Roof Rat & Mouse Control in East Cobb, GA

Rodents in your East Cobb home

Roof rats are slim, dark rats that come out at night and climb well. They live in the trees and brush of East Cobb's creek ravines and come up the slope after dark. Most people think they only get onto the roof from overhanging branches. They can also climb brick and siding, so cutting back trees alone won't keep them out. On a house built into a hill, that gives them two ways in: high on the tall back wall, at a gable vent or a gap in the roofline, and low, at the vents and utility openings of the lower level next to the woods.

House mice usually come in low. They follow pipes, squeeze under worn door sweeps and slip through gaps in the foundation, then settle in the basement or behind kitchen cabinets. Both breed almost all year in Georgia. A few become a lot quickly, chewing insulation and wiring and leaving droppings and urine wherever they go. Putting out bait doesn't fix it. What works is sealing every opening, then trapping out the rodents already inside.

Rats, squirrels or mice? Listen to the clock

The easiest way to tell them apart is the time of day. Roof rats are active at night, after the house goes quiet. Squirrels are active in the morning and late afternoon. Mice are active at night too, but they stay low, and you'll find their small droppings in cabinets, pantries and along basement walls. Droppings are the other big clue, and a pro uses both to figure out what you have before choosing where to look and where to set traps.

Two ways in on a sloped lot

On a ranch house on flat ground, the rodent work is all on the roof. On a house built into a hill, it's in two places. Up high, roof rats get in through gable vents, roofline gaps and openings where pipes go through the roof on the tall downhill wall. Down low, rats and mice use foundation and crawlspace vents, gaps around utility lines and the joint where the deck meets the house, all close to the ravine. A full inspection covers both levels, because sealing just one leaves the other open.

Why trimming trees isn't enough

Cutting branches back off the roof is good advice, and it's worth doing along the ravine side. But a roof rat can climb a brick corner, a downspout or rough siding, and a mouse just walks in at ground level. Trimming makes it harder to reach the roof. It doesn't close any openings. Rodents stop getting in once the gaps are sealed with metal they can't chew through.

The health side

Rats and mice leave urine and droppings in insulation, wall spaces and stored food, and they ruin far more food than they eat. In the Southeast, roof rats are associated with murine (flea-borne) typhus, and rodents in general can spread salmonella and other germs. That's why a proper job includes cleaning up and sanitizing the areas where they lived, not just catching them.

Why bait alone fails

Bait does nothing to stop new rodents from getting in, and with the woods right there, more are always coming. A poisoned rat also tends to die inside the wall, and then you're dealing with the smell for weeks. When you seal the house and then trap, you can confirm the rodents are gone and none are getting back in.

How the job runs

The pro inspects from the roof down to the basement and marks every opening. Each one is sealed with metal, hardware cloth or other material rodents can't chew. Then traps go in, and the pro keeps checking until nothing more is caught. How long that takes depends on how many rodents are inside. A big infestation can take a while, and your technician should be able to estimate it up front. Last comes cleanup and advice on removing whatever draws them, like birdseed, pet food and clutter in the basement or garage.