Signs of rats and mice in and around Reading
Posted on 26th January 2020 at 15:19
With plenty of rodent jobs keeping us busy here at Abbey Pest Control we thought we’d do a quick blog on how you to spot signs of rodent activity within your home or business.
One of the first signs a customer notices are unusual sounds around the home, usually in the walls, ceiling voids or in the loft. These distinctive scratching sounds are a common indicator that you may have rats, mice or squirrels in your home. Sometimes the sounds can be attributable to birds, particularly in the loft, which is why it’s important to fully survey all sites and correctly identify the type of pest before beginning a treatment plan.
Another indicator of a rodent infestation is the presence of faeces or droppings; these will be found in the same places the noises are being heard. Mice usually leave droppings scattered around on the same routes they use to traverse your home whilst rats tend to favour specific areas to leave their droppings. With a single rat capable of producing up to 40 droppings in a single night these preferred locations can begin to emit a rather unpleasant odour.
Rats teeth never stop growing and, left unchecked, would continue to grow until the rat was unable to properly close its mouth. It is therefore important that they find things to gnaw to ensure they keep their teeth in good condition. If you were to investigate into an area where scratching sounds may have been heard you are likely to find evidence of them gnawing on various materials, in recent jobs in Reading I have found several things chewed, including a suitcase and wooden joists (pictured).
You may also see what’s known as smearing (pictured) rats and mice have greasy/oily fur so after prolonged use using either an entry point or using the same route repeatedly they can leave behind a smear mark. I have found these marks under kitchen work tops and around entry points like the one pictured, they are good indicators of where the rodents are gaining entry and the routes that they use, helping me to identify suitable sites for me to lay traps.
All these things combined means you are likely to have an unwanted guest in the form of a mouse, rat or even squirrel, and should act sooner rather than later. If a rodent problem is ignored it can result in hundreds of pounds worth of damage to your home or property in a matter of weeks.
Here at Abbey Pest Control all of our rat, mice and squirrel treatments are tailored to your home and infestation, no two rodent jobs are the same and simply throwing poison at a problem does not help in the longer term. We consider all aspects of the problem, investigating the entry points and the surroundings and looking at proofing to prevent the likelihood of an infestation ever happening again.
We cover Reading, Tilehurst, Purley on Thames, Caversham, Wokingham, Shinfield, Arborfield, Three Mile Cross, Woodley, Earley, Newbury, Chieveley, Thatcham, Basingstoke, Hook, Camberley and surrounding areas.
We will aim to get out to all jobs within 24 hours to survey and start your rodent treatment.
Contact us today
Call: 07525 850347
Email: abbeypestreading@gmail.com
Visit: www.abbeypestreading.co.uk
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