Rodent Control

RODENT CONTROL SERVICES FOR MEMPHIS, TN

If you’re a West Tennessee or North Mississippi local looking for comprehensive roof rat and mice control services, there’s no better team to call than 901 Pest Control. Our team has been catering to residential and commercial property owners throughout the region for more than five decades. We have a reputation for prompt, effective services backed by unrivaled customer care. We understand that rodent infestations can be destructive and even scary. No one wants their property to become overrun with unwanted, dirty creatures.

RODENTS REVEALED – HOW THEY GET INSIDE HOMES AND BUSINESSES.

Basic Pest Control

Home Defense Plan

Premium Home Defense Plan

UNDERSTANDING WHICH RODENT WE’RE DEALING WITH

To provide effective rodent control, 901 Pest will first identify what type of rat is infesting your building, home, attic, or shed. Roof Rats are smaller than the Norway rat (also known as sewer or brown rat). Roof rats have longer tails and can grow up to 18 inches in length, including their tail, weighing at least 5 oz. Roof rats are usually black, while Norway rats are brown or gray. Roof rats have smaller, slender bodies and large ears with little hair and pointy faces/noses. Depending on the type of rodent at hand, we’ll work to evict these unwanted occupants from your property!

Norway Rat

Tail: Shorter than head & body
Body: Heavy, thick
Ears: Small
Eyes: Small
Nose: Blunt

Also known as Wharf, Sewer, Brown, Common

Droppings: Blunt, average length 3/4"

Roof Rat

Tail: Longer than head & body
Body: Slender
Ears: Large
Eyes: Large
Nose: Pointed

Also known as Black, Fruit, Ship

Droppings: Pointed, average length 1/2"

House Rat

Tail: Long
Body: Small
Ears: Large
Eyes: Small
Nose: Pointed
Feet: Small
Head: Small

Droppings: Pointed, average length 1/4"

HOW RATS OVERPOPULATE

Rats reach sexual maturity after four to five weeks, meaning that a population can swell from two rats to around 1,250 in one year. If left unchecked, a pair of rats can produce 482,508,800 pups in just three years, a new report says. Rats Typically Have:

21-23 day pregnancy period
Up to 12 rats per litter, although five to ten is more common
Three to six litters in a lifetime

The average lifespan of one year
Their teeth grow 4-5 inches per year, but they wear them down by chewing – wires, pipes, walls, insulation!

MICE ARE BREEDING MACHINES

When a female mouse gets pregnant, it only takes between 19 and 21 days for her to give birth to a litter. Each litter typically consists of five or six mouse pups with as many as 12 in a litter. So an average mouse can average 25-60 offspring in just one year! By this time, you have a bad infestation!
A typical female mouse can have between five and 10 litters per year. Female mice can mate immediately after giving birth, meaning mice can have a second litter in as little as 25 days after the first. This cycle continues until the mouse dies.

Mice pups are born without fur, ears, or the ability to see. Because of their defenseless nature, the mother mouse nurses her pups for 21 days. These early days in the life cycle of a mouse are filled with rapid progress. On the fourth day, their ears are fully developed. Hair begins to grow around the sixth day, and by day 10, they have a protective coat of fur.
Mice pups usually do not open their eyes until around day 13, but they are a fully-grown adult after that. On the twenty-first day, weaning occurs. Most male pups do not stay near their mother’s territory, but most young females hang near their moms.

DEFENSE PLAN AGAINST RATS & MICE

Inspection of Property

Our certified service technician will inspect your property to confirm that you have roof rats, not squirrels or raccoons.

Identify Access Points

In addition, our service technician will work to find where they are gaining access to your home and take measures to control rodents!

Rodent Prevention

Our certified service technician will show you how to help make your property less attractive to rats and mice and help prevent them from breeding on your property.

Controlling Rodent Population

Our technician will place bait stations outside along rodent runs by fences or exterior walls to kill rodents as they travel to enter your house or building. Additionally, we’ll come back quarterly to re-bait stations until all rodent activity ceases. Use pictures provided on a shared drive!

Satisfaction Guarantee

If the rodents come back, so do we!

Roof Rat Facts

Roof rats are much better climbers than Norway rats and tend to build nests above ground, not in burrows like their cousins Norway rats. Outdoors, it is common to find roof rats nesting in trees, shrubs, woodpiles, and dense vegetation. Inside, roof rats like to nest in attics kept warm by the rise of heat in the home below. Roof rats are hoarders, and it is common for them to stash their food in their nesting area for later eating.

Roof rats can often be found with nests built in attics, cabinets, ceilings, garages, inside walls /behind drywall, in laundry rooms behind the washer/dryer. The key is their habitat must provide the roof rat members with a sufficient supply of drinking water! Roof rats will also chew through plastic and metal pipes to get water, leading to serious structural damage.

Unlike other rats, roof rats prefer to eat meat scraps and other high-protein food. Their diet is similar in many respects to a diet for squirrels – they will eat anything. Roof rat food and water sources include:

Ornamental Plants
Dog Food
Vegetables & Nuts
Paper & Wax Candles
Insects & Lizards
Tree Bark
Bird Baths
Leaky Pipes
Air Conditioner Condensation Drip Line
Pets’ Water Bowls
Potted Plant Saucers
Irrigation Lines

You won’t always see roof rats because they are nocturnal and forage for food at night. Once inside, the roof rat population can grow rapidly. A female can have a litter of five to eight pups. In warmer regions, roof rats breed year-round, and females can have up to three litters a year. You need to know the signs of an infestation that can alert you to their presence. Once found, you can take the proper rodent control measures.

One of the most obvious signs of an infestation is roof rat droppings. Roof rat droppings are smaller than those of Norway rats. The droppings are about 0.5 in long with pointed ends. Other signs of a roof rat infestation include:

Gnawing or scratching noises in the attic or walls, especially at night
Gnaw marks around the home’s roof or eaves and damage to electrical wires
Spotting them running on tree limbs, power lines, roofs, patios
Rodent droppings and urine trails
Pets showing signs of stress and agitation
Grease trails and marks as they travel regular routes through the home
Nests found in the insulation of your home

THE AEGIS RODENT BAIT STATION

The Aegis Rodent Bait Station is used in conjunction with second-generation rodent bait, so it won’t harm dogs or cats if they contact a dead rat or mouse. Furthermore, we install a steel fiber mesh as an upgrade to fill gaps and cracks where rats and mice can enter your structure up to five inches above ground level. We also install this upgraded feature in your interior spaces, such as dryer vents and laundry rooms. We’ll control the issue so you can get back to pest-free living. Would you please keep reading to learn more or contact us now to schedule a free inspection? You can also learn more about keeping rodents out of your home by watching this video.

SCHEDULE YOUR FREE ROOF RAT EVALUATION!

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