We all agree that having rodents in your home is disgusting. But have you stopped to consider that it can also be extremely costly? Not only do rodents act as a nuisance, homeowners across Houston have found that many financial burdens can come from a mouse or rodent infestation. And the more hidden a rodent infestation is, the more difficult and expensive it may be to remove.
Damage from rodents costs American hundreds of millions of dollars each year. And if you’re counting on your homeowner’s insurance to cover the damage related to rodents or the cost of mouse or rat extermination, you will likely be disappointed. Very few homeowner’s insurance policies in the state will cover the damage caused by rodents, leaving you to foot the bill from wires that have been chewed through, surfaces that have been contaminated with rodent urine or feces, structures that have been damage, or even medical bills related to illnesses caused by rodents.
Some of the most common types of damage that occur in rodent control situations include electrical damage, structural damage, insulation damage, health problems, damaged HVAC systems, and odor problems.
Read More: 7 Signs of Rat Infestations in Your Home
HVAC Damage
Your air conditioning units, duct work, and other building systems may seem a very inviting place for rodents to set up their homes. Rats and mice love to live inside of ducts and air returns, chewing through insulation and generally causing damage wherever they go. Not only that, but the diseased rodents’ germs may then be blowing through your house.
Attics and crawlspaces act as an invitation to rats and mice who love to practice chewing on thermal insulation. Not only that, but if they are nesting in your insulation then you’ll eventually find that your insulation will be less effective. If rodents chew through the insulation around your water heater, they may be creating a fire hazard in your home.
Electrical Wire Damage
Mice and rats love to chew. In fact, mouse teeth never stop growing which means that they continually need to chew in order to exercise their teeth and wear them down. So when rodents find the electrical wires in your home, these seem like a perfect place for mice and rats to chew. This chewing clears off the protective plastic insulation on the outside of the wires, causing a dangerous opportunity for a fire to start.
Rodents may also chew through the electrical panel in your home, leaving your family in the dark. If you find yourself with a mouse or rat control problem in your garage, the electrical components of your vehicles may also be in danger of being gnawed through, causing costly damage to your car.
Damage to Structures
Again with the chewing. Rodents will gnaw and chew through wood, bricks, sheet rock, or other materials in order to create entry holes. Furniture, walls, cabinets, and other materials are no match for pesky rodents in homes, attics, chimneys, and garages. Roofs can even be damaged by certain rats that are able to chew through in order to seek an entry point into your home. All of these components of your home are at risk for severe damage if an infestation is found and mouse or rat removal is not performed.
Health Problems
Mice and rats are disgusting creatures who carry germs and disease wherever they go. Hantavirus, Salmonella, and Leptospirosis are just some of the dangerous diseases carried by rodents. Urine, droppings, and saliva from rodents all contain disease-causing germs which can also make their way into the air, resulting in problems with asthma and other allergic reactions. Keeping your home free of rodents may be critical to the health of your family.
Read More: How a Mice Infestation Can Affect Your Health
Odor Removal
Even if you are able to get a rat problem under control, if just one trapped rodent dies in the walls of your home without your knowledge, it could create significant and costly odor removal problems. Fumigation could be an additional cost along with cost of the rat extermination and removal.
In order to maintain control of damaged caused by rodents, check your property regularly to find potential problems from the very beginning. If you notice unusual activity at night, discover areas in your home that have been gnawed on, or find other evidence of a rodent infestation, contact Houston-based Cypress Creek Pest Control for access to a professional rat exterminator to clear out your rat control problems, bring you peace of mind, and save you hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars in rodent damage to your home.
