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Rodent Control Canberra
Professional Rodent Control to get rid of rats and mice quickly and safely.
Professional Rodent Control Canberra, Queanbeyan & surrounding NSW
When it comes to rodent control in Canberra, a professional rodent exterminator ensures you get rid of the rats and mice quickly and safely.
It’s well known that rodents can spread serious diseases (including typhus and salmonella) and their habit of gnawing can cause damage to buildings, including to electrical wiring and water pipes. In fact they are though to be one of the major causes of “unexplained” house fired. Not to mention the food their spoil and the noise they make scrabbling around our homes!
To get rid of rats or mice, it takes expert knowledge of their habits and the use of specialist rodent baits and traps. Mann’s Pest Control have the solution for all kinds of mice and rat problems.
Professional Pest Control for Rodents
Rodent Exterminator v Rodent Management
Although many homeowners will search for a rodent exterminator in Canberra, although we obviously do eliminate rodents, we view ourselves as offering rodent management services. This is because to successfully eliminate a rodent problem you need to take a big picture view of the property – Why is there a rodent problem? Are there any hygiene issues? How are the rodents getting into the building? Only by answering these questions will you get a lasting solution to a rodent problem. If we just exterminate the rodents without solving other issues on site, it is likely that other rodents will move in soon after successful extermination.
Rodent Control Inspection
Canberra is home to the three most common species of pest rodents: black rats, brown rats and house mice.
The first job is for our team to undertake a thorough inspection of your property to determine which species is causing the problem, and to assess the size of the rodent population. We will identify how the rodents are getting into the building and attempt to locate any nests. Let us know where you’ve heard scurrying or found droppings, as these are likely to be hotspots.
Rodent protection is not included in our standard pest control treatment, so if you have a problem with rats or mice, you will need a specific rodent pest control treatment.
What to expect from our rodent treatments?
While it might be tempting to do your own rodent treatment, buying some rat bait and throwing it into the roof and hoping for the best, rarely achieves results. More importantly it can create a safety issue for pets and native animals.
New regulations have just been announced for even stricter regulations on the use of rodenticides, to minimise the risk of secondary poisoning of wildlife. It will become more difficult for homeowners to do a DIY treatment, due to the concern around lack of training, incorrect usage and risk of secondary poisoning.
Mann’s Pest Control are experts in rodent control techniques. We use a range of tools: professional quality rodent baits, bait stations and traps. Typically, rodenticide baits will be strategically placed around the property in locations that ensure maximum effectiveness. This is while taking into account safety considerations regarding children, pets, and food preparation areas. We only use secure, lockable bait stations. In situations where using bait is not appropriate, alternative methods (such as traps) may be used.
How long does rat bait take to work?
The rodenticides found in rat baits are are very effective but take a few days for the rodent to die. Generally they only require the rat or mice to nibble on the bait once before proving fatal. Typically, a rodent infestation will be under control within 1-2 weeks. However, if the property is not fully rodent proof, it is not unusual for other rodents to enter your property at a later date. As such we place sufficient bait throughout the property and roof space to prevent new infestations.
We generally charge a flat rate for standard rodent treatments, but if we find a serious infestation on arrival, we will let you know of any additional visits/costs that may be required.
Warranty: Our warranty on rodent treatments is 3 months. To prevent rodents returning it will be necessary to implement any rodent proofing recommendations.
Pest Control Mice
Unless you’re experiencing a mouse plague or having a major infestation, pest control for mice is fairly straight forward. Outside buildings mice will live in burrows, but inside buildings they will build their nests in wall cavities, behind and in cupboards, and in furniture. They don’t actually travel very far from their nest to their feeding sites, so finding their nesting site and placing baits accordingly is a key part to successful pest control for mice. Mice are also very inquisitive and so will readily try mouse bait, as long as it’s place in a suitable location.
Our professional mice treatments will generally eliminate the problem in 1-2 weeks, unless it’s a large mice infestation.
Rat Pest Control
Rat pest control is a bit more tricky dealing with mice. Firstly, there are two types of pest rats, the roof rat and the Norway rat (also known as the brown rat or sewer rat), and the two species of rat have very different behaviours. For example, the roof rat (which is more common) tends to be more arboreal and build nests in roof voids, whilst the Norway rats spends more time at ground level. Secondly, rats are also neophobic – they are frightened of new things. This makes it more difficult to introduce anything new in their territory, which means it may take longer for them to start feeding on a bait or enter a bait station, which in turn means it often takes longer to gain control.
