mice

During the colder months, rodents will be on the lookout for sustenance and warm conditions, often this can mean that they are drawn into our homes. We've created the list below to show just some of the signs you need to be aware of in case you have any unwanted house guests at the moment. 

EVIDENCE OF A RODENT IN AND AROUND YOUR HOME

Sound

Rodents are nocturnal and feed mostly at night so that scuttling sound waking you during the early hours could indicate their presence in your home.

Droppings

Mouse droppings: 3-6 mm long, black and rod-shaped. Approximately 80 droppings per day, often appearing in clusters.

Brown Rat (Rattus Norvegicus) droppings are 1.5cm

Whilst we all try to recycle and re-use as much as possible, inevitably bins can overflow during the Christmas holidays as we accommodate more guests, food and used packaging than we would at any other time of year.  Alongside this, rubbish collections can be a little bit later as refuse collectors take a well-earned break for the festivities.

In order to keep your bin area and households rodent-free this Christmas (and all year round), The Big Cheese recommends taking the following steps:

1. Make sure that your bins are kept firmly shut and secure, especially when you have any food waste. If your bin is cracked or broken ask your local council for a replacement immediately!
2. Clean your bins regularly, dirty bins = rats and mice.
3. Don’t let

When Rats, Squirrels and Mice smell a food source, they can go to great lengths to locate it. Once they do begin to nibble on something they’ll keep coming back for more! (And will likely bring a friend or two, plus seeds will spill which will in turn attract more pests.) Not all is lost though, if you follow the steps below you should be able to prevent this problem from occurring and if it does The Big Cheese will have plenty of solutions and advice for solving your problems.  

Keep it clean

The most important thing here is to clean up any fallen food as quickly as you can, rodents are excellent climbers but like most creatures, they’d rather feed on the floor. Seed catchers or trays should help to prevent this

Controlling rodents often can involve the use of poison baits. However, these products can be toxic to other wildlife, domestic livestock and pets if used incorrectly.  Ensure that you can use rodenticides safely and effectively before using this method of control.

If you require the use of rodenticides, be advised that housing the bait in a tamper-resistant bait station is required by law. Bait stations must meet several criteria that prevent entry or tampering by non-targets.

Bait stations make the use of rodenticides more efficient by providing the following benefits:

• They help prevent the spilling of bait.
• They provide a protected place for rodents to feed, allowing them to consume more bait.
• They keep non-targets away from the baits.