Rodents / Mice
How to identify a mouse infestation?
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Visible traces of excrement along the walls, or under the kitchen or bathroom sinks;
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Scratching noises, scampering in the walls at night;
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Discovery of bitten, gnawed objects;
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Vines or trees that touch your property, including through the roof;
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Boxes and packaging of notched foods;
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These are the most common signs of rodents in your home, this should alert you that a mouse infestation is possible
Rodents Carry Diseases
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Just like insects, rodents are pests and are often the vectors of diseases that are present in their feces, urine and saliva and can be a major danger to your health.
Rodents feed on your reserves and munch on food from your pantry. They soil their urine and feces with everything on their way: kitchen counter, linen, food, etc.
They imbue their environment with foul smells. They are often heard walking around late at night or very early in the morning or even at night, when everything is peaceful in the house.
Unfortunately, it sometimes happens that they gnaw on the sheath of the electric wires, leaving them bare and this could cause a risk of fire.
There are very effective ways to combat them, however their implementation is always tricky and can be dangerous for people and pets.
THE GRAY MOUSE
(Mus musculus)
Also called house mouse or common mouse. The body of the latter is covered with gray hairs. Its belly is often paler, as are its ears, tail, and the tips of its legs and muzzle. ​
It is a nocturnal animal, generally quite fearful, which often lives near or in human dwellings. In the house mouse, reproduction takes place throughout the year. Sexual maturity is reached around the age of five to six weeks. A female can give birth to 5 to 15 litters per year. The gestation period is 18 to 21 days and there are usually between 5 and 12 young per litter.
BROWN RAT, SEWER RAT
(Rattus norvegicus)
Also called Norway rat or sewer rat, this large gray rat, native to Asia, measures 20 to 25 cm and weighs about 350 g. Its body is stocky, its muzzle short, its ears small and its tail is shorter than its head and its body. ​
This aggressive animal lives in colonies and likes damp places (banks of streams or rivers, cellars, sewers). It moves leaving tracks which can be recognized by the fatty deposits they leave when rubbing on grasses, ground, walls etc.
You can also recognize this rat by its oval, olive pit-shaped droppings.
In brown rats, sexual maturity occurs between 50 and 60 days after birth. The brown rat is an extremely prolific animal. A single female can give birth to about sixty young per year. The rat gives birth to an average of 6 to 12 young per litter.
THE MOLE
(Condylura cristata)
Its length reaches about 20 centimeters, the tail totaling a third. The Condylure has a star-shaped nose and its body is all grey. It has a total length between 16.2 to 23.8 cm including a tail of 6 to 9.2 cm long.
The legs of the mole measure between 15 and 32 mm. Its snout, which measures 1 cm in width, has the shape of a bare disc with 22 symmetrical tentacles; these are not organs of smell, but rather tactile organs that can move in all directions and are used to explore the environment or look for food.
