Rodent Control Experts – Hills District and Western Sydney

Have rodents moved into your home or business?

Rodent control is important. You may think they are just a nuisance with the scurrying in the roof, but actually there are more important reasons to get rid of any rodent pests quickly:

• They are one of the major causes of house fires, as a result of chewing through electricals
• The spoil food with their urine and droppings
• The damage a range of materials through their gnawing
• They carry a range of parasites ­– fleas, ticks, lice and mice
• They can pass on a number of diseases – dysentery, leptospirosis and typhus fever

It’s important to know what you’re doing when using rodent baits around children, pets and native wildlife, which is why a professional rodent control treatment is the safest choice.

Comprehensive inspection before treatment

Before we start a treatment, we carry out a comprehensive inspection to identify the species of rodent present, how they are getting into the building and potential nesting sites.

We will also discuss any safety concerns you may have. In particular, we will need to know if there are children and pets in the household.

This information is vital to determine the most appropriate rodent treatment program.

We use rodent baits and rodent traps

• Our rodent control programs will include the use of rodent baits, sometimes in combination with traps
• For safety, rodent baits are always placed in lockable bait stations.
• Traps are also placed in lockable bait stations if children and pets are around
• The bait stations and traps are placed in strategic locations to deliver maximum performance, whilst also taking into account safety factors.
• It is important that we place sufficient bait at all sites of activity, so the number of bait stations used will depend on the size of the infestation.
• For heavy infestations it may be necessary to make more than one visit to top up the bait stations with more bait

How rat bait works

Rodent baits contain blood anti-coagulants. Once the rodent has eaten the bait, over a few days they start to bleed internally, get sluggish, fall unconscious, and die.

The rodents only need to eat a small amount of bait to get a toxic dose, but they will continue to eat until they die. It can take 4-7 days for them to die.

Rodenticides can have the same effect on other animals, including humans and pets. However, a child or dog would have to eat a lot of bait for it to have a lethal effect. Nevertheless, if you suspect a child or pet has consumed rodent bait take them to the doctor or vet immediately and they can assess the situation and provide the required treatment. Possums will also eat rodent bait, which it is why it is a bad idea to just throw bait into the roof – killing native wildlife is illegal and incur significant fines.

Mice Control treatments

To get rid of mice, treatments tend to be quicker. Mice are very inquisitive and will readily try new food in their territory. As they only need to ingest a small amount of bait for a lethal effect, mouse problems can often be eliminated in around a week.

Rat Control treatments

In contrast to mice, rats are neophobic, which means they are frightened of new things. As such it can take a few days for the rats to even start eating the bait. As such, to get rid of rat problems, it can often take up to 2 weeks before elimination is confirmed.

In cases of a heavy infestation, it may take additional visits to get on top of the problem as additional bait will be required. For commercial establishment regular rodent service programs are often required to keep the premised rodent free.

The location that rodents end up dying can be quite varied. Despite popular opinion they don’t always go outside to die, and they don’t always decay inside the walls. If you do spot a dead rodent, it is important to pick the rodent up, put the rodent in a plastic bag, seal and place in a bin. Always wear gloves when handling a dead rodent.

Do you offer rodent proofing services?

We will block up any obvious entry points during our visit and will make recommendations on rodent proofing your home to help prevent rodent problems in the future.

What our customer say…

To help prevent rodent problems, it’s a good idea to rodent proof your home by making your home less attractive to rodents and preventing them entering the building:

• Remove food sources
  • Keep the kitchen and food areas clean ­­­– clear up any spilled food spills, don’t leave dirty dishes away after night and generally keep the kitchen clean
  • Make sure food, including pet food and chicken food, is stored in rodent proof containers (glass or very thick plastic).
  • Keep garbage bins away from the building, and ensure the lids fit well
• Block up cracks and crevices to prevent rodents entering
  • Make sure holes are blocked or filled with a material the rodents can’t pull out or chew through.
  • Trim back any branches that overhang the roof to prevent rats climbing up and entering the roof
• Eliminate potential rodent nesting sites and hiding spot
  • Clear away vegetation from the building perimeter and in the garden
  • Remove any stored items from under the house and in the roof

It can be difficult to completely rodent proof a building as rodents can squeeze through any hole they can get their head in. This means rats can squeeze through a gap the size of the end of your thumb and mice through holes the size of the end of your little finger!

Rats and mice are very shy and secretive. They generally only come out at night and like to move undercover and around the perimeter of rooms – they don’t like open space.

However, even if you don’t see them, there are a number of signs of rodent activity that are quite easy to spot:

• Sounds in the roof – especially rats which are loud and noisy
• Droppings – Rodents will leave clusters of oblong shaped droppings. Rats droppings are up to 19 mm long, mice dropping are a lot thinner and shorter, up to 7 mm
• Damage – rodents chew everything even very hard objects, as they use it to file down their teeth, which grow continuously
• Nests – rats and mice will collect soft materials such as insulation, paper and grass to make their nests
• Burrows – rodents will dig burrows outside, especially sewer rats and mice, preferably in raised banks with vegetation for protection
• Odours – if you have a significant rodent problem there can be a strong smell of urine
• Rub marks – rodents, especially rats, have oily coats. If they have been around for a while, they leave oily rub marks on the walls along their regular foraging routes