Rodents are an unfortunate drawback that can come with any home. In Arizona, there are completely new and different kinds of animals, wildlife, rodents and insects that invade your home and pose a serious health risk to you and your family. Knowing what to look for and how to eliminate these irritating critters is the first step toward making your home healthy and rodent-free.

Arizona Rodents

The roof rat, or black rat, looks similar to a common house mouse, but features a scaly, hairless tail. Roof rats are a safety hazard carrying a number of diseases, including leptospirosis, salmonellosis and rat-bite fever. These can be transferred to both humans and domesticated animals. Additionally, roof rats will get into stored food, tear up insulation in order to nest, and gnaw on wiring, which is a potential fire hazard.

Another Arizona rodent is the pack rat, or wood rat. They are attracted to bright and shiny objects and get their name from the fact that they take spoons, small jewelry, mirrors, coins and other objects, replacing them with nuts, sticks or other items. Their tails are longer and covered in hair, but the wood rat is noticeably larger than house mice. While they may appear cute and fuzzy, wood rats carry infections such as tularemia, plague and Chagas’ disease.

How to Spot Rodents

For roof rats, look for smudge marks, like oil and dirt, with rubbed off fur. It is more probable to see these smudges on walls and rafters because they like to climb. Wood rats are the same in that they climb, so look in the upper levels of the house to find nests.

Listen in attics or inside the house for scurrying sounds, particularly at night because these creatures are nocturnal. Check outside for signs of damage to plants, such as eating. Roof rats especially like to eat the insides of fruit, leaving behind just the rinds.

Getting Rodents Under Control

Rodent control services do the best to provide safe and legal ways for you to get rid of those annoying pests. Effective methods include habitat modification, chemical repellents, electronic devices, humane traps, poison bait and exclusion. While some control techniques are easy, such as traps, long-term infestations are best left to rodent control professionals.

Furthermore, these specialists understand rodent behavior and have all the equipment necessary to get into the most unlikely places and root out the rodent source. Understand the types of rodents in your home and you will be able to the fix the problem successfully.