Help I Cant Keep Rodents Out Of My Streator Home

Of all the pests in Streator, rodents may just be the most despised and it’s not hard to understand why. Rodent infestations can be seemingly impossible to control and prevent. These pests are tenacious in their efforts to get and stay inside of Streator homes. Common rodents in our area include:

House mice: Unsurprisingly, house mice get their name as the most common species of mouse living indoors, however many nest outdoors as well, especially in the warmer months. Adult house mice grow to be up to 2 to 4 inches long, not including their long tails. They tend to have black, gray, or brown fur with tan-colored bellies.

Deer mice: These mice are slightly larger than house mice and can grow up to 4 inches long, not including their tails. They have pale gray to deep reddish-brown fur with white underbellies. While they typically live outdoors, they sometimes invade buildings in colder months, tending to stick to less frequented areas like basements, sheds, and vehicles.

Meadow voles: These voles look a lot like mice and are a similar size. They are most often found living outdoors but can occasionally make their way inside and become a nuisance.

Norway rats: A larger pest, Norway rats grow to be almost 10 inches long with an additional 6 to 8 inches of tail. They have brown coats with black hair and most often invade the first floor of structures including basements and crawl spaces.

If you have rodents in your home in Streator, they are most likely one of these species unless a wayward squirrel has made its way inside. 

Dangers Of Rodents

The scratching inside the walls can be annoying, but it’s really the risks that rodents bring with them that keep people up at night. Because their teeth grow continuously throughout their lives, rodents must chew constantly to prevent them from getting too long. This means that once rodents move in, there is nothing safe in your home. From drywall to beams to electrical wires or plumbing and furniture, there is no end to the places you may find chewed through.

In addition to damaging your property, rodents carry significant health risks such as hantavirus, tularemia, salmonellosis, and leptospirosis. They also are hosts to various parasites like fleas and ticks that present their own host of health-related issues. The urine and feces that mice leave behind can cause allergies and asthma reactions, and they contaminate both stored food as well as food preparation areas.