Homeowners often face conflicts with wildlife, including raccoons in their attics, opossums in their garages, birds in their sheds, and squirrels in their walls. But the most particularly challenging conflict they face are mice and rodents residing in their homes. These critters are small, have year-round prolific breeding capacity, and thrive in an indoor environment, making them extremely problematic.
If you hear skittering in your attic or strange rustlings in the night, don’t dismiss it. If you see mouse feces in your cupboards, don’t just clean it up and ignore the larger issue. Mice and rodents are a big problem for homeowners. Here’s why.
Property Damage
Mice and rodents are gnawers. They’ll chew on just about anything they find. That means they can cause significant property damage and insulation concerns if you have them in your home. They can gnaw their way through paper, wood, clothing, wiring, brickwork, and other materials. If you don’t take care of a rodent infestation before it’s too late, you could end up with thousands of dollars’ worth of repairs. Plus, you could put the safety of your family at risk. Many homeowners have experienced electrical fires due to chewed up wires.
Insurance Doesn’t Usually Cover Damage Caused by Mice and Rodents
Think your insurance company will foot the bill when your kitchen floods due to holes gnawed in your draining pipes or dishwasher pipes? Think your insurance company will pay if your electrical wiring is destroyed because of mice chewing on it? Think again. Unless you have a top-of-the-line insurance package, chances that that you’re not covered for damage caused by these rodents. The cost of the repairs will come straight out of your wallet.
Diseases, Parasites, and Safety Concerns
Mice and rats enter homes not only to find a food supply, but also to find shelter and a safe place for them to nest. As such, they’ll get into your containers, cupboards, and drawers and gnaw through bags and boxes to eat your food. They’ll also leave urine and feces everywhere, contaminating both the area and the food they come in contact with. This is a serious health risk as these rodents are carriers of many diseases and parasites, which they might pass on to you, your children, or your pets.
They may contaminate your food-preparation surfaces with their feces, which contain the bacterium that causes salmonellosis, or food poisoning. They may carry fleas into your home and infest your pets. And they might bite as well.
It’ll Hurt Your Resell Value
Thinking about selling your home? Your vermin problem could end up reducing the value of your property. Potential buyers who are considering purchasing a property with evidence of a rodent infestation can demand a significant reduction in the asking price, which can lead to tens of thousands of dollars lost on your end.
It’s Hard to Eliminate the Problem
Mice and rodents are a big problem because once they start entering your home, it can be very difficult to get rid of them, once and for all, particularly because they’re so small and breed so often. They can enlarge existing cracks and holes in your home in order to enter. Their points of entry could be so small that you might not realize where they’re coming in from. If you simply use traps or poison to kill them, you’re not eliminating the problem as other mice and rodents will enter in the future through these same points of entry.
Mice and other rodents are extremely problematic for homeowners. If you have a vermin infestation, nip the problem in the bud before the damage is done. Engage a wildlife control company that uses humane removal methods and will mouse-proof your home to prevent any future re-entry. The price you spend on eradicating the problem now can save you thousands of dollars in the future.