Rodents may be one of the most common home invaders, but that doesn’t mean your house has to be their next place of residence. Protecting your Santa Clarita house from rodents requires you to know some essential prevention tips. If you need help with rodent prevention or rodent control in Santa Clarita, Excel Pest offers the knowledgeable services you need.
Common Rodent Species: Identifying Different Types Of Rodents
Although there are around 1,500 rodent species in the world, far fewer call Santa Clarita home. Out of the rodent species in our area, even fewer are a threat to our homes. The names of rodents you should be aware of when protecting your home can be narrowed down to about three species. House mice, roof rats, and Norway rats are the most common home invaders in Santa Clarita.
House mice are small rodents with dusty gray fur and creamy-colored underbellies. They only grow a few inches long and have the characteristic pointy nose and big ears you think of when picturing a mouse.
Roof rats are more than twice as large as house mice. These long, thin rats are excellent climbers, as their name indicates. With blackish brown fur, roof rats have large eyes and ears and pointed noses.
Norway rats are slightly longer than roof rats and much stockier. Also called sewer rats, these rats spend their time on the ground and are not great climbers. They have brown fur, small ears, and blunt noses.
Health Risks Of Rodent Invasions: Protecting Your Family And Pets
As soon as you notice an infestation, it’s important to get rid of rodents from your house. These pests aren’t just a nuisance; they cause serious problems for Santa Clarita homes and the people and pets inside those homes. The diseases rodents can spread are nothing to mess around with. Even if you never come into direct contact with the rodents in your home, they contaminate surfaces that they touch, leaving you exposed to harmful pathogens that can make you sick.
Rodents commonly carry parasites around with them as well. Once in your house, these parasites might come looking for new hosts. From internal parasites like tapeworms to external parasites like fleas, you don’t want anything to do with any of the parasites rodents can bring into your home.
The damage rodents cause to your home and property is also substantial. While some of that damage can be simply an annoyance and expense to deal with, in some cases, it can put your family in harm’s way. Electrical fires, structural damage, and mold growth are all things that can result from a rodent infestation.
Proactive Rodent Control: Preventing Infestations Before They Begin
Rodent prevention is essential in stopping a rodent problem before it starts. Enact the following suggestions to make your Santa Clarita house less attractive to rodents.
- Keep the exterior of your home well-maintained. Trim the grass, remove debris, and cut back vegetation.
- Take care of any moisture issues around your house, both inside and out.
- Store all food in containers with sealed lids. Remove outdoor food sources, such as fallen fruit and bird seed.\
- Seal all cracks, crevices, gaps, and holes into your house. Cover vents and drainage pipes with wire mesh. Cap chimneys.
- Take out the trash regularly, and don’t store outdoor trash bins near your house.
- Keep your home, especially your kitchen, tidy. Clean up messes, wash dishes, and sweep floors routinely.
When you take the time to prevent rodents, you can save yourself many headaches and a lot of money.
Professional Rodent Control: Why Expertise Matters
If rodents have already moved into your Santa Clarita home, you need effective rodent control right away. The sooner you get rid of the problem, the less damage the rodents can cause. This will protect your home and family and save you money.
Rodent control near you is available from Excel Pest. Our rodent control services in Santa Clarita are designed to eliminate and prevent rodents. Our ongoing services further protect your home by ensuring rodents cannot get inside in the future. Contact us today to schedule your rodent control service.