No resident of Oakland wants to believe that rodents have infested a home or apartment. Unfortunately, it does happen. Allowing an infestation to go unchecked could cause health problems and expensive property damage. There are a few clear signs that rodents have infested a home.

 

5. Stains

Rats and mice are covered in a coat of fur that becomes saturated over time with oils from the body of the rodent. The coat also attracts dirt and debris from the environment as the rodent moves through dirty areas inside of walls and behind appliances. Rodents usually run through narrow spaces and along baseboards. One sign of an infestation is when stains start to appear in corners, on baseboards or around openings in the wall. Stains might also appear on books or clothes because of urine from the rodent.

 

4. Droppings

One of the easiest ways for residents of Oakland to tell if there is a rodent infestation is to look for droppings. Droppings have a dark or grey color. They are small and usually accumulate in piles. Droppings can appear almost anywhere from on top of pantry items to the floor along baseboards. The rodents leave droppings wherever they walk or sit each day. Droppings can create health hazards and are a sure sign of a problem.

 

3. Bedding

Bedding is a sign of a rodent nest. When considering rodent control Oakland residents should immediately call if bedding is found. Bedding or a nest appears as a pile of shredded materials such as newspaper, aluminum foil, tissues or cardboard. This means that the rodent has established a living space in the home or apartment and is potentially ready to reproduce. Nests are usually located in tight and warm spaces such as under an oven, near a water heater or behind pipes.

 

2. Damage

Rodents need to file down the teeth in the mouth constantly by chewing on any items available. This could mean wood trim, electrical wiring or furniture. It could also mean upholstery or drywall. Oakland residents should look for small areas of damage that have irregular edges. Some larger rodents will leave clear teeth marks in certain items. The damage will likely accumulate over the course of a few weeks if nothing is done. Droppings or stains are often found near the damage.

 

1. Holes In Packaging

Mice and rats will attempt to access food no matter where it is found. Rodents can climb vertically on many surfaces and enter high cabinets or top pantry shelves. A clear sign of an infestation is if holes start to appear in food packages. Rodents will easily eat through cardboard boxes, bags and even thin plastic containers. The rodents could eat holes into bags of bread or boxes of cereal. Finding holes in packaging is a sure sign that there are rodents in the home.