You are peacefully watching television from the comfort of your couch and you think you see, out of the corner of your eye, something moving across the room. You quietly stare in the direction of the movement, hoping what you think you saw wasn’t right. Then it appears - with two beady, little eyes and a snout full of whiskers - a mouse makes a mad dash from under your couch to behind the television stand.

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for mice and other rodents to come indoors during the winter. As they seek shelter and a new food source, you may find these critters keeping you company whether you like it or not.

In warmer weather, rodents such as mice, rats, and squirrels are usually content to stay outside where they have abundant food and shelter. In Upstate New York, when the leaves start to fall from the trees and the vegetation dies off, these rodents not only lose their food sources, they lose shelter, too. As it gets even colder and the ground becomes hard and frost-covered, rodents seek nesting sites inside homes.

Why DIY Methods Fail

While you can head over to the closest hardware store and grab some mouse and rat traps, most of the time they are ineffective. Rodents are smart and adept at avoiding traps. If you’ve ever set a mouse trap only to find the bait gone, droppings nearby, and no mouse, you’ll understand that frustration. Even if you are lucky enough to catch some rodents in your traps, this will not prevent more from coming in. They also have family members that are likely already living in your house, too.

A defining characteristic of rodents would be their ever-growing incisors, this unique characteristic causes them to gnaw on everything in their path. These powerful incisors allow rodents to chew through your foundation, siding, roofing, insulation, and wires, causing a great deal of structural damage. In addition, they can chew through plastic and cardboard food packaging, making quick work of your pantry items.

As if rodents chewing their way through your Albany home wasn’t enough, they leave droppings and urine splatter wherever they go. Their excrement can carry harmful diseases that can make your family sick.

How to Rid Your Home of Rodents

The best way to get rid of rodents is to leave removal efforts up to the professionals. At Thomas Pest Services our experts will inspect your home and help you form a plan to prevent rodents from getting into your home again. We will trap and remove existing rodents safely, implementing proper cleanup procedures to eliminate droppings and dead animals safely and effectively.