Rats and Mice: The Damage they Cause

Rats and mice cause more damage than most people can imagine. Here in this post, we will briefly discuss the potential damages that rats and mice can cause once they gain access to your home.

Rats and Mice Can Damage Irreplaceable Items

Artwork, old photographs, personal diaries, and family heirlooms – these are some examples of invaluable items people store in attics, sheds, garages, and basements. Rats and mice prefer to dwell in these very places and can chew the irreplaceable items you hold dear to shreds.

In their own little world, they are merely chewing fabrics, important files, books, photographs, clothes or anything else they can land their teeth on, to create a comfortable nest for birthing more babies.

While rats and mice can chew through most materials, irreplaceable items kept in sturdy storage are far less likely to be damaged than those in plastic bags or cardboard boxes.

Rats and Mice Can Damage Electrical Wiring

Rodents such as rats and mice are on a constant lookout for things to chew on. After all, they need to file down their continually growing incisor teeth.

When rats and mice roam or nest in and around the insulation or electrical panels, they are likely to chew on the electrical wiring.  The damage does not just cost you money; it can prove dangerous too.

Once the protective plastic coating is gnawed from the cables, it can result in short-circuits and pose a fire hazard.

If you are purchasing a new property in an area infamous for rodent infestations, it’s a good idea to opt for a pre-purchase rodent inspection. It will help you ensure that you’re making the right investment.

Rats and Mice Can Damage the Building Structure and Furniture Items

Rats and mice can cause significant damage to homes, offices, apartments, and practically any type of building through gnawing and nest-building.

Rats and mice can:

• Gnaw and burrow into expensive, upholstered furniture to create nests.
• Tunnel into building insulation inside the attics or walls, either to gain access to certain areas or to gather nesting material; once rodents get inside your heating/cooling ducts, your HVAC system will become less efficient.
• Burrow into the building foundation and sheetrock/drywall.
• Gnaw on wooden cabinets, furniture items, and the floor.
• Create new entry points around doors, windows, attic, roof, etc.
• Gnaw on the plumbing leading to your shower, bath, dishwasher, sinks or toilet. Even the tiniest holes in these pipes can lead to unexpected floods inside your home, ruining your cabinets, furniture, carpets, and belongings.
• Gnaw through the framing (studs, roof trusses, floor joists, etc.) of your house to gain access to the attic, basement or any other area that seems comfortable for them to live in.

Rats and Mice Can Contaminate a Water Source

Rats and mice need water to survive. While certain food items will provide them with some water, they will still search for free-standing water.

Besides drinking the water found at the base of a potted plant or a draining bathroom tub/sink, rats and mice will also contaminate the water in the bowl left inside or outside the home for your pet. They do so by drinking it, swimming through it, and peeing in.

The water contaminated by rats and mice can cause Leptospirosis (a bacterial infection) in pets, especially if they are too young, old, injured, or sick. The disease-causing bacteria can survive in a contaminated water source for weeks to months.

When you decide to opt for rodent control treatments, make sure you know about safe rodent control solutions.

Rats and Mice Can Contaminate Food Items

Before or after nesting, rodents will roam around your dwelling in search of food. As rats or mice scurry-around your house, they will urinate and drop feces along the way, contaminating everything.

If rats and mice manage to get inside the pantry or gain access to the food storage area, they are likely to walk all over the food or chew on the packaging.

When you touch the items, you’re also having direct physical contact with their urine trail.

In the worst-case scenario, you or other family members may end up consuming contaminated food.

Contaminated food and rodent urine/droppings can be a potential source of many diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some of the diseases directly spread by rodents can be deadly.

Rats and mice can easily gnaw through plastic bags, cardboard boxes, and fabric. Therefore, food items are best stored in airtight glass or metal containers.

Get In Touch With Rodent Control Specialists

One of the worst things a rodent infestation can cause is the stress associated with numerous dangers they pose. If you suspect a rat or mice infestation in your home in Los Angeles, Orange County, or other surrounding Southern neighborhoods, you can request a free estimate right away.

Do not keep waiting for a rat infestation to get severe.  

Keep in mind that DIY rodent control does not work!At Rodents Stop, we offer a LIFETIME GUARANTEE with all services we deliver; it covers the sealing of new rodent entry points, sanitization, and even re-treating a building if necessary.