Rat infestations can generally be eliminated in under 2 weeks. However, if they are significant number of rats present in may take several weeks and a couple of visits to gain control.
Why choose us?
Thirty years’ experience
Local family business
Prompt and reliable
Trusted and friendly
Fully licensed and insured
All work warrantied
Pet safe treatments
Environmentally friendly
Mann’s Pest Control is a member of the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association (AEPMA)
Types of Rodents in Canberra
There are three types of pest rodents in Canberra and surrounding NSW, the house mouse, the roof rat and the brown rat. Of the rat species, the roof rat is the most common.
Black rat (roof rat)
House mouse
Brown rat (Norway rat)
Roof rats tend to live above ground – in trees and roof voids. They are excellent climbers. Their tails are longer than their bodies and their ears are relatively large compared to their head. Roof rats will forage for many metres from their nest, so any rats you spot in the house may well be coming in from outside, and not necessarily be nesting in the house.
Brown rats (Norway rat) are also called sewer rats. They typically live at ground level and will nest in burrows, in buildings, and in sewers and drains. They are bigger and heavier than the roof rat. The tail is shorter than their body, and their ears are relatively small compared to their head. Although brown rats will forage for many metres from their nest, their nests are common found in or close to buildings.
House mice are considerably smaller than rats and have large ears and a furry tail. Outside they will live in burrows. Inside they tend to nest in shelter spots at ground level – in cupboards, in boxes and even in furniture. Mice tend to only forage a few metres from their nest, so if you spot a mouse in your house, there must be a nest nearby (likely to be inside the building).
Top tips to prevent a rodent problem...
Rodents like to make their nests in warm, sheltered locations that offer food and water nearby. When rats and mice enter our homes, it’s generally because they find exactly what they need once inside.
Preventing a rodent problem requires two actions:
- Preventing rodents from gaining access through cracks and gaps in the building;
- Removing potential sources of food and water.
Stop rodents from coming inside
- Look at the garden. Are any tree branches overhanging the property? Overhanging vegetation makes an easy springboard for rodents to gain access to the building. Prune branches and shrubs around the perimeter of the property.
- Seal any holes or gaps in the floorboards, walls and roof. Mice can squeeze through gaps as small as the end of your little finger.
- Repair any damaged screen doors and consider adding door sweeps on exterior doors.
- Store firewood well away (at least six metres) from the building.
Remove food and water sources
- Rubbish bins are easy-access food sources. Ensure all bins, inside and out, have tight-fitting lids.
- Keep food in sealed plastic or glass containers.
- Do not leave pet food outside.
- If the property is home to other animals, such as chickens, or rabbits, leftover grain feed can be very attractive to rodents. Food waste should be minimised and the grain stored securely.
- Check outdoor pipes and taps and fix any leaks.
FAQ - Rodent Pest Control
How does rat bait work?
Most rat baits contains rodenticides called anticoagulants. When a rodent eats the bait they ingest the anticoagulant, which thins their blood. After a few days they start to bleed internally, fall asleep and then die.
How much rat bait is toxic to dogs?
Rat baits contain a bittering agent, making them less palatable to children and dogs. However, as we know, dogs will eat anything! How much bait is toxic to your dog depends on weight of the dog, the type of the bait eaten and the amount of bait eaten.
Even a small amount of bait can make your dog ill, however, they will need to eat a reasonable amount of rat bait to get a lethal dose. It does depend on the bait, but as a broad guide, eating anymore than 5% of its body weight in bait, will put the dog at serious risk of death.
What to do if your dog eats rat bait?
As you never know how much rat bait the dog has actually eaten, in cases of suspected ingestion, the dog should be taken to the vet immediately. Although adverse symptoms may not be visible immediately, it is important to start any treatment as soon as possible.
The vet will need information on the bait ingested and an estimate of the amount eaten in order to determine the appropriate treatment. For cases of anticoagulant poisoning the treatment will often include a vitamin K injection.
Will possums eat rat bait?
Yes, possums will eat rodent bait and rodent bait will kill possums! This is one of the key reasons why DIY rodent treatments, especially throwing bait into roof voids, is not to be encouraged.
At Mann’s Pest Control we always place bait in lockable bait stations to only allow rats and mice access to the bait.
Call the Rodent Pest Control Specialists