Rodent Control – Hills District and Western Sydney

Serial Pest Control offer a full range of professional rodent control services for safe and effective elimination of rat and mice problems.

You may think rodents are just a nuisance but they are actually a serious health and safety concern:

Rodents are one of the major causes of house fires, as a result of chewing through electrical wiring
Rats and mice spoil food with their urine and droppings
They damage a range of materials through their gnawing
Rodents carry a range of parasites – fleas, ticks, lice and mice
Rodents spread diseases – dysentery, leptospirosis and typhus fever

From a safety point of view, 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.

So if you’re looking for a rodent exterminator in Sydney, look no further than the experts at Serial Pest Control.

For complete and safe rodent pest control call the experts at Serial Pest Control

Call 0406 659 095

Our Professional Rodent Pest Control Treatments

Comprehensive inspection before treatment

Before we start a treatment, we carry out a comprehensive inspection to identify the species of rodent present, the size of the rodent infestation, 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 and effective treatment program.

Rodent baits and rodent traps

Our rodent 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

Safety and New Regulations

From March 24 2026, new rodenticide regulations come into force, which restrict the the availability and use of many rodenticides. The main driver for these changes is to reduce the risk of secondary poisoning to birds of prey, which could feed on rodents that have consumed rodenticide bait. This will significantly impact the availability and use of rodenticide for DIY treatments.

The good news is that professional pest managers can still use these rodenticides, which are essential for successful rodent control programs. However, there will be increased regulations that even professional pest managers have to follow. The good news is that Serial Pest Control have been following many of these updated regulations anyway, as safety (for humans, pets and wildlife) has always been our number one priority.

If you have any questions about these new regulations, please ask when booking your treatment.

What to expect from our rodent treatments?

Pest Control Mice

Pest control for mice tends to be quicker than for rats. Mice are very inquisitive and will readily try new food in their territory. This means they will often try rodent bait as soon as it appears 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 Pest Control

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. So, 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 (see below).

Types of Rodents in Sydney

There are three types of pest rodent in Sydney:

Roof rat (also called the black rat or ship rat)
Norway rat (also called the brown rat or sewer rat)
House mouse

Although the Norway rat is the biggest rat species, the roof rat is far more common. Most of the pest problems in houses are either mice or roof rat infestations. It is important to correctly identify the pest rodent as that determines the design of the control program.

Roof rat

Norway rat

House mouse

Rodent Pest Control FAQ

How does rat bait work?

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.

Are rat baits safe around pets?

Rat baits contain rodenticides that will also effect other mammals – humans, dogs and cats. If you suspect a child or pet has eaten rodent bait, take them to the doctor / vet immediately. Also provide information on the product (the product label) and an estimate of how much may have been eaten. Although rodent baits are toxic to humans and dogs, they generally have to eat a lot of bait to have a serious impact. The toxic effect will depend on the weight of the child / dog and how much was eaten.

Baits contain a bittering agent that makes the bait very unpalatable to humans and dogs. Nevertheless, dogs will eat anything, so there is still the chance they will eat rodent bait.

As cats are carnivores and rodent baits are made of grain, cats are unlikely to eat the bait, but they could eat rodents that have eat the bait.

So, you can never say that rat baits are safe around pets. At Serial Pest Control we will look at using traps where children or pets are present. In other locations, we will use lockable bait stations, placed out of reach, to prevent accidental ingestion.

What to do if your dog eats rat bait?

If you think your dog has eaten rodent bait or a dead rodent, take them to the vet immediately, along with information on the product you think they may have eaten. For anticoagulant rodenticides, a vitamin K injection is used to counter its effects.

Do possums eat rat bait?

Yes, possums will eat rat bait! It’s the main reason homeowners shouldn’t use throw packs in roof voids. A professional rodent treatment, with bait placed in lockable bait stations, ensure safe and effective rodent control.

It is an offence to harm native wildlife and big fines can result if rodent bait is proven as the cause of death.

What our customer say…

How to rodent proof your home…

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!

Check our our detailed blog on rodent and mice proofing…

Signs of a rodent problem?

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

Other pest control services from Serial Pest Control.