Rat and mouse control in Clarksville, Tennessee

How to recognise them

UT Extension lists hair, droppings, tracks, greasy rub marks along walls, and signs of gnawing or digging. Scratching at night in a ceiling or wall is the usual first clue.

• Mice can fit through a hole about 1/4 inch across, roughly the width of a pencil.
• Norway rats are 12 to 18 inches long with a thick body and small ears. A tail shorter than the head and body is the giveaway.
• Roof rats are slimmer with larger ears and a tail longer than the head and body. They climb, so branches and wires matter.
• Rats need only a 1/2-inch opening.

Why they show up here

Mice move in from outdoors in fall as temperatures drop. Older homes around Clarksville and country houses near fields and outbuildings tend to have more small gaps. Sheds, feed and woodpiles all give rodents a place to live close to the house.

CDC suggests checking around windows and doors, between the foundation and the ground, and up among the rafters, gables, eaves and soffits.

What a rodent visit usually involves

1. Inspection

   Inside and out, looking for droppings, runs and the holes they use.

2. Trapping or baiting

   Traps are set along walls where rodents travel. Any bait should be in locked, tamper-resistant stations. Ask what will be used and where.

3. Sealing

   Holes get closed with materials such as metal, hardware cloth or steel wool with foam. Some companies include this work and some don't, so ask.

When to call

Call once you have seen droppings or gnawing, especially if you hear them every night. EPA suggests asking to see the company's license, checking its insurance, and making sure employees are bonded.

Before anyone arrives, keep food in sealed containers and pick pet food up overnight. Wear gloves when you clean up droppings.

Rodent questions