Cold temperatures may mean you get unwanted rodents in your home - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff

Cold temperatures may mean you get unwanted rodents in your home

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Mice droppings and dead mice found in one woman's home Mice droppings and dead mice found in one woman's home
LENEXA, KS (KCTV) -

With all the snow and cold temperatures outside, wild rodents like mice and rats may try to seek refuge in your home and one local pest control expert talks about the warning signs and what you can do to prevent a problem.

People may have a problem in their home if they notice a lot of rodent droppings.

"Mice are coming in this time of the year because of obviously the cold," said Rick Johnson, owner of All-Ridd Pest Control in Merriam, KS. "A lot of the normal food sources are gone so they're coming in and they're looking for places."

Rodents are looking for places to keep warm and where they'll be able to find easy access to food sources.

One mouse found in the laundry room of Ada Bagdasaryan's Lenexa, KS, home isn't the only problem child she's had to deal with.

"This is mouse No. 16 we've found," she said.

Johnson, who often deals with rodent issues, said there are some warning signs to look out for.

"Things we always look for - the droppings from the actual mice," he said.

"Last night my fiancé came home to the spare bedroom closet and there are mice droppings everywhere, there's a nest that's built," Bagdasaryan said.

Johnson said to put your dog food in a sealed container and added that mice are nocturnal. He also offered other advice of things to look out for.

"The gnawing of insulation, gnawing around the door, entrance points, those are some of the main things," he said. "Most of the time they usually don't travel more than 15-20 feet from where ever their nest is, so that would be the area you'd want to put attention to."

Since mice are nocturnal, people will often hear them gnawing at things and moving about as they head to bed. Johnson also said they can fit through a hold the size of a dime.

A preventative measure he offers is to take copper wool and place it around the holes where utilities enter a home.

Copyright 2013 KCTV (Meredith Corp.)  All rights reserved.

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