Rats fall under the category of the most loathed pests in homes, mainly due to their ferocious destructive habits. If you’ve been wondering whether they do come out during the day, you’re not the only one! In short, you will rarely see rats during the day, but the fact is that they do come out.

During and after the 2020/21 global pandemic, rat sightings during the day have become even more common, taking into consideration that food sources have become more scarce. With this in mind, it would not be surprising to spot a rat in your home, or even outside, during daylight hours.

 

What Time Do Rats Usually Come Out?

Rats are generally known to be nocturnal, which means that the best time for them to come out and do their rodent business would be at dusk. That, however, does not mean that they cannot come out during the day.

Due to the fact that they tend to live close to humans, rats have adapted their natural instincts to best suit their needs. As such, they are now able to come out only when the surroundings are less dangerous for them, which is mostly after dark.

Depending on the location and environment, however, they can still come out in the daylight as long as it is safe for them. This is especially the case where there are safer routes to explore during the day.

In fact, there are some places, mostly commercial such as bars and clubs, that favor rats a lot during the early daytime hours. These are sites with too much activity going on in the evenings and nights, so rats prefer sneaking in during the day as this is when there is the least activity.

 

 

Where Do Rats Hide During The Day In A House And Outside?

Houses with higher levels of cleanliness are less likely to foster rat infestations. That being the case, where do rats hide during the day in a house if they cannot come out?

Rats prefer hiding in holes, which is why they often find cracks and crevices inside your home. They may also crawl up through drains, so it is important to check your shower drain and gutter on a regular basis.

When outdoors in the yard, you can find these rodents underneath trash and debris if you have some outside your house. If there are garbage cans and dumpsters around, they will use those too, as a means of cover from predators. Rats also crawl up trees during the day to look for food sources.

In a city, rats tend to hide in sewers and other public places during the day where they can avoid predators. They will only come out when it’s dark or when they feel that it is safe to do so.

That said, the most common places where rats like to hide in your house during the day include: air ducts; behind cabinets and cooking stoves; under refrigerators; inside woodpiles; in piles of clutter; in storage boxes; in ventilation systems; inside hollow walls; in drains; in wall and ceiling crawl spaces; and in attics and basements.

On the other hand, the outdoor hiding locations for rats include: in the garage and outdoor shed; in rain gutters, outdoor drains and sewers; under bushes and shrubs.

 

Is It Bad To See Rats During The Day? Does It Mean An Infestation?

Rats will only come out when they feel that it is truly safe, which is why you rarely see them during the day. Thus, seeing one or more rats during the day is often a likely sign of an infestation in your home or commercial property.

On the other hand, it is also possible that there is just one rat that you’re seeing during the day. If it keeps returning to your yard or around your house, however, that can be indicative of an infestation.

In such cases, the best thing to do is to take note of where the rat flees to after you’ve scared it. That way, further inspection can make it easier to determine whether you are facing a rat infestation on your property.

Other indications of an infestation include, but may not be limited to:

– Lots of droppings in a certain area

– Chewed-through holes in floors and walls

– Nesting material, which often contains paper, fabric, or even plants

– Strange smells coupled with other signs such as droppings and rat activity during the day

 

The takeaway here is that seeing rats during the day is not necessarily supposed to be a bad thing. However, seeing one or many rats during the day in addition to other signs of an infestation should make you feel a little concerned. Thus, it is important to take action as soon as possible and get in touch with an expert.

If you believe you have a problem with rats in your home or yard, our American Pest Control team is specially trained in rodent trapping, removal, and control. So contact us today to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Northeast Georgia, and to schedule a free inspection.

 

 

If you’ve found a mouse in your house, you might be wondering: are there more?

It all depends. Chances are that if you see one mouse in an active part of your home during the day, that you only have one mouse in your house at that given moment. This is because the mouse may have been trying to escape a predator and found an escape route through your home.

But this is not always the case. When you do see a lone mouse running through some part of your house, you should do a thorough search to see if there are more than one hiding out or making their own home in a dark corner of your house.

 

Is It Possible To Only Have One Mouse In The House?

The good news is that yes, there is a possibility of only having a single mouse in your home. It does happen from time to time, but do not count on it happening in your home. You may be the exception to the rule.

There is a way to tell approximately how many mice your home has welcomed. Check out the mouse droppings you see on your floor, counters, or furniture. If you find only 5 or 6 mouse droppings, that is a good sign, as that few droppings will tell you that there is only one of those rodents scouring about indoors.

On the other hand, if you see a lot of droppings, and those are not hard to miss, then you know you have more than just one mouse. Exactly how many you have will be hard to tell as you do not know how many droppings each mouse has left behind.

Now, if you saw a mouse at night and in a very obscure location inside your home, chances are you do have more than one mouse living with you. Mice moving about at night and acting normally indicates there is a colony of them somewhere in your home.

 

Does Finding One Mouse Mean An Infestation?

Yes and no. That is the best answer that can be given as it is hard to tell how many mice are living in your home without spotting the nest.

Sometimes, one mouse simply means there is only one mouse in your home. Other times, a single mouse represents a whole colony and that colony is full of female mice reproducing on a regular basis. One mouse could be the start of a colony and infestation or it could not be.

Even if you only have a few mice in your home, it only takes them 5 to 8 weeks to reach reproduction maturity. Once that happens, they will start reproducing at larger numbers and adding to your mouse problem.

With an average litter of 6 to 8 little mice pups, and the possibility of 5 to 10 litters per year per female mouse, one mouse in the house is enough to raise an alarm and see how big the problem is.

Don’t forget that each litter can start having their own babies after 5 to 8 weeks. If you let the problem go on, it can add up into a very big mice problem for you and your family.

 

 

Common Signs You May Have A Mouse Infestation

The good news in all of this is that you will see the signs left by mice telling you that you have an infestation. The large number of mouse droppings is just one sign and it will not be the only sign you will see.

Here are some more signs to let you know that you have a rodent problem in your home:

– You often hear scratching or squeaking sounds coming from inside your walls, ductwork, crawlspace, or other hidden areas.

– There will be gnaw marks on your baseboards, drywall, furniture, electrical wiring, and just about any other place the mice may visit.

– You may smell an ammonia-like odor in different parts of your home where you did not use ammonia for cleaning. That smell comes from mouse urine which is either normal bathroom relief, or the mice have decided to divide your home up into their own personal territories.

– There will be holes in walls, corners, cabinets, baseboards, and other easy-to-chew spots. These holes tell you the path the mice are using to go to their feeding sites and back to their nests.

– You find nesting materials that have dropped on your floor, counters, etc., as the mouse carries them to their nesting site inside your house structures. Those nesting materials can be cloth, fiberglass, paper, cotton, cardboard, and more.

When you see these signs, they tell you two things. One, that you have a mouse problem, and two, the mice have an easy access point into your home that needs to be sealed.

 

If you’ve seen mice in your home, even if it’s only a single mouse, it’s important to call a pest control expert. This is because there is a high chance of having a larger infestation. These rodents carry various diseases and contaminate food storage, thus, eliminating them as soon as possible should be your priority.

American Pest Control offers a wide range of services for rodent trapping, removal, and control in Northeast Georgia. One of our experienced technicians will thoroughly inspect your house, checking for evidence like mouse droppings, gnaw marks, or nesting materials. He’ll also make exclusion recommendations to prevent more mice from entering your home. So pick up your phone and call us today!