“It’s just a ” is a phrase I hear fairly frequently. Most of the time, it comes from (let’s just be honest) the man of the house. Putting our pride aside for a moment, I assure you it’s not “just a (rat, mouse, squirrel, etc)”. It is important to remember that the presence or evidence of any animal being in your home or business is serious and needs to be treated as such.
Can’t I just trap the rat myself?
While no, it’s typically not that hard to catch a rat, a mouse or even a squirrel. Let’s say that you have successfully captured one of these rodents. Now all other signs of them being there are gone. Great, problem solved, right?
Are you sure? Are you confident enough to risk your biggest investment, or more importantly your family, on that presumption? In my experience, catching just one is the rare exception and nowhere near the rule.
That said, if the one you caught was in your actual living space, for now, it could be the only one. However, there’s a couple more questions that need to be answered. Where did it come from to get into your living space in the first place? Have you investigated the non-living spaces of your home?
For the sake of argument, let’s say there was only one.
How to inspect your home
First, I want to encourage you to take a trip or two around your home. You are looking for openings. Depending on the animal you’re contending with, the entry point could be as small as a dime. So keep in mind that even the most innocuous gap, crack or opening can be an entry point. The other important thing to keep in mind is that almost all the wildlife that enters structures are fantastic climbers including mice and rats.
We have an unimaginable population of rats in the Metro Atlanta area and a significant portion of those are Roof Rats especially in the suburbs. Their common name comes from where they’re commonly found accessing structures so don’t forget to not only look up but you’ll have to get to or at eye level with many areas of your roof. If you can get a ladder safely onto your guttered roof line, lift that final row of shingles. You’ll likely be shocked by the large opening running the entire length of where the gutters are attached to your home.
Most of your wildlife control companies offer free inspections.
We at HomeFree Wildlife and Pest Solutions offer free inspections as well and not only that, but we’re also extremely thorough. Meaning the only thing you invest is time to have a professional inspection performed for you. There’s nothing wrong with not having the expertise to resolve wildlife issues…I know I wouldn’t give you any investing advice.
However, I 100% respect the DIY spirit…
Additional posts on how to check specific locations in your home and how to do your own inspection are coming soon on our blog. Depending on where you are experiencing the issues, it will affect which ones are relevant to you. Be sure to check back for new posts!
If you are in the North Georgia area and would like to get us out for a free inspection of your home click here.
Written by Brad Peeler
