Have you ever seen a fuzzy shadow dart across the floor of your garage or basement when you turned the lights on? If so, you may have a rodent problem. You are also not alone in dealing with these pests.
Rodents will do anything they can to survive, including invading our homes. Especially during the cold winter months, rodents in Iowa will make their way inside in search of food and shelter. When they do, they can be bad news. Read on to learn about the issues that rodents can cause, why they are so difficult to get rid of, and what you can do to prevent rodents.
Common Bettendorf Rodents
Rodents are a frequent sight in Bettendorf. In many cases, though, rodents can be hard to identify because of their small size, quick movements, and tendency to frequent dark areas. Here is a list of common rodents you are most likely to see in Bettendorf:
Deer mice: These are small, quick mice that are reddish-brown in color. They have white undersides, legs, and feet. They also have large back feet that allow them to run and jump.
House mice: House mice are smaller than deer mice, and are one color, usually a shade of gray or brown. They have pointed noses, long whiskers, and dark, scaly tails.
Norway rats: Norway rats are brown with speckles of black hair. Larger than mice, they grow to between 7 and 9 inches long, with tails of almost the same length. They don’t climb well, so they are typically found on the ground floor of structures.
This list of common rodents doesn’t include all the rodents you may see. If you have any questions about rodents around your property, it is always best to leave it up to the professionals.
Are Rodents Dangerous?
Rodents may seem cute and cuddly with their little ears and whiskers, but don’t let their appearance fool you: these pests can cause major issues. They can be destructive to your home and put everyone living there in danger. Because their incisors never stop growing, they must chew constantly. Rodents have been known to chew through live electrical wires and active plumbing, leaving your home at risk for fires and floods.
Rodents are also known careers of diseases. Some of the most common diseases rodents carry include:
Hantavirus
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis
Tularemia
Bubonic plague
Salmonellosis
Rat-bite fever
Rodents can also introduce other dangerous pests like fleas and ticks into your home. They are all around one of the worst pests for your health.
Why Rodents Are Difficult To Deal With
Iowa rodents are a difficult pest to deal with on your own. Preventing them can be difficult because they can slip through the smallest of cracks. For some rodents, all they need is a hole the size of a quarter or a crack the width of a pencil to sneak into your home. Once they are in, they breed quickly. Some species of rodents can give birth to up to eighty pups per year. This means that a few rodents hiding in the basement of your home can quickly turn into a full-blown infestation.
When this happens, get professional pest control help right away. It may be tempting to try to use traps or baits and handle it on your own, but DIY solutions don’t get to the heart of the infestation. At Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators, we have the tools and experience to handle any species of rodent. We will work quickly to make sure your home and family are protected from rodents and the issues they can cause. We can also help with exclusion services to keep them out in the future.