Home & Garden
How To Keep Rodents Out This Winter
With some persistence and preparation, you can rid your house of rats and mice and prevent them from coming back.
Everyone loves Mickey Mouse, Stuart Little is an icon, and the rodent chef in "Ratatouille" is pretty darn funny. In fiction, mice and rats are adorably awesome characters — but in real life, they're potentially dangerous pests. And in the winter months, keeping these little (and sometimes not-so-little) troublemakers out of your home can prove to be a challenge.
Not to worry, though. With some persistence and preparation, you can rid your house of rodents and prevent them from coming back. Here's what you need to know and how much it stands to cost.
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Why They're Trouble
Mice and rats are proven disease carriers. Whether it's the potentially deadly hantavirus or salmonella poisoning, there are multiple diseases that can be transmitted from rodents and their feces to humans.
Rodent populations can quickly spiral out of control, too. The average house mouse reaches maturity in eight weeks and will produce eight litters of four to eight baby mice per year. Multiply that number by a few breeding pairs, and you can see how these problematic pests can quickly take over your home.
Rats have strong jaws that can chew through concrete, causing structural damage to your home. They can eat through electrical wiring, too, and create a dangerous fire hazard. Plus, they're frequent carriers of fleas, ticks and mites, which also pose a problem to humans.
What To Do If They Get In
It's pretty easy to tell when mice or rats are present in your home. You'll notice their droppings in drawers, cabinets, the pantry or anywhere else food is stored or consumed. You may also see small holes and gnawed corners on items such as cereal boxes.
Once you've identified the problem, you may opt to set out traps yourself. Snap traps remain an inexpensive, popular choice. And a number of live traps and glue traps are also available. If you catch (and kill) a rodent with any of these methods, be sure to wear rubber gloves when disposing of the body and to thoroughly disinfect the trap and surrounding areas. You'll need to use the same precautions when removing rodent feces.
There are poisons marketed for home extermination use, but these can pose a serious health risk — particularly to children and pets. Rather than resorting to this potentially dangerous option, it's best to consult with a professional on rodent removal. According to HomeAdvisor's True Cost Guide*, the average cost to have a rat or mouse removed is $330. Bear in mind, though, there will rarely be just one or two rodents in a home, and exterminating those currently inside is only part of the solution.
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How To Keep Them Out
Mice and rats have collapsible skeletons that allow them to squeeze through tiny spaces. A typical rat can fit through a hole the size of a quarter, and a typical mouse can fit through a hole the size of a pencil. Rodent exclusion, or effectively sealing the house from potential rodent entry points, is best done by professionals. Even the most experienced pest control specialists won't be able to make your home 100 percent rodent-proof, but they'll catch a lot of things the average untrained homeowner will miss.
How Much Will It Cost?
After you contact an exterminator, he or she will come to your home and perform an initial examination to assess what pests are present, where the entry points are, and what trapping methods will be most effective. This visit should cost anywhere from $90 to $250.
After this, you'll receive a written estimate for what continued treatment will cost. This should include the exterminator sealing any points of entry, setting traps and cleaning up after the rodents have been caught, as well as any repairs needed and decontamination of the home if possible. Depending on the size of the home and the extent of the infestation, this can cost between $200 and $2,000.
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* — All pricing estimates in this article are based on HomeAdvisor's True Cost Guide, a searchable database that gives homeowners an idea how much they can expect to pay for home projects in their area.
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How Much It Really Costs To Install Radiant Heating
Home 101: How To Prevent Dryer Fires
How To Reduce Your Heating Bills (And Still Stay Warm)
Here's What Frozen Pipes Can Cost You
Sources:
Rodent Control: A Primer
How Much Does Rodent Control Cost?
Rat And Mouse Extermination
