How Do You Tell if You have a Mouse or Rat Infestation in Fort Collins, CO?

You are searching through the cupboard when you notice mouse droppings on the floor and holes in your food. Then you see a mouse scurrying away. If this happens, you definitely know you have mice or rodents in your house. But it isn’t always this easy to know you have a rodent problem. There are signs that you need to look for if you are questioning if you have rodents in your house. Effective Pest Services outlines them below.

Rodent Droppings

You are most likely to find rat or mouse droppings by their nesting or their food source. This food source will most likely be drawers, cupboards, under your sink, or other hidden areas by your walls. If their droppings are fresh, they will be dark and moist, but if you find droppings that are dried out and gray then those are older droppings and will crumble at the touch.

Pets Acting Odd

If you have pets in your home, such as dogs, cats, or even a pet rat or mouse, you will notice that they will start having odd behavior when there is a wild rodent in the home. If you are noticing the pet interested in an area that they’ve never had an interest in before or a cat staring and waiting at a certain area, then you may want to inspect that area to see if there are any rats or mice that they are watching and hearing.

Gnaw Marks

Rodents will gnaw on food packaging or walls. If these marks are light in color, then they are fresh. If you notice gnaw marks that are dark then they have been there for a while. You can also tell if they are mice or rats by the size of the gnaw marks. Larger gnaw marks mean you have rats.

Rodent Nests

Rodents will find materials throughout your house such as paper, fabric, and dried plants to make their nests. These nests are not out in the open they are hidden away, but they are usually close to the food and water source. If you can see droppings and gnaw marks, then there is a nest that is close by.

Noise at Night

If it is quiet at night you may be able to hear scurrying in the walls, on the floors, and even in your cabinets. Mice and rats like to move around at night and this is when you will be able to hear them. Because mice and rats can get into the walls it may be harder to detect where they are.

Ammonia Odor

One way to tell if you have a large infestation of mice or rats is that you will smell ammonia. This odor is very similar to wet babies’ diapers. It does not smell like the odor of a dead mouse or rat. A dead mouse or rat smell is a very sharp, pungent smell. The ammonia smell is not as strong. If you continue smelling it then you know you have mice or rats.

Mouse & Rat Rodent Pest Inspections, Exclusion, Control, Removal & More in Wellington, Fort Collins, Timnath, Greeley, Longmont, Boulder, Johnstown, Berthoud, Estes Park & Loveland, CO | Northern Colorado

Having a rat or mouse infestation is not something you ever want to have happen. So knowing the signs can help you identify when you have them in or around your home. Don’t wait until it is too late and your home is getting destroyed and smells bad before you get rid of the rodents. Give Effective Pest Services a call if you are worried that you have them in your home.

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