that you have a rodent infestation in your house is not funny at all.
The same can be said for rats. Ugh!
Generally, the species of mouse or rat found in pet shops is not the same as the kind you find invading your home and gnawing on everything they can find.
Dealing with a Rodent Infestation
While you may consider grabbing the broom to chase away a cute little mouse that is scurrying across your lounge room carpet an acceptable solution, it is NOT the answer. Nor is a mouse trap, or in the case of a loathsome rat, a rat trap. Let’s have a look at some of the reasons why:
- Mice and rats tend to congregate in a mouse nest or rats nest. So seeing one rodent usually means there are at least 4 or more you haven’t seen;
- Rodents like mice or rats breed prolifically. A female mouse reaches sexual maturity by 10 weeks of age and can produce a litter within 20 days of mating;
- Rats and mice carry up to 35 diseases, including plague, leptospirosis and salmonella which are potentially deadly to human beings;
- Rodent droppings also contain diseases, to say nothing of the fact they are smelly, unhygienic and unsightly; and
- Rat poison and mouse baiting may cause harm to family pets and young children.
Most of the acceptable methods for rodent control present some risk to you and your family or they simply don’t work effectively.
Regular mouse traps can be messy, difficult to set and inhumane, and then you have to deal with the problem of disposal if you do happen to trap one of the little pests. In addition, you will have to be extremely patient and persistent if you want to eliminate the entire family.
Poisons and baits also have their problems. While most rats will go outside to die, that isn’t always the case, particularly with mice, so you can find yourself faced with the issue of dead rats or mice hidden in inaccessible places around your home.
One of the most effective off-the-shelf solutions for rodent infestation is an electronic trap which delivers a fatal shock to rodents which enter the trap. But you are still faced with the problem of disposal and continually re-setting the trap until you are certain the whole family has been caught.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
The best way to rid your home of rodents and control them in your own home, is to learn more about them, and hire experts when necessary. Homeowners should not be afraid to admit they are freeked out by the sight of a mouse, as rodents carry many dangerous diseases and health risks. Rodent control is a progression, and a project that is best handled with an expert hand.
It looks like we have rats or mice in our home as for the last few nights we have heard at least 2 rodents scurrying about late at night. We run an at-home day care service and as their are young children here we are concerned about the type of rodent control that you are able to offer.
Hi Kali,
The rodent boxes that we use are commercial grade boxes with key entry only and therefore of a superior standard safety-wise to the cheaper cardboard variety that you can purchase through hardware retailers. The pest control products we use are also non-transferrable, meaning that if the rodent is consumed by a secondary animal (such as your pet dog), then the poison will not transfer to this animal. Many DIY products do not offer such protection. Our pest control products and procedures comply with all current Australian Standards for professional pest control and our technicians are fully trained, licenced and are familiar with sensitive environments such as child care centres, retirement villages and food premises so rest assured we will be able to control your rodent situation safely and effectively. I hope this helps.
Hi there,
I have a big trouble with rodents in my roof. I have being trying to get rid of them since April this year. Fisrt we’ve tryied poison then i have installed boxes with the baits outside of the property then we removed insolation to be able to spray with special poison powder and they are still THERE! Is there any other way of killing them? Can you help me?
Hi Taras,
A rat problem since April, not good when you are trying to sleep at night. The methods for Rat Control in Roofs employed by professional pest controllers are;
* rodent-proofing (eliminating access points into the roof void by carrying out repairs to broken tiles, fixing metal plates or cement fill to possible entry points around pipes and fittings etc).
* trapping rodents using a range of traps & glue boards
* chemical control by baiting with rodenticides, fumigants & powders.
* removal of food & water sources
It sounds as though you have tried most of the methods mentioned above but without effect. Have you looked to see where entry points may be? I suggest you call in a professional pest controller to assist. The rodenticides & rat boxes used by professionals are commercial grade but more so a professional pest controller has knowledge on rat behaviour and environment and through carrying out a thorough inspection, applying chemical treatment and advising on an integrated rat management approach will be able to rid you of the current tenants squatting in your roof. I hope this helps. You can give us a call on 1300 Pest Control to arrange for this.
We have very big mice but they seem to congregate outside in the garden. Enjoying the bird seed
I lay out on the patio table. (I wondered why the birds were going through so much). They are nocturnal. These are large mice with bodies at approximately 4 inches long plus tail. Not rats I think. My whippets have caught a few rats in the past, and these wild mice seem to be much smaller. Most probably well fed mice. They are definately after the bird seed. (Wild birds not aviary birds). My son thinks they are cute, uncovered a nest (under wood palings) and they haven’t returned
or gone somewhere else? I have solid bait. I don’t like laying this actually. I think they are getting
into the roof also. Although they are very agile, and maybe running over it? They’ve been seen jumping off the branches of a tree near where the seed is laid, and having a good time eating it all up? I have one of those disposable Mortien mouse catchers, but I reckon they are too big to enter?
PS. Not only this, but believe it or not, a cat has been seen entering our garden after the birds that have become quite tame. (During daylight) Normally we have no trouble with cats, because of the dogs of course. (The dogs are house dogs and contained at night).
At present I’ve stopped feeding the birds. Because I think although it is a young cat it seems, he/she
is being also attracted by the mice. Prime hunting ground I suspect?
Hi Pat – thanks for the comments. Wow, you have an array of interesting animals in your life and definitely some well feed mice it seems. Do you also see them during the day? House mice can live indoors or outdoors, generally those that are the outdoor type are of a paler sandy colour compared to their indoor counterparts. While there is a readily available food source they will continue to nest near by with the average mouse littering 6 to 10 times every year with 5-6 babies in every litter. That makes for a lot of mice babies to be fed!
If you do continue to use baits ensure that you are using non-transferable rodenticides, that are less toxic to non-target animals, in both primary and secondary poisoning situations. Many of the DIY product range can be extremely toxic to other animals through direct feeding of the bait or ingesting a dead mouse after it has ingested the poison.
My other recommendation would be to proof your roof and wall cavities to prevent the mice from nesting in these areas. Once they have settled in to nest a professional pest treatment may be required. Look for gaps between walls and piping and fill these with cement or metal plates. Avoid plastics and wood and these can be chewed through in time.
PS – like your son, I too think they are kind of cute! It is just a pity they breed as much as they do!