Rodent Control That Seals the Deal

For homes, trapping plus exclusion wins. Poison can leave dead rodents in inaccessible spots, and it carries secondary risks for owls, hawks and pets. We use rodenticides selectively and to label when a situation truly calls for them.

Be careful. Sweeping or vacuuming droppings can put hantavirus particles in the air. See our hantavirus page for what to do, or have us handle the cleanup and disinfection.

Trapping clears the rats that are in now, but if the entry points stay open, the yard just sends more. The fix that holds is exclusion — sealing the roofline, vents and gaps — combined with trapping, not trapping alone.

We inspect to find how they're getting in and where they're active, seal the entry points and trap out the current animals at the same time, so the next ones can't follow — and the work is backed by a one-year warranty. We'll also point out the citrus, limbs or clutter that's drawing them in.

A rat can squeeze through a hole about the size of a quarter, and a mouse through one the size of a dime. That's why a thorough seal-up checks the roofline, vents, pipe penetrations and garage corners, not just the obvious holes.

Rodents are a priority — droppings, attic noise and gnawing don't wait. Active rodent problems are prioritized when we schedule, and most rodent jobs start with an inspection and trapping, followed by the exclusion work.

Before the nights cool off is ideal, but only if nothing is inside yet. If rodents are already in the attic, sealing with nothing set inside shuts them in — they chew a new exit or die in a wall void. So we inspect, seal and set traps in the same visit, and keep trapping until the activity stops. Late summer and early fall is the window because you can finish both halves before the heavy indoor push in October and November.

That is exactly why we trap instead of baiting. A baited rat wanders off and dies where nobody can reach it, and you find out through the odor weeks later. Traps hold the animal at a known spot, so it gets removed instead of decomposing in a wall void or in attic insulation. If there is already an odor from a previous bait job, tell us and we will look for the source.

Rodents keep coming back to the yard — that is the citrus, the fences and the neighbors, and nobody can stop it. What exclusion does is keep the yard from becoming the attic. Once the openings are physically closed, the pressure outside stops turning into activity inside. The trapping and exclusion work carries a one-year warranty, and if something opens up in that window we come back and handle it.

Usually yes. A mouse in the kitchen at night is almost never a lone traveler, and by the time you see one in daylight the population is established. Look for droppings behind the toaster, in the silverware drawer and under the sink, and check where the plumbing and gas lines come through the cabinet backs. Mice need a gap the width of a dime, so the same trap-and-seal-together approach applies — just at floor level instead of the roofline.

Scratching, scurrying and the occasional thump overhead, mostly after dusk and before dawn. Daytime noise is more often a tree squirrel. Faint clicking inside a wall with no scurrying can be termites.

Yes. Roof rats use attics year-round, and in the San Gabriel Valley summer activity is common where backyard citrus and avocado trees keep them fed. Fall is when new rats push in from the foothills as nights cool.

It depends on the house: the number of entry points to seal, the roofline, and whether the attic needs cleanup after the activity stops. Exclusion is priced by the home, not a flat menu, and it carries a one-year warranty. We quote it in writing after looking, and the quote is free.

Listen to the clock. Rats are active after dusk and before dawn; squirrels are busy in daylight. Rats leave pointed droppings about half an inch long and greasy rub marks; squirrels are a wildlife-removal job rather than ours, but the sealing work that keeps rats out keeps squirrels out too.

Yes. House mice get the same trap-and-seal-together approach as rats, with mouse traps set no more than about 10 feet apart along walls and every gap down to a quarter inch closed with metal or concrete. Mice seldom travel more than 30 feet from their nest, so the opening is usually close to the droppings.

Not by default. A baited rat usually dies inside a wall or ceiling, the bait does nothing about the hole it came through, and California now prohibits most anticoagulant rodenticides for residential use, the last two added on January 1, 2025. We trap and seal.

Usually an inspection, the sealing and trapping together, a few trap checks over one to two weeks until the catches stop, and a follow-up check. Heavier attic activity can take longer, and cleanup is scheduled once the rodents are gone.

A good one inspects from the roofline down, traps the rats already inside, seals every opening with materials rats cannot chew, cleans up droppings and nesting, and puts a warranty on the sealing. One who only sets bait stations is managing rats, not ending them.