Don't Let The Rodents In Knoxville Tear Up Your Home


January 15, 2023

Homeowners all over Tennessee regularly, albeit unwittingly, open their doors to a variety of invading rodents. Mice and rats, in particular, cause damage far disproportionate to their diminutive size. They spread a number of contagious diseases, contaminate the food and surfaces they travel across, and damage the structure of the house itself with their incessant gnawing.

You're likely to run into the following types of rodents in your Knoxville home or around your property:

  • House mice grow to 7 inches in length and have gray fur and white or cream-colored undersides. House mice multiply extremely fast and are the most common rodent to run into your home.
  • Deer mice are a touch bigger, up to 8 inches long, with grey fur and white feet and undersides. Deer mice are more likely to hang out around your yard, but bad weather or the promise of easily accessible food can drive them inside.
  • Norway rats are the biggest rat species in Tennessee. Norway rats grow up to 9 1/2 inches long, not including the tail. They are usually brown with white undersides and prefer to build burrows in your yard or infest basements.
  • Roof rats are 6 to 8 inches long and dark brown. Roof rats are exceptional climbers; watch for them in the attics and trees surrounding the house.

All rodents in Tennessee are a problem, so let's take a quick look at how to spot signs of different rodents on your property, keep rodents out of your home, and, if that fails, find quality pest control in Knoxville.

a mouse hiding outside a home

How To Tell If Its Rodents Lurking Around Your Property

Some of the most common signs of a rodent infestation are:

  • Gnaw marks left by mice or rats
  • Capsule-shaped droppings with blunt ends left by rats or rod-shaped, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long droppings left by mice
  • Damaged food products and teeth marks on the packaging
  • Noises in walls or attic
  • The odor of mouse urine

Mice and rats are secretive, nocturnal animals that are experts at staying hidden. If you're seeing evidence of rodent infestation in your home, act fast before the situation devolves into a nightmarish scenario of hundreds of little disease-spreading rodents.

All The Damages That Rodents Can Cause To Your Home

The damage rodents cause once inside your house can be pretty significant. A rodent's teeth never stop growing, so to keep them in check, they gnaw on just about everything not made of steel or glass around them. Mice will happily chew on live electrical wires in your walls, causing hundreds of fires every year.

Rats and mice also spread numerous contagious diseases, and mouse droppings can cause asthma attacks.

Five Simple Tips To Prevent Future Rodent Problems Around Your Home

An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure so let's take a look at a few tips that will help you keep rodents out of your Knoxville house in the first place:

  • Keep food in sealed containers.
  • Move firewood and debris away from house walls.
  • Make sure to seal any openings over a quarter inch in size in the outside walls.
  • Make sure your trash stays in tightly sealed, rat-proof containers.

If the prevention approach doesn't get the job done and you now face a rodent infestation, it's time to get a Knoxville rodent control professional involved!

The Safest Way To Get Rid Of Rodents In Your Home

A  rodent control professional will be able to recognize the signs of the infestation, evaluate the extent and rid your house of the invading rodents. If you're dealing with a rodent infestation, give dead End Exterminating a call to get started and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Knoxville.

Tags: rodent prevention | knoxville pest control | signs of rodents |

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