Rodents are warm-blooded vertebrates that can be found easily throughout the world. They have larger-than-average front teeth for biting and check teeth, which are adjusted for chewing. Depending on the species, the life expectancy of rodent is eight days to two months or, for some rodents, up to a year. Rodents chew on an assortment of items accessible to them and cause tremendous harm in many homes. Rodents prefer to live in protected, undisturbed conditions – making your loft and crawl space the perfect area for them to fabricate their “home”.

Rodents have different physical characteristics, feeding habits and behaviours which are used to identify them and their presence These are the types of rodents along with their characteristics:

1. House Mouse, the house mouse has a smaller head and feet relative to the body than a young rat. It usually lives on the ground and in burrows. It prefers cereals for food and can survive without water, as long as their food source has a high moisture content
2. Black Rat, the black rat has a pointed nose and large hairless ears, and its tail is longer than its body. It has arboreal origins so is agile and likes to climb for nesting. In temperate countries it is mainly confined to ports and ships. When found in buildings it usually nests high in the roof. It prefers fruit and moist bait, varying its routes for foraging, making it more difficult to bait.
3. Squirrels, they generally live in wooded areas and trees. They frequently invade attics and garages to take shelter and store food. In buildings they can gnaw on cables, stored goods in the exterior and interior walls. In gardens they can strip bark from trees and ornamental plants and damage flower beds
4. Chipmunks, they are burrowing rodents found in North America that forage mainly on the ground. They have an omnivorous diet, but feed primarily on seeds, nuts, fruit and buds. They can damage gardens, fruit and vegetables and burrow under buildings, damaging porches, patios etc.

At times, the rodent problem becomes too much of a plate for the homeowner to handle as they can be found everywhere. Rodents are destructive pests and perilous transporters of diseases and infections. You may not know the extent of their contamination until proper investigation is completed. The solution is to hire a pest control expert who can locate the pests, determine their infestation and exterminate them using the best control and removal methods.