with a solid swat of a shoe, rodents are a little more difficult to get rid of and require professional pest control to find the area of entry and take the necessary steps to eradicate these mangy mammals.

Although mice and rats are usually associated with big overpopulated cities, Florida has its share of these nuisance pests, with the Norway rat, roof rat (fruit or citrus rat) and house mouse being the most prevalent. Rodentia make up the single largest group of mammals on earth and are found native on all continents except Anartica; there are about 1,500 living rodent species (out of about 4,000 living mammals overall. Mice and rats prefer to live above ground, and prefer hidden places such as attics or behind walls and appliances.

The typical house mouse weighs less than an ounce. They can fit thru a ¼” crack; if your home or business has any small openings, eventually mice will find their way in. House mice eat many types of food but prefer seeds and grain. A single mouse can't eat a whole lot, but because of their habit of nibbling on many foods, discarding partially eaten items, and defecating everywhere, mice destroy considerably more food than they consume. Mice are primarily nocturnal, they can dig, they chew like all rodents do, and they can produce a tremendous number of offspring.

Rats are typically identified by their short fur, pointed snouts, large ears, and long tails. Although roof rats can grow up to 9”, tail included, the Norway rat can grow to twice that size. Rodents are primarily nocturnal creatures, but have poor vision and are thought to be colorblind. They rely on their keen senses of smell, hearing and highly specialized senses of touch and balance to survive. Their teeth grow continuously which cause them to constantly gnaw on various surfaces in order to wear them down.

Aside from the disease-carrying aspects of rodents, the damage most associated with rats and mice comes from chewed-through wires, pipes, screens and roofing and other household materials. Most rats can fit through a hole the size of a quarter. Pest control for rodents usually consists of baited traps placed by a professional, and requires strategic methods so the traps can be retrieved. A rat or mouse that has been killed by a trap can cause a terrible odor that affects the entire house.

Since mice and rats inhabit some of the filthiest places on earth, its no wonder that they harbor many diseases. Humans can contract rodent-borne diseases through bites directly from rodents or from ticks, mites or fleas that live on an infected rodent. Rats are also known to snack on left out food and water, and they can contaminate your home with their urine and droppings. These pests often live for less than a year but breed in large quantities, which makes it important to use extermination methods if you sense a rodent has invaded your home. You may eliminate the matriarch but her siblings are ready and willing to take over the contamination and structural damage they are infamous for.

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