Protect your home from rats and mice

The indicators of unwanted house guests, such as rats and mice, include the sounds of scurrying or scratching, finding small droppings in the morning or physical sightings. If you believe you have these pesky critters running about your home, try these protection measures before calling an exterminator.

Clean up

You don't need to have any confirmed rodent sightings before you try these measures in your home. Remove all rubbish lying around, including wood piles and accessible food sources (especially pet food). The key to deterring rodents is to act fast, as you can never assume there is just one offender.

Hide baits

Keep in mind, rats and mice are scavengers, continually on the hunt for new food sources. Stop them in their tracks by implementing a comprehensive baiting system in your home. Rat and mice baits are created to kill and they pack a poisonous punch — avoid this method if you have pets or children running (or crawling) around the house.

Planning a baiting route can result in a rapid eradication of these pests, however, you must take care when handling these products. Use gloves, as the human scent deters rats and mice from engaging with traps and baits. When you are not planting the bait, keep it locked away and out of reach of children. Never use baits outside your home, as they are a serious danger to native wildlife and roaming pets.

Set up traps

Traps are the most common form of eradication used in households. Many popular traps use a pedal-base system. Once the lever is triggered the trap is activated to capture the rodent. Unfortunately, these traps can go off untouched and there are cases when the rat or mouse endures a painful and slow death — many believe this to be inhumane.

If you choose to use a trapping product be cautious not to over-bait, as this leads to the pest stealing the food without activating the trap. Use the correct food, rodents are more likely to eat snacks with high protein and fat content.

Use repellents

Another option available for homeowners includes repellents. These do not cause harm to anyone or anything and create a sensory barrier between your house and these pesky creatures. Many repellents emit high-frequency sound waves to repulse rodents. Repellent gels also assist in deterring rats and mice from chewing on wires, cables, or running into every nook in the house.