Why You Should Call The Pros About Rodents In Your Columbia, SC Home

While Columbia may house some of South Carolina’s greatest attractions, it’s also home to plenty of rodents too – including these three major species:

House mice: While some people may misidentify house mice as rats, these rodents actually look quite different. Mice only grow up to four inches long, are dusty gray, and have lighter, cream-colored bellies that make them easy to recognize on sight.

Roof rats: Roof rats are named after their excellent climbing abilities, but you may also hear them called black rats and ship rats. You can often tell them apart from Norway rats because of their much longer tails and smaller frames.

Norway rats: Norway rats, or brown rats, grow a little longer than roof rats, have shorter tails, and lack the same great climbing capabilities.

Unfortunately, any rodent can spell bad news for Columbia homeowners and businesses. Not only can mice and rats spread dangerous diseases like hantavirus, salmonella, or even tularemia to you and your family, but they’re not shy about causing property damage either. Having a rodent infestation won’t just put your family at risk for catching a dangerous disease, but it could also cost you hundreds of dollars in property damage.

Dealing with mice and rats is a job best left up to the professionals. Here’s what Columbia homeowners should know about why rodents are so challenging to get rid of, how DIY methods for rodent control often fail, and what to do if you’ve got an active rodent problem in your home.

Are Mice And Rats Easy To Get Rid Of?

Since mice and rats may be easy confused, homeowners that first discover they’ve got a rodent problem may assume they’ve got both types. However, it’s extremely unusual to have both mice and rats in your home. Not only do rats eat mice, but they also have a unique odor that deters mice from spending too much time in places that already have rats.

Regardless of which rodent you’ve got on your hands, neither type of rodent is easy to eliminate. With limber and flexible bodies, both rats and mice can chew through almost any material and slip through the tiniest of holes. Mice can fit through a gap the size of a pen or a hole the size of a dime while rats can fit through holes the size of a quarter.

Even if the hole isn’t as big as it needs to be for them to fit through, many rats and mice may use their powerful teeth to chew through the open gap until it’s big enough to squeeze through.

Some rats, like the roof rats, are even more clever about how they get inside. They may use their excellent climbing abilities to climb onto your roof or siding and slip in that way.

Why DIY Rodent Control Methods Aren’t Effective

When discovering mice or rats in their home, many homeowners may turn to DIY methods to save money and time – but using baits and traps is rarely effective. Most of the time, DIY techniques, like mice traps, aren’t effective for getting rid of an entire infestation. They may eliminate some of the rodents in your home, but the remaining survivors are likely to relocate and begin reproducing again.

Not to mention, DIY methods and home remedies can put you at risk, too. These natural remedies can put you in a position where you’re in direct contact with rodents, which can increase the risk of you catching a dangerous disease.

The Most Effective Form Of Rodent Control In Columbia, SC

Rather than waste your time and money on home remedies that will only put you and your family at more risk, the safest and most effective way to deal with rodents is by relying on professional help – like from those of us at Go-Forth Home Services.

We’ve got more than sixty years of pest control experience in the Charlotte area, and we’ll put it to good use eliminating the rodents in your home. 

Contact us at Go-Forth Home Services today for more advice and assistance about our rodent control services.