Rodent Proofing Your Home

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Deterring Rodents from Making Your Home their Home 

Discovering rodents in your home for the first time can be both scary and disgusting. You may wonder how they could possibly have gotten in and why they decided to target your home. Whether you have dealt with rodent problems in the past, have seen mouse droppings,  or recently found mice skittering across your floor or want to minimize this happening to you, follow these tips for rodent-proofing your home.

Good Housekeeping Around Your Home Will Go A Long Way

The first step in deterring rodents from making your house their home is to insure your home is undesirable for rodent nesting and breeding. To do this, simply follow the steps below: 

  • Trim tree branches from the roof line at least 3ft.
  • Keep the canopy of trees from touching each other by trimming back at least 2ft.
  • Remove hiding places under shrubs by trimming upward off the ground at least 6” and trimming ground vegetation away from the home at least 18”. 
  • Minimize storing items along your home or fence line. Consider a secured storage shed to store items used infrequently. Storage areas will help contain rodent infestations if they occur.
  • Be sure trash can lids fit tightly and are kept closed and bring in outdoor pet food nightly.
  • Remove any possible entry points into your home around the exterior. This can be done by a top-quality door sweep(s) (one designed for rodents) installed outside of the exterior garage door. 
  • Seal other potential entry points around water pipes and electrical wiring coming into the home with steel wool, hardware cloth or copper meshing. Don’t forget about attic and subarea vents. 
  • Keep in mind, if you can fit a pencil in it, a mice can squeeze in, too.  
  • Cover chimneys with an approved spark arrestor.
  • Cover roof top plumbing vents with hardware cloth. 

Use Professional Services

While there are some small changes you can make around your house to ensure that you are not attracting rodents, your best bet for long-term success or for eliminating a current problem is to seek professional pest control services.

Professionals can look more closely for entry points and can point out concerns around your home or garden that could be making your house more appealing to rodent than it should be.

At Valley Pest Solutions, which serves the areas in and around Manteca, River Island,  Ripon, Lathrop Escalon, and Salida. We focus on safe, environmentally conscious solutions for dealing with rodent and pest control treatments.

We can help you get rid of mice and rats quickly and effectively while ensuring that the treatment process protects your children and pets. Instead of worrying about a pest problem on your own, rely on an experienced professional who can quickly put your mind to ease.