Mice or rats living in the backyard
Rats and mice are incredibly resilient animals that have adapted to living alongside humans for centuries. Whether we like it or not, humans have created habitats that create the perfect conditions for thriving rodent populations and they are a normal part of urban and suburban environments. A mouse or rat spotted in the backyard does not indicate an infestation and is not cause for alarm. If tolerance is not an option, the best way to discourage rodents from taking up residence in the back yard is to remove attractants and modify their habitat.
Removing Attractants
Rats and mice, like many other wild animals, are opportunistic feeders who will take advantage of food sources available in areas where humans live. The first step is to identify attractants and then secure or remove them. Some examples include:
- Proper disposal and storage of garbage/organic matter, including not overfilling bins and making sure there are no cracks or holes in the plastic.
- Storing food in rodent-proof containers, such as airtight plastic bins with locking handles. This includes birdseed, grass seed, and other possible foods kept in garages and/or sheds.
- Cleaning up pet droppings from the yard every day.
- Clearing fallen fruit and nuts from the ground.
- Daily cleaning of excess seed under bird feeders, or removal of bird feeders entirely. Feeding stations do not discriminate in what type of wildlife they attract, and rodents are often drawn to bird feeders.
Modifying habitat
Keeping your yard tidy is necessary to make rodents feel less secure in taking refuge in your backyard. Rodents feel less comfortable in open spaces, so taking the time to remove clutter and having fewer overgrown areas means fewer places to nest and hide. Some ideas include:
- Removing piles of wood, bricks, cardboard, or any other piles of stocked up items that belong in a storage shed or garbage bin.
- Making sure garage and storage shed doors are closed with no gaps as well as investigating the perimeter of the building to check for holes that allow the rodents to enter.
- Securing the spaces underneath decks and porches by repairing any holes that lead underneath
This process takes some effort, but it is the only means to reduce rat and mouse problems in the future. Otherwise, the animals continue to have access to the food and protective habitat and will be able to reproduce rapidly. Lethal methods cannot provide a permanent resolution to this problem and needlessly kills – in many cases inhumanely – untold numbers of animals in the process, and not just mice and rats. The use of poison or kill-traps leaves all wildlife in the area vulnerable. TWC has received calls and admitted many small birds stuck in glue traps, skunks with paws caught and broken in snap traps, and severely ill birds of prey who have eaten a poisoned rodent. Even live trapping and relocating rodents, sometimes considered as the “humane” solution to wildlife removal, can still be harmful to the animals, and is an endless cycle that does not do anything to prevent the recurrence of the problem.
