Whether you think mice and rats are adorable or disgusting, it’s important to know that it is not necessary to kill them to make sure they’re out of your home forever. Humane methods of rodent removal and exclusion are on the fast track to becoming industry standards among pest control professionals. Take a moment to learn more about why mice and rats end up inside our houses, why that’s a problem and how to humanely solve that problem.
Why Do Rodents Colonize Human Homes?
When winter comes around, food and warmth become scarce out in the wild. It becomes increasingly hard for mice and rats to survive as the temperature drops. Your house offers rodents the warmth they need, and any food you don’t properly store offers them the sustenance they need. Your home also offers fantastic nesting possibilities (your home’s insulation) and great chew toys (everything in your home, seriously); what more could a mouse or rat want?
Why Remove Them?
It’s important to remove mice and rats from homes because they can cause extreme damage and create health hazards. Many rodents harbor diseases and parasites that can spread to you, your family and your pets. Rodents also love to chew on everything. Their passion for chewing leads to them gnawing on everything from electrical wiring to wood to steel pipes. The damage rodents cause can result in electrical fires, structural failures and flooding. When you add their rapid reproduction rates to the mix, you can have a huge problem in a very short while. Simply put, it’s too much of a risk to you and your family to let the mice and rats stick around even for a short period.
What’s the Humane Way to Remove Them?
The most humane way to remove any rodents that have taken up residence in your home-or any wild animals, for that matter-is to humanely trap them and relocate them where they will not be likely to return to your home.
Can I Do That Myself?
It is not recommended that homeowners attempt to trap and relocate any wildlife that might take up residence in their homes. There are so many things that can go wrong when amateur Do-It-Yourselfers try to remove wild pests! The worst of it is that something can go horribly wrong and end up with either the homeowner or the animal getting hurt. Wild animals, even small rodents, will not hesitate to attack a human if they feel threatened! It is best to hire a professional wildlife removal and relocation expert to make sure your rodent removal goes safely — and is effective.
Benefits of Hiring a Professional
Because professionals are accustomed to removing and relocating mice and rats, they are able to come into your home, assess the situation, quickly and safely remove the animals, and then make sure that no new animals can enter your home. Professionals often work with wildlife rehabilitation centers to re-introduce pest wildlife into wildlife sanctuaries. They also are experts at finding entryways that your former rodent roommates used to access your home, and they will recommend ways to make sure no new rodents use those paths to re-infiltrate your home.
Sadly, not all professionals believe it is important to humanely trap and relocate rodents. Those who believe killing the rodents is the answer can introduce poisons and dangerous traps into your household that can hurt your family and pets. When you do hire a professional wildlife pest company, be sure that they use humane practices to remove and relocate your troublesome mice and rats.