Nobody likes a home infested by rats or mice. 

These creatures are unhygienic and carry various unpleasant diseases. They come inside through various cracks and they don’t care that they’re ruining everything we own. This is why getting rid of rodents should be a top priority for every homeowner, who cares about their property and possessions.

Unfortunately, at Precision Funding we know that getting rid of these unpleasant pests is not so easy, because they are really good at hiding. Sometimes it can take months for a person to notice rodents present in the property.

To get rid of the problem successfully, it’s crucial to recognise the signs of an infestation early on. The sooner you notice the problem, the smaller the infestations will be. Otherwise, rodents will multiply and spread, causing long-lasting damage to walls, floors, and other structural components of your property. 

This will lead to serious financial consequences when you try to sell your home. 

Here are some pointers on what to look for: 

Rodent Droppings

This is probably the most obvious sign of a rodent infestation. 

According to pest control experts, Fantastic Pests Control, rodent droppings are easy to recognise – they are 3-6mm long dark brown to black pellets. So, if you notice small piles of rat poop somewhere on the floor in your home, it’s a certain sign that rodents have found your place comfortable for nesting. 

You don’t even need to look all around the house periodically. Rodents choose specific places to do their business in, so when you find droppings in a certain area of the house, you can limit your search to it. 

The most common places you can notice these pellets, are the areas where you store food, like the pantry or any kitchen cabinets. You can also look under sinks, along baseboards, on top of wall beams, and even inside unattended cardboard boxes. It’s certain that you’ll find them hiding in some hole in a wall nearby. Rodent faeces carry harmful bacteria. Rodents can produce more than 50 droppings a day! That’s why it’s crucial to promptly remove those using protective gloves. 

Tracks and Rub Marks

Rodents tend to leave dark grease or dirt marks on walls and along floorboards. This happens because they follow a marked trail through the house, which shows them the way between the nest and their food source. 

Keep an eye out for these greasy rub marks, they are caused by the rodent’s oily fur and are hard to miss.

If you’re determined to find out if you have rodents in your home, you should try this very old, but still efficient way to check if they have settled in your home. The trick consists of spreading some flour all over the floors. If in the morning you see small steps all over it, it’s certain that there are some unwanted guests that will cause damage to your property. It’s a really simple test, that will show you everything you need to know. 

Gnaw Marks

As you all know, rodents are well known for their ability to gnaw through almost everything, except maybe for steel. They can even chew through lead pipes, just to obtain water or food. 

House mice are also known to gnaw on electricity wires inside the walls, which is a common cause for house fires. They can also gnaw through the insulation to get inside the house. Their teeth are really strong and not so many things can stop them. This is why the most certain way to make sure if you have rodents in your home, is to check your entire house for signs of gnawing. 

If there are really rats or mice there, you should find some around the windows and doors, and on walls. If you find tiny holes around your property, make sure to fill them with builder’s foam or different strong building materials. 

Strange Noises

Rodents are usually really good hiders and it’s hard to notice them just wandering around. They are also nocturnal, so they come outside when we usually sleep. 

But the fact that we can’t see them doesn’t mean that we won’t be able to hear them. If you’re really quiet at night, you will probably hear the gnawing sounds, if there are really rodents in there. If you’re careful, you can even find out where are they coming from. 

Rodents are fond of attics because they provide a dark and secluded environment to build their nests. Unfortunately, they claim that the attic is the most common room homeowners overlook during any pest-proofing efforts. This is because of the misconception that rats can’t get inside from such a high point. 

But rats are expert climbers, they can use nearby trees or the exterior walls themselves to get on the roof and find a way in. And they can squeeze through holes as small as a nickel, so proper proofing and rodent control are necessary. 

Rodent Nests

Like almost every other household pest, rodents also like to come to our homes looking for a home of their own. 

It’s quite easy to recognise a rodent nest – they like to build their homes from various soft domestic materials, like chewed up paper, packing materials, insulation or some kind of fabric, like carpet, clothes and other similar items. 

If you notice similar materials scattered across your home, it’s a certain sign that you have a rodent problem. As already mentioned, you need to check the dark, secluded corners first, as they love unused spaces. 

Unpleasant Odours

Most mice and rat infestations can be easily recognised because of the strong and musky odour that starts developing in the place. It only grows stronger as the infestation develops. If you smell something so unusual in your home, better start looking for the source of the smell, because it will only grow with time, and the unpleasant smell will make the property hard to sell or live in. 

Another common smell that arrives with rodents, is that of something rotting. This is because it’s not uncommon for a rodent to die somewhere inside your walls or in a hidden crevice somewhere around the house. 

Dead rotting rodents can be hazardous for the indoor air quality and your health, so it’s important to find and remove them quickly. If you plan on doing it on your own, remember to wear gloves and a protective mask.