Mice infestation can be extremely disturbing. Besides being dangerous, it can also cause significant harm to your belongings. Rats carry with them many communicable diseases such as plague, hantavirus, leptospirosis and lymphocytic choriomeningitis. Rodents have a destructive nature and thus chew through insulation, wires, drywall, and even cardboard. Once you are sure of mice infestation in your home ceiling, it becomes important to quickly take rodent control measures to eradicate them. But the first step is always identifying the problem.
Signs Of Mice Infestation-
Odour and Sound
The first obvious sign of rat infestation is the skittering or rustling sound that they produce. They do it so repetitively that can be really annoying. Moreover, it gives you the impression that someone is walking around your attic or scratching. These voices are especially evident during the night and early morning as rodents are most active during that time. Therefore, you might hear them while you are still in bed. In the case of the worst infestation, you might also smell a musky smell of rodent droppings, fur, and urine.
Gnawing
Rats and rodents have a habit of gnawing on hard items in order to calm down their growing teeth. The evidence of such behaviour is common if you have mice in the ceiling, attic or walls of your apartment. You might also come across ragged holes in drywall, wood, and plastic. Rats have a tendency of chewing their way up through chair legs, pipes, and plastic containers. Your food might also indicate the same at times. Boxes of cereal and grains, bags of rice, pet food, chips, bread and other grain-based items are the most common targets of rats.
Droppings and Food Piles
Small piles of droppings are the most obvious sign of rat infestation. With an inability to control their bowels, rats tend to urinate and defecate wherever they wish- be it your kitchen or ceiling. Rat droppings are about a ½ inch long and appear like pellets or raisins. Rats also steal food from your kitchen and like to make small piles out of the same. If you have an infestation at home, don’t be surprised if you see piles of food, shells, scraps or even insects.
Nests
While a pet rat might be the cutest thing you can own, adorably curled up sleeping in its soft nest, a wild rat can be the weirdest. Just like pet rats, wild rats too prefer to sleep in nests that are soft and cozy. For this purpose, they make use of fabric, shredded paper, furniture stuffing and leaves, and twigs to build their nests. Back of the cabinet, under the sink, behind furniture and unused dressers are some of the places where you can mostly find them hiding.
What To Do After Detecting Mice?
Once you identify any of these signs, it’s time to do whatever you can to eradicate mice in the ceiling before it’s too late. Contacting a professional pest control company will be the best option.
