Once rats or mice have found entry into your home, they can become a real pest. Not only are these animals very unsanitary, but they can also cause considerable damage. For example, there are known cases of gnawed electricity cables, which started a fire.
However, even in less severe cases, rats and mice cause enough damage through both their droppings and gnawing damage from stored items, insulation material, cables, floor coverings, et cetera. Fighting, catching, chasing, or killing rats and mice in the house is therefore recommended.
Similarities Between Rats And Mice
Although rats and mice are two different animal species, there are some similarities between the two animals that make them a real pests in the house. Although both rats and mice have very short lifespans, of about a year and a half, they reproduce very quickly. Nests of both rats and mice often contain dozens of young animals, which mature quickly and then reproduce. 
In nature, the population of both mice and rats is controlled by natural enemies such as birds of prey (eg owls), felines, and foxes. However, in a house, they can reproduce unhindered if no action is taken. Both animals, both rats, and mice are also nocturnal. During the day they are therefore not noticed so quickly,
Differences Between Rats And Mice
However, there are also differences between the rat and the mouse. For example, a rat is bigger, but also more careful and a rat leaves behind larger excrement. Mice, on the other hand, leave smaller droppings, but these are more spread out. In addition, mice are slightly less shy than rats, although mice are often difficult to find. Mice also settle more in soft, warm environments such as in boxes with stored clothing. Rats still look for harder environments or the ground itself.
The Risk Of Pests
Damage From Rats And Mice
The risk of rats or mice in the house, in addition to the annoying kicking at night, consists of several factors:
- Damage from gnawing
- Poo and pee
- Reproduction
Gnawing Rats And Mice
Gnawing damage can often be annoying damage. For example, mice can gnaw through insulation material, sealant, clothing, food, and other soft materials. However, it can also happen that mice or rats gnaw through electricity cables; such a situation could be dangerous as it could lead to a fire.
Feces
Pooing and peeing from mice and rats is a very big problem. The animals leave droppings everywhere and therefore ensure poor hygiene in the house. The feces of rats and mice are very harmful to health, the animals can transmit various diseases, including:
- Colic
- TB
- Salmonella
- Hantavirus
- Weil .’s disease
Reproduction of rats and mice
The reproduction of rats and mice can also lead to a real problem. Since the pests reproduce quickly, larger populations can develop in the home within a few months. As a result, it may become so “busy” in the invisible places in the house that the animals start to behave more and more boldly and thus become more and more visible. This increases the risk of direct contact or contamination via feces and also increases the damage caused by gnawing.
Fighting Rats And Mice
There are several options to combat rats and mice:
- Preventing rats and mice
- Repel rats and mice
- Catching rats and mice
- Killing rats and mice
Preventing Rats And Mice In The House
Adjusting The Garden
Preventing rats and mice can be done by adapting the house and garden to reduce the risk of pests. In order to prevent rats, it is especially important to adapt the garden, while the house itself is especially important to prevent mice.
In the garden, it is important not to have loose clutter. Piles of wood, for example, attract rats, just like compost heaps that also contain meat. A garden with large, well-arranged areas, on the other hand, repels the pests; both rats and mice want to remain invisible to predators.
Adjusting The House
More important than modifying the garden is modifying the house itself. Since mice can even go through 0.5cm openings and rats through 1cm openings, it is important to make all these openings smaller than 0.5cm. Do not use soft materials such as sealant, but rather cement. Mice can eat through normal kit. Other tips to make the house rat- and mouse-proof are:
- Close cavities mouse
- Close windows and doors properly
- Do not leave the attic window open in winter
- Place leaf grates on drain pipes
- Make sure vents are no bigger than 0.5cm
- Make sure ivy is no closer than 50cm to the windows
- Avoid using dog or cat flaps
Both mice and rats like warmth, so they will visit the house, especially in colder periods. As soon as the weather warms up, they often go outside again to look for food. Mice in particular, however, look for small openings to make a hole; they want to be inaccessible to predators.
Repelling Pests
There are several possibilities for repelling rats or mice, the oldest of which is the use of natural predators. The cat has been used for centuries to prevent rats or mice in the house. Note that not all cats are equally suitable for this since the cat itself must also be active enough to look for the vermin and the cat must also be able to reach them.
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If the pests are in the attic with enough food, where the cat is not there, the effect on the cat will be less. More modern methods are also possible, for example, means are available that use ultrasonic sound to scare away rats and mice. This sound is not audible to us, but it is very annoying for the vermin.
Catching Rats And Mice
Catching rats or mice is also possible; this can be done, for example, by using a trap where the vermin can get in, but not out. For example, peanut butter is often used to lure a mouse, but there are also other ways. Such trap cages are fairly readily available and have the advantage that the animal does not die and can be released back into the wild.
Killing Rats And Mice
However, the most effective way to control rats or mice is to kill the animals. This can be done by setting traps with, for example, a folding mechanism, which breaks the neck of the vermin. Such means also exist in more modern variants, for example electrical. However, the use of poison works best. Rat poison or mouse poison (mice pellets) work very well.
These grains are eaten by the pests and fed to any young. The delayed effect makes it possible to reach young people. The granules then cause internal bleeding, causing the rats and mice to die and dehydrate. The drying effect of the granules prevents any odor nuisance.
This is ideal since it is often difficult to find out where the animals have died or where they are. Note that the poison is also harmful to humans and animals; so do not use the poison near pets or children!
