Jacksonville Resident's Complete Rodent Prevention Guide

Older houses tend to have unique sounds as they settle on their foundation, but unfortunately, rodent infestations can sound a lot like normal old house sounds if you're not paying attention. This can make detecting a rodent infestation difficult in your Jacksonville home, which is a huge concern because of how dangerous these pests are. With the amount of structural damage and health problems they can cause for you and your family, you'll want to know how to prevent these pests from ever darkening your doorstep.

Which Rodents Want To Infest Your Jacksonville Home

The most common rodent infestations in Jacksonville neighborhoods are mouse and rat infestations, specifically house mice, Norway rats, and roof rats. House mice are small light brown rodents no bigger than seven inches from nose to tail, while Norway rats and roof rats tend to be darker and much larger, some even measuring up to 20 inches long. All three of these creatures have rounded ears, pointed noses, strong incisors, and long hairless tails.

The only good news about having a mouse infestation is that you won't get rats. Rodents are territorial creatures, so you'll either have mice or rats, but rarely ever both. While that may be somewhat of a relief, it's still not great – with all of the dangers they bring with them, mice and rats both possess the potential to completely destroy your home and send you to the hospital at the same time:

• Significant cosmetic damage; furniture, books, appliances, wallpaper, etc.
• Structural damage; pipes, wires, sheetrock, siding, weight-bearing wooden beams
• Often live in dirty areas when not infesting homes and contaminate every surface when they infest
• Bring other parasitic pests with them – fleas, ticks, and intestinal worms
• Carriers of all kinds of diseases; hantavirus, rat-bite fever, gastroenteritis, listeriosis, salmonella, plague, etc.
• Dried urine, feces, and saliva can trigger asthma attacks, allergy flare-ups, and cause respiratory infections

Prevention Tips For Keeping Rodents Out Of Your Jacksonville Home

These pests aren't just capable of chewing through nearly every material your Jacksonville home is comprised of, they can also fit through some of the smallest openings. Mice can squeeze through a hole no bigger than the diameter of a ball-point pen, and rats can fit through a hole the size of a quarter. This makes prevention difficult, but for pests as dangerous as rodents, something is always better than nothing:

• Remove any lawn clipping piles and yard debris from your property
• Keep tight-fitting lids on indoor and outdoor trash cans
• Trim tree branches and shrubs away from the exterior of your home
• Seal up any potential entryways around the exterior of your home; foundation, siding, around pipes and wires, roof, and trim
• Replace worn-down insulation around windows and doors
• Keep all food, including pet food, stored in airtight containers
• Wipe down all counters and eating areas daily
• Sweep, mop, and vacuum regularly to keep food particles off the floor

The Most Reliable Way To Keep Rodents Out Of Your Jacksonville Home

Mice and rats are pests that you never want to live with in your Jacksonville home, and with the help of Lindsey Pest Services, you don't have to. When it comes to pest control, we don't just focus on exterminating infestations. We also put our time and energy into total pest prevention. Our pest experts use top-of-the-line pest control products in all of our treatments that are both eco-friendly and family-friendly, so you won't have to trade dangerous pests for dangerous chemicals. Don't ring in the new year with rodents, get in contact with us today to schedule your appointment.