Are you hearing animals scratching during the day or at night? Unfortunately, you are most likely experiencing mouse or squirrel activity within your home. It’s not very hard for them to take advantage of cracks, crevices, and openings within your foundation and on your roof to wreak havoc to your valuables. Not only is their presence a nuisance, but it can be a health risk because of their excessive urine and droppings that easily spread. Differentiating squirrel and mouse activity is often hard to do, but is necessary for taking your first step towards elimination.
Where do squirrels live?
In the New Jersey and Pennsylvania area, the most common species of squirrel is the Eastern Gray Squirrel.
Eastern Gray Squirrels entering an attic Photo Credit: Omega Animal Removal
They can find their way into your attic by entering through fascia boards, shingles, and eaves on your home. They take shelter and create their nests, typically housing 2-7 squirrels at a time.
Photo Credit: www.squirrel-attic.com
Where do mice live?
In the New Jersey and Pennsylvania area, you are most likely to find the House Mouse, Mus musculus, or the White Footed Mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, living in your home. The House Mouse and the White Footed Mouse are similar in appearance but can be easily distinguished by the color of the hair on the body.
Mus musculus Photo Credit: animaldiversity.org
The House Mouse is light brown to light gray and uniform in color.
Peromyscus leucopus Photo Credit: zipcodezoo.com
The White Footed Mouse is light brown and is white on the underside of the tail, belly, and feet.
Mice live in hidden areas such as garages, attics, lofts, and wall interiors, making them nearly impossible to remove on your own.
How can I tell if I have mice?
Do you think that you have mice? Read below to help identify your infestation.
- Droppings – Mice constantly eat throughout the day, which is a lot for their little bodies. Droppings are left behind and will appear to be black or brown in color and the shape of a grain of rice.
- Scratching – They are nocturnal creatures. If you hear light scratching in your home at night, it could be mice.
- Tampered food – While in search of shelter, mice are also in search of a food source. It’s much easier to eat food from your pantry than search for food outside in the elements. Signs of tampered food are cereal boxes or other pantry items that look like they were chewed through along the edges.
- Mice – You may actually see mice. They crawl along edges of walls so you probably won’t see them running through the middle of a room. Due to their nocturnal nature, they will be most active at night.
How can I tell if I have squirrels?
Similar to mice, squirrels can make their way into your attic and create their nest. The main difference between squirrel and mouse infestations is the time of day that they are active. Mice are nocturnal, whereas squirrels are diurnal.
- You hear strange scratching, jumping or scampering noises in your home
- You find squirrel droppings throughout your attic
- Damaged entry points including around the fascia boards, shingles, eaves troughs and outer panels with all kinds of damage along the roof line.
- Strange odors and “water damage” marks on your walls and ceilings from the squirrel urine and feces
How can I keep mice and squirrels out of my home?
Squirrels
If you see signs of squirrel activity, it is imperative that you call a pest control or wild life professional. Squirrels can damage wires, insulation, any valuables in your attic, and cause uncleanly conditions by the urine and feces they leave behind.
Mice
Perform a visual inspection of your home to find cracks and crevices where mice may be entering. Typical entry points are around the foundation of your home and garages. Place pantry items in Tupperware containers instead of the boxes that they are sold in. Remove dog or cat food that is left in open bowls overnight or when you leave the house and be sure to sweep your kitchen floors on a regular basis to remove small crumbs. They key to mouse prevention is to eliminate potential food sources.
Mice only need a ¼ inch gap to enter your home so homeowners need to seal up any obvious gaps around entry doors, garage doors, and utility penetration points that are a ¼ of an inch or larger.
What can Cooper do?
Rodent and Wildlife Exclusion Service
If you experience recurring problems with mice, squirrels, or other rodents getting into your house, a permanent (and highly recommended) solution is available from Cooper Pest Solutions. Since rodents can squeeze into the tiniest of places, older home structures often have many gaps that rodents find very attractive, and this is how they enter your home.
Our Exclusion Program works in three easy steps
1. Our pest experts will perform a thorough inspection to identify the squirrel and rodent issues at your home and we will create a customized plan to remove them and keep them out.
2. We will take care of your current pest issue.
3. We will exclude these pests from entering your home in the future. Our dedicated exclusion technicians will conduct trapping and wire mesh installation for low-lying areas. Perform sealing, capping, and metal flashing installations on the roof and in the crawlspace. Other solutions such as gutter guard may also be included for an additional charge.
Our Residential Squirrel and Rodent Exclusion Service Includes
- Utilizing door sweeps placed on garage doors where open gaps are visible
- Sealing exterior cracks in foundation walls to prevent rodent entry
- Closing all open voids around drain pipes and conduits both inside and outside of the home
- Securing roof and attic vulnerabilities against rodent and pest entry
Mice
Depending on your needs, there are two service options that Cooper Pest Solutions provides for mouse control.
A one-time service with a 90 coverage plan that deals exclusively with controlling an existing mouse problem.
Schedule service online today for fast technician dispatch. No consultation or estimate is needed to get started.
The Traditional Service Plan is a substantial value for the homeowner that does not want to be bothered by crawling insects, mice, and wasps. The Traditional Service Plan provides preventive pest and rodent control for your home, year round. As part of your plan, you will receive four services per year. Each year you will receive three exterior maintenance services (March – November) and one interior service (December – February). There are some exclusions in the Traditional Service Plan when compared to the Intensive Service Plan.
The Intensive Service Plan is designed to provide preventive pest and rodent control for your home, year round. This is our most popular service for homeowners. The service plan includes four preventive services per year. Each service is unique and will be accompanied by a detailed 30-point inspection report with detailed findings as well as providing you with important recommendations for your home. Each year you will receive three exterior maintenance services (March – November) and one interior service (December – February). The winter service will focus on the interior of the structure and is geared towards rodents and other pests that may live within the structure.
If you are concerned about squirrels or mice, please give us a call at 1-800-949-2667 or fill out this form for a free no-obligation evaluation.
