Have you ever wondered what happens when you have mice or rats living in your home? I mean, they are just furry little creatures with cute little twitchy noses and long whiskers. How bad can they really be? Surely it’s not that big of a deal to have rodents overwinter in your warm wall voids, attic, or basement. Perhaps, in some weird sort of way, you are just doing your part by protecting those mice from the weather that the winter months bring. Besides, those cute little itty bitty babies are just so darn adorable. Seriously, you’re not going to tell me that there is really any big deal, are you?

Well, in a word, yes. It is a huge deal to have mice and rats cohabiting with you in your home. Rodents are meant to be wild. They are supposed to live in the wild, eat in the wild, sleep in the wild, procreate in the wild, and do all of their business in the wild. When rodents step out of their rightful place and decide to live in your home, even if it is just for the winter, they become a danger to you, your family, your pets, and your home. I know, I know, it is hard to believe that those tiny little rodents could possibly be a threat to anyone. Well, except maybe to elephants! After all, those huge beasts are scared to death of mice! Maybe, just maybe, they are on to something! Read on, and you may end up agreeing with those petrified pachyderms!

Wild! Rodents are wild! They do not have regular veterinarian visits and they do not use their flea and tick protection. And, yes, they do carry parasites wherever they go. In fact, they are typically quite infested with them. If these parasites would just stay put on their little rodent hosts that may not be such a big deal. But they don’t! They hop, skip, and jump right off those hosts and move on to bigger and better venues like your dog or your cat or your children! Now that wouldn’t be such a big deal except for the fact that those parasites carry diseases that they then spread to their new host! Diseases such as: Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Tularemia, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, and many more. Parasites are reason enough to avoid rodents, but there is more to consider.

Rodents, such as rats and mice carry pathogens of their own that they can spread to pets and humans. Plague is a prime example, and, yes, plague still exists today even here in America. Other pathogens that rats and mice can spread include: viral hemorrhagic fever, Q fever, Weil’s disease, Hantavirus, Salmonellosis and many, many more. And, that is not even considering all the bacteria and other pathogens that these creatures pick up on their feet and fur from all those unseemly places that they frequent, and then spread them everywhere they walk throughout your home and your kitchen in particular.

If the health risks alone are not enough to convince you to join the heffalumps in their hysteria, consider their teeth! Rodents have 2 front incisors that never ever stop growing, and because of that fact these creatures need to chew and chew and chew. In fact, they don’t even really care what they chew on as long as they continue to keep those teeth at a usable size. They will chew on books, magazines, priceless heirlooms, clothing, insulation, pipes, and wood; and, oh yeah, they will also chew on wires. That’s right, even the wiring inside your walls is a chew toy for mice and rats. Now, at first glance, that may not seem like such a big deal. Until, you stop and consider that mice and rats do not know the difference between live and dead wires. Those sharp teeth will gnaw on those wires and puncture the covering on those wires until they expose the actual copper conduits beneath. Once that copper wiring is exposed, with electricity running through it, it becomes a risk to your home and your family. That bare wire can quickly spark a fire, and that would be disastrous.

I am quite certain that when all the facts are in, you will choose to side with those terrified elephants and want those tiny little mice and not so tiny rats to stay far, far away! I am not really sure how elephants manage that task, but in Tennessee we have the experts at Active Pest Control. Active Pest Control has several options available to deal with rodents in your home, either on a one-time basis or through our year-round pest control plans. Remember, year-round control means year-round protection! Give us a call today and let us help you decide which pest control plan is right for you. Join those highly intelligent elephants and keep mice and rats far away from you, your family, and your home with Active Pest Control.