Managing rat and mouse pests

• Seal all openings that are bigger than 6 mm (1/4 inch) with durable materials:
  • Stuff steel wool around pipes and then seal with caulking or plaster
  • Cover dryer vents, attic vents and soffits with heavy 1/4 inch wire mesh
  • Repair cracks in foundations
  • Install metal weather stripping under doors, and weather stripping around windows
  • Install chimney caps
• Install sheet metal kick plates on the exterior of doors to prevent rodents from gnawing
• Build outbuildings like sheds on concrete pads, not bare ground
• Prune back branches that hang over balconies, eaves and roofs
• Regularly inspect and repair entry points

• Keep all garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids
• Keep rodents out of your backyard composter:
  • Use composters that contain the compost off the ground. If your composter rests on the ground, install a layer of heavy metal mesh between the soil and the composter
  • Keep a tight-fitting lid on the compost bin
  • Don’t put meat, dairy products or eggs in backyard composters
• Remove any food outside:
  • Fallen fruit or nuts
  • Birdseed and chicken feed around feeders
  • Don’t feed stray or wild animals
• Clean up any leftover food after your pet is done eating
• Clean up pet waste
• Keep food prep and storage areas clean:
  • Store dry goods, birdseed and dry pet food in hard-walled containers with tight-fitting lids
  • Avoid leaving produce out. Keep it in the refrigerator
• Eliminate water sources:
  • Fix leaky taps, sweating pipes and open drains
  • Cover pools and hot tubs when not in use

• Remove unused clutter in and around buildings
• Keep building perimeters clear of junk and debris
• Cut tall grass and weeds back from buildings
• Keep bushes and trees around buildings trimmed so that 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) above ground is clear
• Store firewood and lumber away from buildings and at least 30 cm (1 foot) off the ground

Clean up areas where they’ve been as rodents are attracted to the smells left behind by other rodents. It's also important to clean these areas to protect your health because rodents can transmit diseases.

• Find out how to clean up after rodents safely:
  • Get rid of droppings, nesting material and damaged food
  • Clean urine stains, rub marks, tracks, and any areas where rodents have been with a mild bleach solution

Rodents will cross property lines. Encourage your neighbours to also take preventative steps to keep rodent problems from spreading around your community:

• Share rodent prevention techniques
• Help neighbours who need assistance
• Organize community efforts to prevent rodent problems in public spaces

• Droppings are 15 to 20 mm (3/4 inch) long with rounded ends
• Measures 30 to 45 cm (12 to 18 inches) from nose to end of tail
• Blunt nose and ears that are relatively small for the size of its head
• Tail is shorter than the length of its body (including its head)
• Generally live at ground level and build elaborate systems of tunnels and burrows
• Prefers moist conditions like crawl spaces and building perimeters

• Droppings are 10 to 15 mm (1/2 inch) long with pointed ends
• Slimmer than the Norway rat
• Measures 33 to 43 cm (13 to 17 inches) from nose to end of tail
• Pointed nose and large ears
• Tail is longer than its body and head put together
• Agile climbers that prefer to live higher up in trees, vines and other dense vegetation
• Often nests in ceilings and attics

• Droppings are around 6 mm (1/4 inch) long with pointed ends
• Measures 15 to 17 cm (6 to 7 inches) from nose to end of tail
• Pointed nose, relatively large ears and a nearly hairless tail
• Nests in hidden, enclosed spaces using shredded paper, insulation, string or other soft materials

• Choose traps for the type of rodent you are dealing with. Rat traps and mouse traps are different sizes, and the wrong one won’t work
• Always read and follow the manufacturer’s directions on how to use your trap

• Set traps along walls where rodents travel
  • Put the bait side of the trap toward the wall for uncovered traps
  • Put the entrance of the trap parallel to the wall for covered traps
• Protect children, pets and wildlife from getting injured by traps. Put them in bait stations or in inaccessible areas
• Place traps about one meter apart
• Use bait like dried fruit, peanut butter (mixed with oats), cheese, marshmallows, onions or any other food they've already been nibbling on
• Leave the baited traps out for several nights before setting them, so the rodents get used to them

• Check traps daily
• Wear gloves to handle the trap and all dead rodents
• Wrap the dead rodent in plastic and put it in the garbage
• Re-use traps. They are more attractive to other rodents than new traps
• Reset traps in 2 to 3 weeks to catch maturing rodents. You won’t get long-term control if you don’t catch them all

Some cats will catch mice or rats, but they are typically not an effective way of controlling an infestation. The presence of a cat may help keep rodents away. Remember that cats will also kill birds.

A few precautions about cats catching rodents:

• A cornered adult rat can seriously injure a cat
• Cats may bring live rodents into living spaces
• Rodents often carry parasites that can be passed on to cats

Raptors like owls and hawks are natural predators of rats and mice. Encourage raptors in your area to help keep rat and mouse populations in check.

• Keep, restore or enhance raptor habitat features:
  • Nesting sites
  • Roosting and perching sites
  • Foraging areas
• Reduce the risk of accidental mortality, such as collisions with wires or windows
• Avoid using herbicides that may reduce habitat
• Avoid using anticoagulant rodenticides. They can cause secondary poisoning of raptors