Your home should be a sanctuary free of critters, rats, and mice for you and your family – a place to relax, recharge, and feel safe. Any threats to your home’s safety and comfort should be addressed immediately and thoroughly.Â
Rodents are an example of common household pests that can pose a serious threat to your home’s safety and comfort. The attic is a very common area for rodents to enter through and inhabit, so attic rodent-proofing is critical to keeping these nuisance animals out. The benefits of rodent-proofing your attic far exceed the cost of having the job done right by professional pest inspectors. These benefits can be put into two main categories for homeowners: avoiding health hazards and avoiding damage to your home.
Avoid Health Hazards
One of the primary benefits of rodent-proofing your attic is that you will not be exposed to the many health threats posed by such nuisance animals. Health hazards caused by lack of rodent control include:
Disease
The single biggest threat that rodents pose to human health is the diseases they carry and spread. The spread of infectious diseases from rodents to humans does not just happen via direct contact with the animals; it can also happen through contact with droppings and urine. Rodents have a tendency of getting into household food items, thus disease can often be spread in areas, such as the kitchen or pantry.
Rodents can host a large number of diseases, some of which are deadly to humans. Examples of diseases spread by rodents are leptospirosis, salmonella, hantavirus, and even the plague. Keeping rodents from crawling through the vents, or cracks and crevices of your home is the only effective way to ensure that you will not be exposed to these dangerous diseases while inside your house.
Allergies
Disease is not the only threat to human health that is posed by rodents in the home. Many people experience allergic reactions when their homes are infested by rodents and control services have not yet been contacted for pest removal purposes. Rodents can make symptoms flare up in those with asthma, and they may cause allergic reactions in people who do not have asthma, either.
Hair, urine, and feces from rodents can trigger allergic reactions. Imagine walking into your own home after a long day of work, only to have to deal with an intense allergic reaction because you have a rodent infestation in your attic. Rodent-proof benefits include avoiding this hazardous situation altogether.Â
Avoid Damage to Your Home
Most of us already know that rats and mice like to chew holes in just about anything they can find – but do you know why? These critters don’t just chew to access food or make new passageways; they actually have to chew for their survival.Â
Rats and mice have teeth that continue to grow for their entire life. To shave them down to a size that is manageable and useful to them, they must chew almost constantly. When rodents live in your attic, this means that your home and anything inside of it becomes fair game for their chewing. Additionally, mice like to chew up materials in your attic such as insulation and cardboard to make shelter nests for themselves. A thorough inspection is the first step in rodent control and removal. There are so many methods to prevent further damage, such as installing rodent resistant insulation.
Damage to your home caused by rodents can also result from the mess they leave behind. Urine, feces, and decaying bodies of rodents can leave nasty stains and odors that require professional attic cleaning to remedy and eliminate the aftermath. A great benefit of rodent-proofing your attic is avoiding the various types of damage caused by rodents altogether.
Prevent Fire
If you are not already convinced that rodent-proofing your attic is a beneficial practice, consider this: rodents can cause house fires. Gnawed wood, insulation, and personal items are damaging to your home, but it is nothing in comparison to what can happen when a rodent chews through an electrical wire.Â
When rodents chew through wires in your attic or elsewhere in your home, they can cause circuit shorts which result in sparks or electrical fires. When the conditions are right, these small fires can quickly turn into full-blown house fires, completely destroying your home and potentially injuring or killing any people or pets inside of it.Â
It has been estimated that around 1 out of every 5 house fires can be attributed to rodents, specifically rat and mice activity. The only way to ensure that your house does not go up in flames as a result of rodent chewing is to keep the animal out altogether. Attics tend to be one of the most vulnerable areas of the home for rodent entry points and infestation, so sealing this area off is a must for proactive homeowners.
Wrapping Up
If you have any more questions about rodent-proofing your attic, contact one of our attic professionals at Attic Construction today! Our Phoenix, San Diego and Orange County rodent proofing technicians are always ready to help!Â
Sources:
https://greenratcontrol.com/the-shocking-dangers-of-rats-and-mice-in-your-home/
https://www.catseyepest.com/blog/benefits-of-exclusion
https://www.bredapest.com/news/the-dangers-of-rodents-in-the-attic-this2