One of the biggest pest complaints we hear from Houston residents and business owners is that rodents have taken up residence on their property. Even if they don’t see a rodent, they may hear noises in attics, walls or crawl spaces or come across physical evidence, such as gnaw marks and droppings. Rodents are dirty creatures, and more importantly, rodents like mice and rats are known to carry and transmit several diseases including hantavirus, plague, rabies and salmonellosis.
At Holder’s, we are experts in controlling a variety of rodent problems. Here are just a few that are most common rodents in Houston:
Roof rats are dark brown or black and typically hang around your roof and attic. It’s not hard to develop a roof rat problem. If your property provides essentials such as food, water and shelter you are at risk. On top of this, they are excellent climbers and can squeeze through holes and cracks as little as the size of a quarter! The biggest threat of roof rats is damage to your pipes and wiring, as well as contamination from urine and droppings. So not only are they unsightly, but they can be an extreme health hazard.
House mice are various shades of grey and much smaller than rats – about 5 ½ to 7 ½ inches long. They tend to nest very close to their food source, no more than 20 feet, in dark, secluded areas such as stacks of firewood, piles of debris, stored items, etc. Mice are more common than rats since they are even smaller and can enter through the tiniest of openings. Where rats are more common in populated areas, mice enjoy both the city and the country – making them difficult to escape altogether. Like roof rats, mice leave behind urine and droppings making them hazardous when cohabitating with humans.
Norway rats, aka ‘sewer rats’, are similar to the roof rat, but are larger and lighter colored. They’re not as good of climbers either, but are good swimmers and travel via rivers, swamps and lakes. Because they don’t climb well, they tend to nest in underground burrows, such as sewers, and close to water sources. If you are concerned that you have a Norway rat problem, take a look for burrows around building foundations, under piles of debris and around gardens and water.
