With the weather getting colder, many animals are searching for warmer places to spend the winter. Unfortunately, rodents will try to invade homes for warmth and security, forcing homeowners to contact rat and mouse removal services in Canada. If you want to protect your home this winter, you need to understand the animal’s mindset and learn techniques for preventing entry.

Understanding Rodent Motivation

Like all living things, rodents have a survival instinct. When an animal invades your home, it is not purposefully trying to disrupt your life; it only wants to live. Your home provides security for the cold and often harsh winter ahead. According to rodent removal services, rats and mice infiltrate houses for three reasons.

1. Food

Food is the primary motivator for animals. They need to eat to ensure health and mobility. Your house can provide a regular buffet if you are not careful.

Mice and rats do not need to eat a lot every day. An average adult rat only needs 15 to 20 grams per day; a mouse is considerably less — three grams. Loose crumbs on the floor after a meal or poorly sealed cereal boxes in the pantry can provide more than enough food for multiple rodents.

2. Water

All living things need water; however, rodents do not need as much as you might think. An adult mouse only needs about 4 ml per day, and an adult rat needs about 10 or 12 ml. A rodent can often get the water it needs by licking condensation off pipes or leftover plates in the sink. A leaky faucet can provide more than enough water for several mice or rats.

3. Shelter

The primary reason rodents will try to invade your house is for shelter. The winter is cold and dangerous. Food is scarce. Your house represents warmth and safety from larger, hungry predators.

Keeping Rodents Out of Your House

While keeping rodents away from your property and out of your house is challenging, it is not impossible. You can hire pest control services to help you fortify your property, which is an excellent idea, but there are also several things you can do to reduce the risks of an infestation.

1. Clean

Maintain a healthy and proper cleaning schedule. While every family has a busy schedule, leaving dirty dishes in the sink or crumbs on the floor is an open invitation to rodents. Also, you should remove all the trash from inside the house daily to eliminate all temptations. If possible, try to vacuum and sweep your home daily and clean eating areas after every meal.

2. Seal

If a mouse or rat cannot find an access point to your house, it cannot build nests inside. Unfortunately, houses likely have many entry points. A mouse can fit through an opening the width of a pencil, and rats can fit through gaps not much bigger. You need to find all potential openings and seal them, but you only want to do this if you know your house doesn’t already have an infestation. Before sealing your property, it is best to call a professional animal control service.

3. Trim

Mice and rats will nest under and in vegetation, so you want to keep all of it trimmed and away from your house’s foundation. If you allow overgrowth, nesting rodents will attempt to find ways inside your home as the weather gets colder, and motivated rodents will usually find a way.

The best way to protect your home is with professional rodent control services. Contact Truly Nolen Canada to schedule a property assessment and to learn how best to secure your house and protect your family this winter.