Rodents can be found in many different settings, but they’re all attracted to the same thing-food.
Rats or mice will enter your home through any opening larger than a quarter inch and the worst part is that once they are inside, it’s very difficult to get rid of them on your own.
These animals can transmit over 35 diseases through their saliva, urine, and excrement, as well as through fleas, ticks, and mites that can bring into your home, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rodents can cause a lot of damage to your home, and they can be difficult to get rid of once they’re established.
One of the best ways to keep them from getting in in the first place is to locate and seal up any possible entry points. But how do you go about doing that? Here are some things to consider when looking for rodent entry points.
How to identify that there are rats or mice in your house?
Unless there is a significant infestation, you will not see a mouse or rat. Look for indicators of a rat or mouse infestation, such as the following:
- Food packages, closets or cabinets, and under the sink all have rodent droppings.
- Shredded paper, fabric, or dried plant materials can be used as nesting material.
- Chewing marks on food packaging.
- Holes have been bitten through the walls and flooring, forming entry points into the house.
- Stale odors emanate from concealed regions.
What do you need to inspect at the rat or mice entry points?
Before you can figure out how to get rid of mice in your home, you need to figure out how they got in there in the first place.
To make checking your property easier, you will need to prepare yourself with a few of the following tools and materials:
- Weatherstripping
- Talcum powder of flour
- Steel wool or aluminum mesh
- Flashlight
- Exterior caulking
- Wood Putty
How do you find rat or mice entry points?
To avoid full-blown rodent infestations, it’s critical to identify probable mouse entry locations. Use a flashlight and the checklist below to start your inquiry.
Take a look at the low and high points of the house, including kitchen cupboards, baseboards, air ducts, and locations around appliances.
Also, examine for cracks in the foundation, all around the garage, and along pipes, gas lines, or electric cables outside the house.
1. Examine the interior of your house.
Whether the rodents in your property invest the majority of their time in a well-hidden nest or not, they will occasionally emerge to eat.
Mice can squeeze their bodies via holes as small as a nickel, so look for every open holes, gaps, or damaged sealing in the following areas, as well as any others you suspect:
- Cabinets in the kitchen.
- Baseboards.
- Appliances: underneath or around them.
- Around the edges of doors and windows.
- Close to the air vents.
- Under a sink or near a drain.
- Basements and crawl spaces are good places to look.
2. Check the outside of your house.
Unless your home already had rodents when you moved in, these creatures made their way inside after you did. Check out these places to see how they’re getting in:
Deficiencies in the foundation
Pipes, gas lines, and electrical cables.
Through the parking garage
Via the attic or roof under the worn-out weather stripping
Vents and airways.
3. Examine the foundations and walls for any holes.
Look around your property’s perimeter, at your foundation and walls, for any small gaps that could serve as an entrance (even as small as 14 inches), then seal them.
What material should be used to fix the hole depends on where it is located.
4. Make sure the seal surrounding your garage door is in good shape.
Your garage door is one place that is frequently overlooked. The bottom of the door must have a tight, constant seal.
Your door may become misaligned with time, or it may not meet the floor in some spots. To solve this, you may need to adjust your garage door.
Rodents have been known to nibble through seals to gain access to garage doors, so check the corners for indications of wear or chewing. If any are discovered, the seal must be replaced.
What are the most common entry points of rodents?
These creatures seek warmth, shelter, and food on your property, resulting in a breeding habitat for more mice or rats in your home. There are a few frequent access places to consider while trying to figure out where mice originate from.
- Walls and foundations.
- Pipes with holes around them.
- Doors and windows.
- Seals for garage doors.
- Guttering and roof.
- Sewers and plumbing
- Air conditioning and vents
- Sheds.
- Cable slits
- Attic.
If you act fast and manage to seal all the entry points that are in your house, you may be able to eliminate all the rodents!
What can you do when finding the entry points?
1. Begin sealing and repairs.
It’s time to begin closing the gates when you’ve found any flaws or gaps. Steel wool can be used to fill small holes to create an abrasive, chew-proof barrier.
Gaps or larger holes should be caulked, concreted, or filled with metal sheets or screens. Weatherstrippingstripping around doors and windows that have worn out can be replaced.
Mice could have been brought inside by a leaky pipe, spills, or standing water because water can be limited outside.
2. Get the yard clean
A mouse can find refuge, food, and water among piles of leaves, untidy plants, food stashed in the garage, and pet water left out.
While you’re securing mouse entry sites, clean up or remove the objects that enticed them to come in the first place.
To keep bothersome rats out, make sure your garbage can has a tight-fitting cover, wipe up gutters and mounds of waste, and store food in sealed containers.
3. Find Hotspots and use traps.
If evidence of mice continues to appear, the invaders may be entering through a less obvious or missed access site.
Mousetraps can be placed around the walls and exterior of your property to try to figure out where the access point is.
If more than a few mice are trapped in one area, there may be a well-trafficked entrance site nearby. Take a second check around and close any gaps you find as soon as possible.
4. Call Professional Exterminators in your area.
If you’re dealing with a rodent infestation, the best thing to do is call a professional exterminator.
They’ll be able to identify the source of the problem and seal up any entry points, making it much more difficult for the rodents to get into your home.
Did you know that the Rodent Exterminator is all over Los Angeles? We offer you the best services so that you can feel safe in your own home without traces of rodents! Call us 213-431-0890 for more information and free-consultations.
In conclusion, rodents can be a real nuisance, and they can cause significant damage to your home.
One of the best ways to keep them from getting in is by identifying any entry points and sealing up those areas with professional help.
If you’re dealing with a rodent infestation, the best thing to do is call a professional exterminator. They’ll be able to identify the source of the problem and seal up any entry points, making it much more difficult for the rodents to get into your home.
