Tampa Rodents: Mice and Rats

Tampa rodents, such as mice and rats, are considered to be social creatures, which means they tend to get lonely without companions.  That means that once they find a good source of warmth, security, and food, they will invite their brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends to join them in the feast. Recently, we’ve noticed an uptick in the number of Tampa rats and mice entering homes. Possible reasons for this are the increased number of abandoned or foreclosed homes in the Tampa, FL area.

Tampa Rats & Mice

One the the largest concerns about having mice and rats in your home, besides how you feel about them, is the diseases that they can carry. According to the CDC, rodents can directly transmit a variety of diseases including:

  • Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
  • Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome
  • Lassa Fever
  • Leptospirosis
  • Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis (LCM)
  • Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever
  • Plague
  • Rat-Bite Fever
  • Salmonellosis
  • South American Arenaviruses
  • Tularemia

Tampa Rat Rodent ControlWhile not all rodents will be carriers of the above diseases, they can still be a nuisance around the house as they chew everything in sight.  It is not uncommon to find chewed electrical cords and food supplies when mice and rats are involved.  They will chew through practically anything when trying to get to food.  In fact, they will even chew through a wall if they think there is food on the other side.

Now, they don’t have to chew a very large hole because they can squeeze through tiny holes.  In fact, mice can squeeze through a hole the size of a nickel while rats can squeeze through a hole the size of a half dollar.  This is usually how mice and rats originally get into a home or business.  They have squeezed through some tiny hole that no one noticed. That is why it is very important that any rodent control measures include finding the gaps and holes that allowed entry in the first place.  This is a service that McKinney Pest Control & Exterminator provides in its list of extermination services.

Below is a list of the common areas to find these holes and gaps inside your home.  Remember that mice are not restricted to low areas as they are expert climbers.  The common areas are:

  • Around doors.
  • Around the fireplace.
  • Around the pipes under sinks and washing machines.
  • Around the pipes going to hot water heaters and furnaces.
  • Around floor vents and dryer vents.
  • Between the floor and wall juncture
  • In the basement or crawl space and in floor drains of basement or laundry room
  • Inside, under, and behind kitchen cabinets, refrigerators and stoves.
  • Inside closets near the floor corners
  • Inside the attic.

Don’t forget to look on the outside of your home for points of entry as well.  The last thing you want is a rodent trapped in your walls and scratching away night and day.  Some good places to look for holes and gaps on the outside of your home include:

  • Around doors.
  • Around holes for electrical, plumbing, cable, and gas lines.
  • Around the foundation
  • Around windows.
  • Attic vents and crawl space vents.
  • In the roof among the rafters, gables, and eaves.
  • Under doors.

Fill any small holes and gaps you find with steel wool which is kept in place with caulking around the edges.  Larger holes can be fixed with metal sheeting, cement, lath metal or screen, or hardware cloth.  Flashing can also be used around the base of your home to prevent entry.  If this all sounds like too much work for you, don’t fear.  Tampa Pest Control would be happy to not only rid your home of rodents, but to secure it from future invasions as well.  Just give us a call to schedule your consultation with our Tampa rodent specialist today!