Rodent Management

Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Greater Victoria have a variety of rodent species that will make themselves at home in your home or business.  The three most common commensal rodent pests include the house mouse (Mus musculus), black or roof rat (Rattus rattus), and the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus).  All three can potentially spread disease, transport parasites and start electrical fires by chewing on wires.

The House Mouse is the 2nd most successful mammal in the world and they are ubiquitous; they have colonized every continent in the world, including Antarctica. Mice are small rodents weighing 20 to 25g, and are usually 6 to 9cm in length. Mouse droppings are small, roughly the size of uncooked grains of rice. They also leave behind hundreds of micro-droplets of urine everyday along their travel paths.  Common places to find signs of mice include kitchen cupboards, basements, garages and storage areas.

The Black or Roof Rat is the most common rat species in Metro Vancouver. Roof rats weigh up to 400g and their body length is up to 21cm not including their tail. Their feces are about 1cm long and have pointed ends. The roof rat is an excellent climber and is often found in attics but is also common in crawlspaces and exterior areas such as sheds and garages.  

In Greater Victoria, the Norway rat is the most common.  A Norway rat is the largest of the three rodent pests, weighing about 600g. Their droppings are about 2cm in length (roughly the size of a jelly bean) with blunt ends. They prefer moist conditions and will often be found in crawlspaces and lower portions of buildings.  They like to burrow and are often found nesting under low lying shrubs, shed and other protected areas.

Signs of a rodent problem may include droppings, gnawed or chewed areas including food or packages or even walls, rub marks, or noises in attics. 

Since rodents are most active at night, noises in your attic at night may indicate the presence of rodents.  However, other animals including squirrels, raccoons, birds, opossums and pack rats can reside in attics and make noises both at night and during the day.  See our wildlife management page for more information.  Call our office today to speak to one of our customer service representatives.

Our Rodent Control Programs

When your home or business has a rat problem, we will set up a trapping program that covers all affected areas.  In some cases, exterior baiting* may be helpful to intercept transient rodents before they can access the structure.  For long term protection for both roof rats and Norway rats, the exclusion of current and potential entry points is strongly recommended.  An estimate for this will be provided with any of our trapping programs.

For mice inside a structure, a combination of baiting* (where applicable) and trapping throughout affected areas is used.   
Exclusion for mice can be challenging, as mice only require a hole the size of a dime, but should always be considered.
*Please note that when any rodenticide is used, it is securely contained in tamper resistant stations.

Pest Proofing Tips

Prevention is better than eradication.  Some rodent proofing tips include:

• Keep vegetation back at least 18” from the structure and cut back any overhanging tree branches within 3’ of the structure.
  
  
• Eliminate or reduce harborage areas by de-cluttering, keeping items away from the sides of your home or business and remove fallen leaves.

• To reduce or eliminate food sources, remove bird feeders (or prevent seed from falling to the ground), pick up any fallen fruit, and use rodent proof garbage cans and compost bins.

• Repair leaky taps or pipes.
  
  
• Exclusion of holes in buildings with hardware cloth or wire mesh (with less than 1/4-inch openings).

 
Call our office today to schedule your appointment with one of our pest management professionals to solve your rodent problem…guaranteed.

For additional technical information, please choose one:

House Mouse
Roof Rat
Norway Rat