The presence of rodents is often thought to indicate that your home is unclean. Given the number of diseases rodents like rats carry, that is true once they have moved in. However, rodents are not always a sign of poor housekeeping. There is a multitude of reasons why rodents invade your home. 

Food and Water

Rodents are attracted to food, and their definition of what counts as food is pretty loose. They can chew through plastic bags and cardboard with ease, so most of the non-canned food in your pantry is available to them. They also eat pet food, birdseed, grass seed, compost and food waste from the garbage. Given enough time and motivation, they can even chew through plastic storage containers meant to keep them out.

As with all living creatures, rodents need water. In dry climates where water is scarce, that makes areas humans inhabit even more tempting. Anything from a birdbath to a small, unknown leak somewhere in your home can attract rodents. 

Warmth and Shelter

If your home is comfortable for you, it is also comfortable for rodents. They seek warmth, particularly during chilly autumn or winter nights. They are also continually looking for shelter and safe places to raise their young.

Packrats, which are one of the most common pests in Southern Arizona, will make their nests anywhere that provides shelter and is not frequently disturbed. Your attic, any space in your walls and even your car or grill might make an appealing home for a packrat. 

Ease of Access

Rodents are opportunistic. While they will live almost anywhere and eat just about everything, they prefer easy meals and readily available shelter. Any opening into your home is a potential way for them to enter. Cracks in your foundation, loose siding on your home and torn window screens act as rodent entrances, but so do vents and doors that have been propped open. They are not limited to existing ground-level holes either. They can dig, climb and chew, which is part of what makes them such versatile and problematic pests.  

Contact Bill’s Home Service

Rodents spread disease and cause an incredible amount of property damage for such small animals, but getting rid of them once they have moved into your home is difficult and frustrating.

You may feel uncomfortable handling poison, traps or even the rodents themselves. Luckily, we here at Bill’s Home Service can help. If you have unwanted rodents in your home, contact us today.