While your home may be beautiful on the inside, it could be a potential nesting spot for rodents on the inside. Rodents are not only annoying, but also dangerous to your health. Here’s a quick look at some easy ways to rodent proof your home.

Types of Rodents

The two most common types of rats found in homes are pack rats and roof rats. Pack rats, also known as wood rats, are fuzzier by comparison to the roof rat and have a penchant for collecting bright and shiny objects such as gum wrappers, sparkly jewelry, buttons, bits of mirror and coins. Roof rats, on the other hand, have scaly, hairless tails and infest the house by searching for food and water. They tend to chew through boxes and storage areas, creating complications in the kitchen and throughout the house.

Why Rodents Are Harmful

As mentioned earlier, rats like to chew, but they don’t realize that what they’re chewing on could cause real damage. Rats and mice have continuously developing incisor teeth, so they need to gnaw on things like wood, plastic, paper and cardboard in order to keep them from overgrowing. They also chew on car and electrical wiring, which can lead to structural fires.

Additionally, rats ruin insulation for nesting materials, inhabiting small and dank places like spas and pools, sheds, attics, basements and spaces between the floor and ceiling. The worst part about rodents is that they are susceptible to diseases, which they can transmit to humans through bites or from insects on their backs that bite. Murine typhus, leptospirosis and salmonellosis are just a few of the life-threatening illnesses these creatures carry.

Rodent Proof Your Home

Prevention is the first step toward making sure that rodents do not overrun your home. Rats and mice are nocturnal, which means you should be listening at night for scuffling sounds in the walls, the attics, storage spaces or structures in the backyard.

Pick up fallen fruit or vegetables in your garden and trim back plants on a regular basis. Seal up cracks in the walls and fix any foundation problems. Keep food in airtight storage containers and keep your garbage bins rodent proof.

Unfortunately, setting traps and bait are short-term solutions. If you have one mouse in the house, it should work, but chances are there may be more. Call a rodent control agency or exterminator for a full consultation regarding possible rat infestation. With these disease-ridden creatures running amuck in your home, it’s better to be safe than sorry.