HOUSE MOUSE APPEARANCE: The adult house mouse is small and slender and about 1-2 inches long, excluding tail. It has large ears, pointed nose and small eyes. The tail is as long as the head and body combined. The fur color varies, but it is usually a light gray or brown, but could be darker shades. DIET: Mice will eat almost anything, but prefer cereal grains, seeds, or sweet material. They require very little water, obtaining most of their water needs from their food. HABITS AND BIOLOGY: If there are good living conditions (food, water, and shelter), they can multiply rapidly. They are sexually mature in two months, producing about 8 litters in a one-year lifetime. Each litter has 4-7 pups. A house mouse in a city environment may spend its entire life in buildings. In rural and suburban settings, it may not only live inside, but be found outside near foundations, in the shrubbery, weeds, crawl spaces, basements, or in garages. They survive well on weeds, seeds, or insects, but when their food supply is shortened by the colder months they move inside nesting closer to a food supply. They make their nest from soft material like paper, insulation, or furniture stuffing. These nests are found in many places including: walls, ceiling voids, storage boxes, drawers, under major appliances, or within the upholstery of furniture. Outside, the nests are found in debris or in ground burrows. Mice are "nibblers" eating many times at different places, they do have two main meal times...just before dawn and at dusk...they simply "snack" at other times at intervals or every 1-2 hours. They can eat about 10 to 15% of their body weight every day, the adults weighing about 5/8-1 oz. They get much of there water from food products. HOUSE MOUSE INSPECTION: Their droppings (feces) are usually black, about 1/8-1/4 inches long and rod shaped. They gnaw small, clean holes about ½ -1 inches in diameter. Many times you will find gnawing damage on the corner of boxes and paper, shredded for their nest. They will gnaw at bar soaps and candles. NORWAY RAT APPEARANCE: The Norway rat is larger and more aggressive than the mouse. As an adult, the Norway Rat can weigh between 12-16 oz. with a body length of 6-8 inches long. The nose is blunt with small ears and small eyes. The fur is shaggy and coarse with variation in colors. The tail is shorter than the head and body combined, and scaly. NORWAY RAT INSPECTION: The droppings are ¼ to ½ inch in length, capsule shaped, with blunt ends. They are usually a shiny black, but may vary according to their diets. Norway rats will leave a hind foot track of about ¾ -1 inch where a mouse's track measures 3/8 of an inch or less. Rats will also drag their tails, leaving a mark between their feet tracks. Unscented baby powder or flour, lightly sprinkled can help you determine tracks and their runways as they cross suspected areas. Gnawing holes from rats are about 2 inches or more in diameter. They have rough edges. They prefer to gnaw on wood, but can damage electrical wiring. Rat burrows can be found along foundations, or beneath rubbish and shrubbery. If the burrow is active it is usually clear of vegetation. Rat runways are smooth and well packed. Indoors, these runways are free of dust and dirt. SQUIRRELS: There are several species of squirrels, but here we are covering the Gray squirrel that inhabits this area. They seek warm, safe shelter during the fall and winter months in particular. Gray squirrels are active in the daytime. Squirrels can do a lot of physical damage to the structure by gnawing holes, chewing wires and contaminating and staining surfaces with their urine and droppings. They may carry fleas, mites and lice into our homes. In addition, the nuts, grain or pinecones they store can attract and breed a wide range of secondary insect pests. The best long-term control is removal or exclusion, usually by covering all entrances into the structure with heavy sheet metal or hardware cloth. This must be done properly because once squirrels have become accustomed to going in and out of a structure, or if they have established a nest inside, they can be very persistent and aggressive at trying to re-open any hole you may have covered. Removal usually involves live trapping. Be sure to check for and remove any young, all nesting material, and stored food such as nuts or seeds. Then clean up, decontaminate, and dispose of any accumulated droppings, as well. Call us for further information or assistance.