BACKGROUND

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What is the best way to get rid of mice? Trapping. I never use any rodenticides, or poisoned baits, as part of my work.  There is no risk of a child, pet, or predator getting any bait or a poisoned rodent. Once the trapping and removal is completed, then sealing the home or business to future re-entry is strongly recommended so that the same issue does not occur again.   

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Rodents are common across the city and surrounding area of Albuquerque.  There are several species of mice in this area, including deer mice, which is a known carrier for Hantavirus. If looking for more information on Hantavirus, I recommend visiting the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/index.html.

The western wood rat, often called a pack rat, is present and known for its behavior of creating large piles of branches, cactus, dog droppings, trash, toys, and a wide variety of other material to build their nests. 

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Common occurrences for homeowners include:

    - Rodents entering attics, crawlspaces, walls, and/or interior of homes

    - Waking up people with their nighttime activities

    - Chewing/gnawing on various property, including vehicles, hot tubs, and swimming pool covers

    - Leaving droppings in and around homes

    - Building rat nests in yard, generally around cactus, woodpiles, or rocky areas

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SERVICE OPTIONS

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Services vary on client needs, but include:

• A thorough inspection of the home to find entry points. This is critical to stopping future activity and should be done primarily (and entirely) for the exterior of the home. A thorough inspection of a home will vary in time based on size of home, architectural type, and construction methods. An average of an hour should be expected. A professional will always inspect all exterior areas, including roofs if safe to do so, before quoting you a cost to seal the house.

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• A warrantied sealing of the home or business to prevent further activity, also known as exclusion. Costs can vary widely based on the homes architecture and the number and type of usable openings for rodents, but generally costs will be a few hundred to seal the home completely. After exclusion, there will be no openings larger than a dime for rodent access into the structure. Having a professional service provider with years of experience finding and sealing the openings on homes can make a big difference in the results.

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• One-time trapping service with a free removal visit to greatly reduce the rodent population. This can be done inside and outside the home. 

  

• Monthly maintenance trapping for year-round reduction of rodent populations. This is an excellent choice if you park vehicles outside, have a hot tub that rodents like to use as a home, have found chewed exterior furniture cushions, or find you have mice nesting in your grill every time you fire it up. The list of rodent issues for client property is nearly inexhaustible. I strongly recommend going with a trapping program for rodent reduction, rather than using a poison bait in stations around your property (regardless of whether I am your first choice in rodent removal or not). Most companies use powerful, second generation anti-coagulant baits that can poison predators of rodents that consume the bait. If you believe your pet might consume a rodent that it captures, then stay away from baits. Trapping is the safest and most humane solution for solving rodent issues.   

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• Rat trapping and nest removal for middens in yards or under decks. It is messy work, and proper personal protection like a respirator with appropriate cartridges and thick gloves is a must.  

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• Removal and clean up of droppings. Sometimes this is as easy as disinfectant spray and a little sweeping or wet wiping (for example, under the kitchen sink). Other times, a full respirator is required (for example, a well used shed or attic).    

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FINAL THOUGHTS

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If you've been trapping mice in your home for weeks, months, or years; give a call and get a professional inspection done to your home so the mice are locked out for good. Or if rodents have once again chewed up the wiring in your vehicle's engine; give a call and let's discuss protecting that vehicle from further damage with regular trapping. 

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