Rodent Identification & Prevention

Rodents are pests we regularly work with homeowners to remove from their properties. Mice and rats can make themselves quite comfortable in our homes, and getting them to leave is difficult. If you want to get rid of the rodents that are nesting and foraging for food in your home, it is best to consult with a professional.

Here at Southeast Termite & Pest Control, we perform quality, year-round pest control services in Knoxville. By offering thorough inspections, effective treatments, and ongoing services, you will no longer have to share your home with rodents, now or in the future! For pest control near you, call today.

Field mice are small rodents that primarily invade outdoor spaces like wooded areas, fields, meadows, parks, and yards. They are mostly a problem for people living in suburban and rural areas. While these mice can use our homes as a place of shelter, they are less likely to do so than the house mouse.

House mice are common invaders of human structures. They live outside all around us and move indoors in search of food, water, and shelter. They are agile species and can easily move inside through tiny openings they discover in a home’s exterior.

Roof rats are thin, agile rats. They are excellent climbers and prefer to live off the ground in trees, shrubbery, woodpiles, and vines. When they enter a home or other building, they usually enter through chimneys, vents, or defects along the roofline.

Norway rats are large, heavy rats and are not known for their agility, unlike roof rats. Norway rats live outside under woodpiles, rock piles, trash piles, and foundations. These rats enter our homes at ground level and usually call basements or crawl spaces home.

Mice tend to be more curious, while rats are more cautious, but neither will hesitate to take advantage of the food, water, and shelter our homes offer. The good news is that while mice and rats can invade our Knoxville homes, they usually won’t do so simultaneously. You will have one or the other inside your house.

Rodents are successful in almost any habitat, including city centers, suburbs, and rural areas. They are pests we must be proactive against to keep them out of our homes.

The rodents that enter our homes are wild animals; they are unpredictable and don’t belong living with people.

Rodents are dangerous because of their ability to spread bacteria and disease-causing pathogens through their saliva and excrement. In our homes, they contaminate food, cause harm to personal belongings like furniture and clothing, and damage structural elements like wires, pipes, and vents.

Other dangers associated with a rodent infestation are electrical shorts, fires, foul odors, and allergies.

Mice and rats are rodents in Tennessee that most people know and have a general idea of how to recognize. Mice and rats are stars of books, movies, and amusement parks. However, the biggest reason people can easily identify mice and rats is that they are regular intruders in our homes and businesses.

Mice are small rodents with oval bodies and small triangular heads. A light layer of velvety fur covers the ears and tails of mice. Adult rats are larger in size than adult mice. They have large blunt heads, and their ears and thick, scaly tails are hairless.

Both mice and rats are nocturnal and, therefore, most active at night. Another thing mice, rats, and all other rodents have in common is their continuously growing front incisors. Their sharp front incisors assist them in eating, gathering nesting materials, and making entrances and exit holes in our homes.