A Homeowners Guide To Rodents In Sacremento, CA

February 15, 2020

Neighborly Pest Management understands the complications that correspond with a pest infestation. Dealing with an infestation often goes beyond removing the pest itself, specifically when you’re dealing with rats, mice, and other small rodents. As a locally owned and operated business, we know how to help Sacremento residents rid their home of rodents and other pests. We use our 40 years of experience and valued relationship with our employees and clients to provide our customers with the best service possible.

a roof rat crawling through an attick floor

As rodents find their way inside in search of food and shelter, there are some important things that every homeowner should know when dealing with these tenacious pests.

Rodents Found In Sacremento

There are three rodents Sacramento Homeowners should know about.

  • Roof Rat: The first and probably most awful rodent is the Black rat, known locally as the roof rat. We know it as Rattus rattus which basically means “Rat’s rat.” They eat everything from meat to candy to composting greens left in the bin. You usually can’t tell if you have roof rats scampering around in your crawl spaces or attic until they get hungry and start gnawing on insulation or drywall. These rats have even been known to chew through water lines to get a drink, causing several thousands of dollars in flood damage.

  • Brown Rat: Known by many as the Norway rat or Norwegian rat with the scientific name of Rattus norvegicus. These rats are among the largest vermin you may ever see in a Sacramento household--with the exception of the occasional raccoon. They are the rats known for chewing through concrete to gain access to abandoned structures and dwell in our sewers. These rats prefer urban areas and breed rapidly. Unlike Black rats, Norwegian rats make a lot of noise. If you can hear them squeaking behind the wall, you should contact a professional immediately.

  • House Mouse: These are the most common rodents that plague  Sacramento homeowners. The common house mouse, Mus musculus, are even more prolific breeders than rats. The female house mouse will actually go into heat, or be ready to bread after just four days of smelling male house mouse urine. After breeding, it takes less than 3 weeks for a mother house mouse to bring a brood to term. They each can have as many as 12 babies and are ready to repeat the process in a few more weeks. Plus, the female house mouse is ready to be a mother after only two months. Once you see the first house mouse in your Sacramento house, you have a full-on infestation.

3 Things Every Homeowner In Sacramento Should Know About Rodents  

As rodents find their way inside in search of food and shelter, there are some important things that every homeowner should know when dealing with these tenacious pests.

  • Firstly, rodents in Sacremento are break-in artists. Rodents are persistent, resilient, and will find creative and previously undetected ways of making their way into your Sacremento home. They can squeeze their bodies through the smallest of openings, or, if an opening proves too small, they will chew it to make it larger.  They can get into your house through several areas, and it takes a professional to identify those vectors and stop an infestation before it occurs. Neighborly Pest Management uses special exclusion traps to stop rodents before they get out of hand.

  • Secondly, rodents are constantly hungry. Rats and Mice are opportunistic scavengers, and like other critters, when they have an ample supply of food, they will breed with enthusiasm.  Sacramento homes offer a smorgasbord of nutrients. They will gobble up leftover crumbs on your counter, scour the floor for dropped food particles and take advantage of the morsels left behind from children eating or hiding snacks. A rat can smell trace amounts of peanut butter left on a wall by a small child and will follow that sent to its source. They can smell it even if we can not see or otherwise detect it.

  • Thirdly, rodents in Sacremento are dangerous. Rodents carry fleas, ticks and diseases and defecate in our homes.Think of the worst smelling trash you have ever smelled… a rat or mouse will happily eat even that. They are low to the ground and spend ample time in our sewers and dumpsters. Then, they defecate with reckless abandon leaving behind contaminated feces and urine. Rats and mice are some of the few animals who defecate right where they are eating. These creatures are not vaccinated like our pets and contract rabies, typhus and more commonly, hantavirus. All of which can be deadly when passed to humans.

If you’re experiencing a rodent infestation, be wary of taking care of it on your own. There is zero room for mistakes when handling rodents. Our customers trust us to be professional, courteous and most importantly, safe when dealing with Sacramento’s rodents. Contact us today to discuss Neighborly Pest Management’s exclusion trap services.

Dangers Associated With Rodents

Rodents are not only unsightly, but the pose risk to your home and your health. Firstly, rodents love to chew. They chew endlessly to file down their ever-growing teeth.  This chewing can be destructive and a fire hazard, especially if they begin to gnaw on wires.

Rodents are dirty and spread unwanted disease. In fact, there have been over 100 reported cases of typhus because of rats in the state of California. Typhus in America had been unheard of for almost a hundred years, and our neighbors to the south had over a hundred people who contracted typhus from the fleas carried by rats.

A Professional Is The Right Answer

There are risks no matter what. Rodents are dangerous, so are the treatments. In fact, the state of California has been working to ban rodent poison due to accidents and misuse of these poisons. In fact, just in 2019 alone, The National Park Service announced they had found poison compounds from accidental ingestion in more than a dozen cougars from nearby Californian mountain sides.  

In the end, A professional is needed to safely control a rodent infestation, and Neighborly Pest Management offers exclusion methods that will work with your schedule and your budget.

Call Neighborly Pest Management Today

We are here to help. We have been serving Sacramento for more than 40 years, and our experts at Neighborly Pest Management have the experience you can count on to rid your home of rodents and other unwanted pests. Contact us today for a free estimate and make your rodent problem a thing of the past! 

Tags: home pest control | pest prevention tips | rodent services |