Camarillo, CA has a major rodent problem and most people don’t know about it. However, rodents like mice, rats, or other pests, can carry diseases into your home and cost you hundreds of dollars in damage. To understand the full extent of your pest problem, you need to learn more about the dangers that a particular pest could have for you–as well as when it might be time to call in the professionals.
Common Types of Rodents in Camarillo, CA
There are many different types of rodents in California, including rats, squirrels, voles, mice, and more. Many of the rodents on that list mind their own business, preferring woodland areas and staying as far away from humans as possible. However, there are a few species that thrive in urban areas.
If they can find a way into your house, they will take over, possibly carrying diseases, and doing serious damage to your home. Taking that into consideration, we want to focus on the more problematic species in the state, to give you a heads up on a few rodents that might take an interest in your home.
Norway Rats
Norway rats are also known as brown rats. They are one of the most common types of rats in California and across the world.
Norway rats typically have brown or grey fur, a body length of about 11 inches, and a tail nearly as long. These rodents are excellent swimmers, climbers, diggers, and they’re incredibly smart. They will go anywhere they want and eat everything in sight. These rats are attracted to urban areas such as Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, and Santa Barbara.
Having Norway rats in and around your home or business can be dangerous. They can carry pathogens, like Weil’s disease, rat-bite fever, toxoplasmosis, and more. Before you know it, they will chew through every box in your basement, making nests out of your belongings and contaminating your food stores.
Roof Rats
Smaller types of rodents in California include the roof rats, otherwise known as the black rats. These rats are about six to eight inches long, with a tail that is about three inches longer than the length of their bodies. Their fur can be any shade, from black to light brown, and their bellies are usually lighter than the rest of their bodies.
These rats are normally smaller than the Norway rats, but they are much more destructive. They tend to be drawn to the higher levels of buildings, such as your attic. That particular habit usually helps them find ways into your walls, giving them access to electrical wires.
Since they chew everything in their path, they are incredibly dangerous. Chewing the wires in your home can lead to electrical fires within your walls.
Since these rats are omnivores, they are a serious pest for farmers. They are excellent climbers in your home but don’t spend all their time in urban areas if they can find plenty of food in a field. In that case, they will burrow under the roots of trees and colonize underground, decimating crops.
Roof rats can carry pathogens just like their brown rat cousins. A roof rat infestation can put you and your family at risk for bubonic plague, typhus, Weil’s disease, toxoplasmosis, and so much more.
Rodents in California — Plentiful and Problematic
Rats aren’t the only rodents that run amuck in urban cities, but they are a major culprit. If you start hearing scratching in the walls and scurrying in the attic, there’s a good chance you might have an invasion on your hands. Droppings and traps may give you a better idea of what you’re dealing with.
How can O’Connor Pest Control get rid of rodents in my home?
If you believe you already have a serious problem on your hands, feel free to give O’Connor Pest Control a call. The best way to get rid of a pest problem is to let the professionals do their job.