Take Steps to Seal Off Your House From Rodents

Because of this year’s low rainfall, rats and mice are looking for new food sources as their natural sources are drying up.

Unfortunately, homes are a prime target for an easy meal.

Don’t let your house become a free ride for rodents during the drought. Here are some prevention tips:

* Inspect for cracks or openings around the home’s perimeter on a regular basis. Look for holes under and behind shrubbery or objects stored against the building and around pipes or conduits.

Rodents have been known to squeeze through holes the size of a nickel.

Seal any holes or cracks on the outside of a house with exterior spackling or stucco patch compound.

Pay close attention to foundation and attic vent screens and crawl-space access doors. Repair holes in the screen mesh with steel “hardware cloth.”

* Check the roof and eaves for cracks or openings (a common entry point is the underside of areas where sloped roof sections join together). Seal open sheet-metal roof vents with steel hardware cut to match the width of the opening but 2 inches longer.

Place it over the vent opening and fold the excess material over the edges. Secure it with sheet-metal screws driven into the vent’s walls.

* To keep rodents off the roof, trim trees and vines around the perimeter of the house to create about a 3-foot space at the roof line. Rats can jump onto the roof from adjacent trees; don’t make it easy for them.

* Pick up fallen fruit from trees right away and keep pet food in a sealed container inside. Also, store firewood in a sealed cabinet to prevent rats and mice from nesting in it.

* Look for holes or cracks inside the house. Open cabinet doors and inspect for holes around pipes. Look in corners and under “toe-kick” areas at the front of cabinets for openings. Seal with wall-patching compound.

* Check for spaces under exterior doors and the garage door. Add an appropriate door shoe or weatherstripping to the door’s bottoms or sides to create a tight seal.

Remember, mice can get under a door with a gap of less than half an inch.

* Keep doors shut when possible. Rats and mice can slip quickly through an open door.

*

Gary Abrams has been writing for The Times since 1989. Questions and comments can be sent to him at thehomedoc@aol.com.