ABOUT MICE AND RATS
Rats and mice can be cause damage to structures and property as well as spread disease everywhere they roam. They're no fun to deal with and it often takes professional help to rid them from your home.
If you find droppings, shredded paper, evidence of gnawing on the corners of food packaging or noise coming from ceilings and walls, you probably have mice or rats in your home.
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Generally, mice and rats are nocturnal by nature, making daytime sightings rare. Cooler weather pushes them into homes, crawlspaces and basements.
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If you see evidence of rats and mice, call Axiom immediately. We'll develop a custom strategy for your home or business to help assure your rat and mice problems are solved.
COTTON RAT
Cotton rats, so named because they were found in the cotton fields of the south, are one of the most prolific rats. It's believed that at year one, a female cotton rat could be the great, great, great, great grandmother to 15,000 rats.
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These rats are known to be a host for hantavirus, a sometimes fatal disease spread to humans through contact with rodent droppings, urine or carcasses.
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Cotton rats are known as an agricultural pest living in grassy areas and damaging row crops. They move easily from fields to gardens and lawns in suburban areas.​
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Because of their reputation as a host for hantavirus, plague and other diseases, it's best to call a professional to control these rodents.
DEER MOUSE
If you find a mouse nest with hoard of nuts, seeds and paper — and maybe even shredded fabric — you've probably uncovered the nest of a deer mouse family.
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Beware. You'll want to stop and call a professional. Deer mice are known to be a host for hantavirus, a sometimes fatal disease spread to humans through contact with rodent droppings, urine or carcasses. Professionals will have the tools needed to remove this nest and treat for deer mice.
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Deer mice normally build nests under tree roots and logs outside, but they move into homes during cooler weather, in search of food.
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Also known as field mice, deer mice look harmless, but they aren't. They spread disease and can damage your property. Call a professional to deal with them.
HOUSE MOUSE
House mice are acrobats: they can stand on their hind legs; quickly run up any rough vertical surface; scamper across wire cables and ropes; and jump over a foot from the floor to a flat surface.
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When they live outside, they burrow into the ground along house foundations. When cooler weather makes them move inside, they make their home in storage boxes, inside upholstery, under appliances and in walls -- basically any dark area that won't be disturbed.
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If you have house mice, you'll want professional help you control them right away because they eat 10 to 15% of their body weight every day... and they multiply rapidly.
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Call now to get an appointment to control you house mouse problem!
NORWAY RAT
The Norway rat is aggressive and is known to enter homes at night seeking food, but will return to his outside burrow by sunrise. This rat is often found nesting in basements and sometimes attics.
They live in underground tunnels near their food sources. In suburban areas, they'll tunnel in yards or into crawl spaces.
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Norway rats only travel 50 to 150 feet from their nests, or if food is scarce, they may travel out 300 feet.
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They need water to live, so in a home they get water from toilets, sinks or from condensation on utility pipes.
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Like all rats, they are suspicious and thinking, so control can be difficult and is best left to a professional.
ROOF RAT
Often mistaken for house mice, roof rats prefer to live in high places — trees, rafters, attics and roofs — but they can also nest on the ground.
If you're seeing live or dead rodents, it's a good indicator there might be an infestation, since it signals their hiding spaces are filled with other rats.
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Expert climbers, roof rats enter buildings through trees and utility lines that touch the roof. They're often found nesting in attic insulation.
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You'll want professional help to deal with roof rats because they are known to carry the serious hantavirus and other diseases. Axiom technicians are well trained and have the perfect equipment to help control roof rats.
VOLE
Voles can be the bane of a gardener's existence. They feast heartily on bulbs and succulent root systems; they gnaw rings around the bottom of young trees, easily killing them; and they burrow under plants and ground cover, eating away until the plants die.
Voles are active day and night and love lots of plant coverage. They create snake-like tunnels all over your lawn while eating plants from underneath. The tunnels extend under your deck and storage buildings and even into your crawl space.
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You'll want professional help to inspect your property and identify that you really do have voles — and not moles, shrews or mice.
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