It doesn’t matter where you live or what time of year it is: rodents don’t seasonally hibernate and are  indifferent to questions about the rural and urban divide. Whether you live in a barn or a high-rise condo, rodents are something you contend against.

Just because they aren’t there now doesn’t mean they won’t be one day. It helps to know a thing or two about what attracts rodents to help keep them at bay. Read on for some helpful tips about rodents.

Toronto has a Rat Problem

Of all the cities in Canada, a new report says none has more than Toronto. The country’s most populated city also has the most rats. What makes your home so attractive for a rat?

Rats don’t sleep the cold winter away. Instead, they look for a warm and secure place to ride out the frigid weather. If you leave things around the home they love, you may have some uninvited friends this winter.

Rats are drawn to odours from pet waste, pet food, garbage containers, decomposing food, and more. For rat control in Toronto or the GTA that understands what rats like and knows how to uproot an infestation, gall GreenLeaf Pest Control today.

How to Keep Rats Away

It helps to know a few ways to prevent the problem from arising in the first place. Not only are rats gross and make people feel icky, but you and your loved ones can also get diseases from rats you want to avoid.

Rats don’t need much to survive, which is why they can be so tricky to uproot. Mainly, they need water, food, and basic shelter. Usually, rats in the winter flock to whatever warmth they can find, whether it’s among tall grasses somewhere or inside your home.

They’re notorious for building nests inside of appliances, but they also take refuge under furniture, behind walls, or in dark little-used corners and nooks of your home. If you hear pattering, squeaking, scratching sounds, smell an ammonia-like odour, find droppings or smears, or notice footprints around your home, it’s a sign you have rats.

As a precaution, look outside your home for any possible entryways they might use, from damaged drains, cracks in the garage door, gaps near vents, spaces in the foundation, and more. Seal any gaps you find. Some rats are drawn to piles of wood, which make great nesting places.

Traps can be a great way to catch a few rats, but they breed very quickly, and you aren’t likely to uproot the infestation. Norway rats, which Toronto has plenty of, give birth to three to six litters annually. If you decide to leave traps, leave plenty of them and use food like peanut butter or banana peels as bait. Traps are great because they’re a poison-free solution.

These are mostly stop-gap measures to do on your own to reduce the problem until you call GreenLeaf Pest Control for GTA and Toronto pest control, which addresses the heart of the infestation.

Mice Around the Home

Mice may be less viscerally gross than rats because they’re smaller and, if we’re honest, considerably cuter. But they can also spread diseases, and your home must be mouse-free.

Their diet is a little different than rats, preferring cereal and seeds, but they also eat insects, nuts, and fruit. They’re not very picky eaters. They eat just about anything humans eat, though they prefer grains.

Like with rats, to keep mice out of your home, seal up any cracks outside the exterior wider than a pencil with silicone caulk, steel wool, or other construction materials. Block their entryways, and they won’t get in.

Seal up any food in your home, dispose of garbage regularly, and ensure there aren’t any moist or damp areas in your home for prolonged periods. Such attractants encourage mice and other pests to come.

Ending the Mouse Problem

Mice breed quickly, and finding one in your home means there are likely many more not far behind. Where there’s one, there’s usually a family. Call GreenLeaf Pest Control for comprehensive house mice control in Toronto and the GTA that will fix your problem permanently.

If you leave traps around the home, you may catch one or two creatures without fully solving the issue. The specialists at GreenLeaf Pest Control aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty to fix your problem.

Whether it’s mice in the garage or they’re crawling around the kitchen, we’ll put a stop to it for good. If you’ve inserted a strong door sweep under the doors, including the garage door, and they’re still around, you probably have an infestation on your hands.

Try patching the cracks of the foundation and stuff excluder mesh — steel and copper wool — around the pipes before caulking to thicken up the blockage. If you’ve done that and the problem persists, that’s when we’ll take over.

A female mouse can get pregnant four to five times annually and give birth to 3-14 little ones at a time! You don’t want this profusion of mice in your home. Professionals understand the biology of rodents and use this knowledge to uproot the infestation.

We’ll use all our knowledge to create a custom, holistic solution to your problem to solve it exponentially quicker.

The last thing you need around the holiday season when friends and family come over to visit is a seriously bad pest problem. Nothing will undo the festive holiday cheer faster! To keep your home free of the diseases and ickiness that rodents bring by uprooting an existing infestation or opting for our preventative Home Protection Plan, call GreenLeaf Pest Control today.