Rodent Control in Northeast Tennessee
Scratching in the walls after dark? Droppings behind the cupboard? We’ll come out, work out what you’ve got, and deal with it.
What to look for
How You Know You’ve Got Them
-
Droppings
Along walls, under the kitchen sink, at the back of cupboards, or up in the attic. Usually the first thing people find.
-
Noise at night
Scratching or scurrying in the walls, ceiling or attic — most often in the hour or two after dark, when the house goes quiet.
-
Gnaw marks
On food packaging, skirting boards, stored boxes or wiring. Rodents’ teeth never stop growing, so they have to keep chewing.
-
Nesting material
Shredded paper, fabric or loft insulation gathered into a corner, usually somewhere warm and out of the way.
-
A musty smell
Noticeable in a closed-up space — a pantry, a cupboard, a crawlspace.
-
The dog or cat acting strange
Fixating on a spot in a wall or the back of a cabinet they’d normally walk straight past. Pets tend to know first.
Rodents chew wiring, and that’s worth taking seriously. If you’re hearing activity in the walls, give us a call — (423) 342-5722
Telling them apart
Mice or Rats?
It matters more than you’d think. They behave differently, travel differently, and what works on one is wasted on the other.
-
Mice
Droppings the size of a grain of rice. Curious by nature, so they investigate anything new in their path. They get through a gap about the width of a pencil, and they rarely travel far from the nest — which is usually somewhere warm and hidden, often inside a wall or behind an appliance.
-
Rats
Droppings noticeably bigger, closer to a raisin. Cautious rather than curious — they avoid anything new for days, which is why a badly placed trap sits untouched. They need a gap about the size of a quarter, and they’ll often nest outside and come in to feed.
Our approach
Traps Are the Easy Part
Anyone can put traps down. The reason rodent problems come back is that nothing was done about the way they got in.
-
1
We work out what you’ve got
Mice and rats need handling differently, so the first job is establishing which one you’re dealing with and roughly how many.
-
2
We find where the activity is
Rodents are creatures of habit — they run the same paths night after night, which makes them more findable than people expect. Droppings, gnaw marks and greasy rub marks along skirting all map the route.
-
3
We deal with what’s there
Removal, placed where the evidence actually points — not scattered hopefully around the kitchen.
-
4
We show you how they’re getting in
Gaps around pipe and cable entries, foundation cracks, roofline and soffit gaps, crawlspace vents, and the seal under the garage door. We’ll point out what we find so you can get it closed up — that’s the part that stops it happening again.
Every job is different
One Mouse or a Long-Standing Problem
Whatever you’ve found, the first step is the same — tell us what you’ve seen or heard, and we’ll come and take a proper look. The inspection is free, and you’ll get a straight answer about what you’re actually dealing with.
Prevention
Making It Harder for Them
• Seal gaps where pipes, cables and vents enter the house
• Keep firewood and stored material off the foundation wall
• Cut back branches touching the roofline — rats use them as a bridge
• Keep pet food and birdseed in sealed containers, not the bag they came in
• Keep bin lids closed and properly seated
• Replace a perished garage door seal — one of the most common ways in there is
Questions
Common Questions
-
How long will it take to get rid of them?
It depends how established they are and how many ways into the house there are. We’ll give you a realistic picture once we’ve had a look, rather than a number over the phone that might not hold up.
-
Does having mice mean my house is dirty?
No. Mice and rats are looking for warmth, shelter and a way in — that’s mostly about the age and construction of the building, not how well you keep it. Cold weather sends them indoors in properties of every kind.
-
I only saw one. Is that it?
Possibly, but it’s worth checking. Mice in particular are rarely alone by the time one is visible in daylight, and a single sighting usually means there’s a route in that’s still open.
-
Do you seal up the holes once they’re gone?
Sealing and repair work isn’t something we take on, but we’ll show you exactly where the gaps are and what needs closing. Most of it is straightforward for a handyman or contractor once you know where to look — and knowing where to look is the hard part.
-
Why haven’t the traps I set caught anything?
Usually placement. Rodents run tight against walls and along fixed routes, so a trap in the middle of the floor gets ignored. Rats also avoid anything new for several days, which catches a lot of people out. Where a trap goes matters more than how many you put down.
-
Is it safe for my pets?
Tell us about any pets in the house when we inspect, and we’ll take that into account in where and how we place everything. Your technician will explain exactly what’s being used and anything you need to do.
Hearing Something in the Walls?
Call and we’ll come and find out what it is. The inspection is free.