Rodents

RODENT IDENTIFICATION

Many native rodents spend their lives in wild woodlands and meadows. But some types of rats and mice seek out human dwellings instead. Three types of rodents, all with hairless tails, comprise the worst offenders when it comes to home disruption:

• House mice – The smallest of the common rodent invaders, these pests typically weigh less than 1 ounce. From the tip of their nose to the tip of their tail, they usually measure fewer than 8 inches. Common rats measure double that or more.
• Roof rats – Also known as black rats, these rodents travel along roofs, rafters and pipes. About 1/2 pound when mature, they have slender gray-black bodies and pointy snouts. Their tails are longer than their bodies.
• Norway rats – The largest domestic rodent, these rats weigh 1 pound or more when mature. Also known as sewer rats or brown rats, they have stocky, brown-gray bodies, rounded snouts and small eyes and ears. Their bodies are longer than their tails.

SIGNS OF RATS AND MICE

Rats and mice are nocturnal pests that stay hidden during daylight hours, but the urine and feces they leave behind during their nighttime travels are signs of their presence.The size and shape of their dark, elongated droppings provide clues to their identities:

• Less than 1/4 inch long, with at least one pointed end => house mice
• 1/2 inch long, with one pointed end => roof rats
• 3/4 inch long, with rounded ends => Norway rats

Other telltale rodent signs include greasy smudge marks along pipes, baseboards and walls, or piles of shredded insulation. Scratching, gnawing sounds in walls and ceilings indicate rodents at work gnawing wood, electrical wiring or other materials.

HOW TO CONTROL RATS AND MICE

Rats and mice can contaminate homes with disease-causing pathogens, but they also create serious fire hazards by chewing wires. Prompt control is critical: One pair of mice can produce thousands of offspring in a single year.

Amdro® brand mouse and rat control products can help you eliminate these destructive, disease-carrying pests from your home:

• Amdro Mouse Trap offers a safer, cleaner solution to killing mice. After luring mice to your bait, the innovative reusable trap expels them. Mice die next to the trap, not in it. There's no blood, no mess, no maimed mouse and no contaminated trap to clean.
• Amdro Rat Trap kills rats quickly through the same revolutionary ring design. The baited, reusable trap attracts rats, then expels them to die beside it. There's no risk of snapped fingers when setting a trap, and no messy, contaminated trap to clean.

RODENT CONTROL TIPS

Fight rats and mice by finding any openings where they could enter your home. Mice fit through holes smaller than 1/4 inch wide. Rats squeeze through holes only twice that size. Seal the holes, then keep your property free of trash, debris and weeds where rats and mice might hide.

Always read product labels and follow the instructions carefully.
Amdro and Amdro Quick Kill are registered trademarks of Central Garden & Pet Company.