Not a Ghost! How Rodents are Haunting Homes this Halloween

Picture this scene: you’re home alone and you start hearing strange sounds in the walls—scratching, pattering. You can’t find the source of the noise; one minute it’s beside you, the next it’s at other end of the room. Is it ghosts? Think again. It’s not spirits haunting your home, it’s rodents! And this is just one way that rats and mice can make you feel like your house is haunted. Keep reading to discover others!

Flickering Lights 

In a horror movie, when the lights start flickering you know things are about to get scary. If this starts happening in your own house, you don’t need to shriek and holler—however, a call to an exterminator might be imperative. Rats and mice are constantly gnawing on things, and one thing in particular they like to sink their sharp incisors into are electric wires. And with their ability to slip into the tightest of spaces, rodents can reach even well-tucked-away wiring. The spooky flickering aside, this can result in serious problems. Costly electric repairs might be needed, or, worst-case scenario, a fire can be sparked.

Illness and Disease
Another horror trope rodents might evoke is… the epidemic! Well, they might not bring about the Black Death (again!), however, rodents are carriers of diseases, many of which are transmittable to humans and pets, including leptospirosis, salmonella, tapeworms and tuberculosis. The droppings, urine and saliva they leave behind can be disease-ridden too. On top of that, rodents are carriers of pests like fleas, mites and ticks.

If vampires give you the spooks, rodents should too! If cornered, they may use those fangs—or pointy incisors—mentioned above. And—no less than by Dracula or Nosferatu—you don’t want to be bitten by a rodent. They can transmit dangerous diseases such as rat-bite fever and murine typhus.

Pest Control in Victoria, Vancouver, and the Lower Mainland
If you have a rodent problem and feel like your living in a haunted house, there’s an easy solution: call the Pest Detective! For over thirty years we’ve been providing superior pest control solutions to Victoria and the Lower Mainland. For effective extermination (or, if you prefer, exorcism) in Victoria, Vancouver, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Surrey and elsewhere in the Lower Mainland of BC, contact us today!