Rats and Mice

RATS
Rats can reproduce all year long and one couple can produce hundreds of descendants during their lifetime.
In Australia, the most common rodents found are Norway Rats, Roof Rats, and the House Mouse.

A female rat can give birth to 8 - 10 young a time, up to 5 times a year.
Rats live for approximately 12 months. They normally explore areas up to 50 metres from their nesting site.
The easiest method of identifying rodent activity is by their droppings.
Mice droppings are about 4 mm long (similar size to a grain of rice) and pointed at the end.
There are two main types of rats and their droppings will be about 12 mm long and pointed at the end, or about 18 mm long and rounded at the end both about 2-4 mm thick. Usually black in colour, they are usually curved like the shape of a banana. (If the droppings are considerably larger, you may have possums in your roof!)

Rats can cause extensive damage to food products and buildings. They can gnaw through electrical cables, potentially causing fires.
They thrive anywhere foodstuffs are produced or stored. Their sense of smell and hearing are very keen, but their eyesight is relavtively poor.
They are omnivorous, eating any edible stuff, although they prefer foods rich in starch and proteins.
Rats build rather bulky nests, using any available material.

MICE

House mice, found around houses and farms, can live and reproduce under several conditions. They consume and destroy food stuffs essential to human beings.
They infect food processing surfaces with droppings, which might contain bacteria, responsible for food poisoning. Their continuous gnawing can also cause damage to buildings.

Damage to foodstuffs, droppings and urine marks are evidence of mice activity in a place.

Mice can see during the day time, as well as during the night. Their senses of hearing, smell and touch are all very keen. They are excellent climbers and can scramble up any rough vertical surface. They are able to run along cables and ropes and can jump over 30 cm high, from the ground.They can also slip through very small openings.
A female mouse can give birth to 6 mice, up to 10 times per year.

RODENT CONTROL

Hygiene
Proper storage of food and good cleaning practices are the main areas of domestic and commercial hygiene. The removal of dense vegetation around buildings, the correct handling and storage of garbage, and minimisation of stored products around the exterior of a house or building are some of the measures for good hygiene practice. If there is plenty of food easily reached by rodents to feast on, especially during the night, then it is less likely they will be attracted by rodenticides.

Proofing of buildings
Another way to control rodents’ population is to stop them from entering the buildings. Although rodent proofing any house or building is rarely possible, it is one of the main factors for a successful control. In some cases it can be done with almost no effort. But even though a place is isolated, rodents can slip in through open doors and windows, plumbing penetrations, and gaps in roof tiles.

Many doors leave a wide gap at the bottom when they are closed. In this case, installation of a weather strip is necessary.

BAITING
The most effective method of eradicating rodents is by baiting. To ensure the safety of children and pets, this is normally done in inaccessable areas such as roof voids or subfloors. In other situations such as indoors or in commercial properties, it may be necessary to use lockable bait stations.

Contact North Shore Pest Control for a suitable solution to your rodent problems.