How you know they're there
Droppings are usually the first sign. NC State Extension says a single house mouse can leave 50 to 75 droppings a day, each about a quarter to half an inch long with pointed ends. Look along walls, in corners, under sinks and in the pantry. Other signs are chewed food packaging, shredded paper or insulation pulled into a nest, and scratching in the walls or ceiling at night.
Rats leave bigger droppings, greasy rub marks along beams and walls, and burrows next to the foundation or under woodpiles.
Close the doors first
Extension says gaps of a quarter inch or larger let adult mice in. On an older High Point house the usual spots are:
- gaps around plumbing, gas and HVAC lines where they go through the foundation or siding
- crawlspace vents with torn or missing screens, and crawlspace doors that don't close tight
- the gap at the bottom corners of garage doors
- openings where the roofline meets a gable, and around attic vents
- dryer vents without a flap
We pack gaps with copper or steel mesh and seal over it, fit vent covers and door sweeps, and point out anything that needs a carpenter or a roofer.
Checking attic insulation for runways and nestsThen trap, and check back
Inside, we set snap traps or enclosed traps along walls and in the places the droppings show they travel, and come back to check and reset them. Outdoors, where rats are the problem, we use tamper-resistant bait stations placed and labeled by the rules for that product.
- Visit 1Inspection, sealing, traps set
- About a week laterCheck traps, look for new activity, seal anything missed
- Following visitsUntil the traps stay empty
Most mouse jobs on a sealed house wrap up in two or three visits. Rats and large attic populations take longer.
When it's not a mouse
Squirrels, raccoons, bats and other wildlife in an attic need different handling, and North Carolina has separate rules for wildlife. If what we find in the attic isn't a rodent we can trap, we'll tell you and point you to someone who handles that kind of animal.
