Rodent Control 101: A Helpful Guide For Colorado Springs Homeowners

Rodents are furry, four-legged mammals with two eyes, ears, and a tail. Although this description can apply to nearly all land mammals, what makes a mammal a rodent is a pair of upper and lower constantly growing incisor teeth. Rodents use these teeth to cut through roots, walls, floors, and other barriers. They develop sharp teeth as they gnaw on wood, plastic, glass, thin metal, and even concrete to keep the teeth from growing too large. 

Four types of rodents give homeowners in Colorado Springs problems:

• Rats
• Mice
• Voles
• Pocket gophers

Rats and mice are a problem inside and outside houses, while gophers and voles are primarily an issue in the yard. In this guide, we will briefly examine each rodent, so you will know what type of animal is invading your property. 

Many rat species exist worldwide, but Norway and roof rats cause most of the problems for homeowners in our area. Norway rats, also known as brown or sewer rats, are about 16 inches long from head to tail. They are heavier and stockier than roof rats and tend to remain at ground level. Although an adult male Norway rat may weigh up to 11 ounces, it can still squeeze through an opening of 1/2 inch across. 

A roof rat, also known as a ship, black, or house rat, is so-called because it tends to occupy upper areas of houses, structures, and trees. Like Norway rats, roof rats have brown fur with black hairs interspersed and a greyish-white underbelly. Although they have the same length as Norway rats, roof rats have big ears, eyes, and thinner bodies than Norway rats. Roof rats enter homes through small openings along the roof line and holes in attic vents. 

House mice infest Colorado Springs homes. Compared to rats, these rodents have a shorter head-to-tail length (about 5 to 8 inches), pointed muzzles, large, hairy ears, a naked tail, and weigh about 5 ounces. House mice have a grey-to-brown body with a light underside. 

Because voles are similar in size and coloring to mice, they are often called meadow and field mice; some refer to them as meadow or field moles, although voles differ from moles. How do you know if you have moles, voles, or mice in your yard? Voles have smaller feet compared to moles and shorter tails than mice. Voles have chestnut-brown stocky 5 to 7-inch long bodies, short tails, and feet. If you see an animal that looks like a mouse in your yard, it is probably a vole. 

Pocket gophers are so-called due to the external cheek pouches they use to carry food and nesting materials. Like voles, they have a short tail on their 6 to 10-inch body, but unlike voles, they have large-clawed front feet they use to dig tunnels in yards. 

No matter what Colorado rodent is on your Colorado Springs property, High Country Pest Control will remove the problematic pest so you can rest easy at night. 

Because rodents constantly gnaw on nearby objects, they damage homes and yards. Voles, pocket gophers, and other lawn rodents chew through roots and eat bark, seedlings, mature trees, garden crops, ornamental plants, and vines. Gophers damage plastic water lines and drip irrigation systems. Borrows, tunnels, and mounds destroy lawns, cause soil erosion, and create tripping hazards. 

While voles and gophers harm the lawn, mice and rats damage the interiors of homes by their need to chew on items. Rats create two to three-inch diameter holes in walls and floors. Mice and rats chew through wiring in walls and the attic, creating fire hazards; they destroy wiring in appliances. Other ways these house rodents damage homes include staining floors, walls, and furniture with urine, discoloring walls through greasy smudge marks, and odors from pheromones in their urine. 

Rats and mice not only damage furniture, walls, floors, appliances, and insulation, their presence can adversely affect the health of those living in the house. Both rodent types spread leptospirosis, tularemia, and salmonellosis through their urine, saliva, feces, and human contact. In addition to these diseases, rats may also spread rat-bite fever, jaundice, cowpox virus, and trichinosis, while mice can also transmit hantavirus and adult respiratory distress syndrome.

When rodents invade, they are often not alone; fleas and ticks travel with them in their fur. These insects transmit bacteria, viruses, and tapeworms to people and pets and cause flu-like symptoms or severe illness. 

Rodents deposit feces through homes while they travel along pathways between food sources and their nests. The rod-shaped grain or olive-sized droppings eventually dry and result in airborne particles. When people inhale the floating matter, they may experience allergic reactions or asthma attacks.

High Country Pest Control provides effective rodent control in Colorado Springs homes, so you don't have to worry about fires, damaged appliances, disease, or polluted air in your house. 

Rodents live in yards and houses because they have found food, shelter, and water. Rats and mice are omnivores, which means they will eat about anything. Pocket gophers prefer plants and roots, and while voles eat those items, they have an expanded palette that involves snails, insects, grains, and bark. Rats and mice forage for food in open garbage cans, compost piles, animal feces, sewers, and drains, while voles and gophers forage in yards and gardens. 

All rodents need water, although some need more than others. Rats consume about one ounce of water daily, while mice can usually get the amount they need in the food itself. Inside homes, rats and mice live near drains, leaking faucets, and other high-moisture areas. Voles and gophers get water from roots and plants. 

Voles and gophers create their shelter through underground tunnels, while rats and mice may also burrow in the yard; they also use leaf piles and yard debris for protection outside homes. When rodents invade Colorado Springs homes, they create nests in wall voids, underneath insulation, inside appliances, and behind cabinets, usually within 50 to 150 feet of food and water sources. 

The following are tips to keep all rodents away: 

• Remove sources of standing water
• Provide drainage to ditches and low-lying areas
• Eliminate yard debris
• Cover outdoor and indoor garbage containers
• Seal access points in the foundation and along the roofline
• Repair holes in the door and window screens
• Cover the crawl space and attic vents with 1/4-inch wire mesh
• Wrap trees and shrubs with 1/4-inch hardware cloth 18 to 24 inches high (voles)
• Bury 1/2 to 3/4-inch mesh two feet deep around plants and leave an additional six inches above ground bent at a 90-degree angle (gophers)

Exclusion techniques vary depending on the rodent. When High Country Pest Control arrives to provide the best rodent control near you, we will present you with custom rodent prevention tips for your location.

When you contact High Country Pest Control to stop a rodent infestation, a friendly, well-trained service professional will arrive and listen to your needs and concerns. We will investigate the interior and exterior for signs to determine the rodent type, attractants, and access points. Upon completion of our inspection and interview, we will present you with a custom plan to eradicate the rodents from your property. 

Our removal process depends upon the rodent species invading your location, but it usually consists of bait boxes and trapping, if needed. Once the rodents have left, we perform exclusion work to keep a new generation of rodents from invading. We disinfect and clean up rodent feces in crawl spaces and basements to stop pathogens from spreading through the air.

Since 1987, we have provided the Colorado Springs community with high-quality rodent control services. Contact High Country Pest Control today to learn about our rodent pest control programs and get a free over-the-phone estimate.