Rose is THE rat exterminator Chicago. If you’re not familiar with our roots, get a load of this:
Vintage Rose Rat Exterminator Chicago Postcard
We’ve been safeguarding the City of Chicago’s residents and businesses from rats longer than anyone. It’s far from our first battle with these flea-ridden, disease spreading creatures. So naturally, we’re proud to share our expert tips and advice with you in recognition of Rodent Awareness. Education is the first and best defense against any pest problem and first step to making sure you’re protected from harms they may cause.
Meet Our Opponents
Norway Rat
- Big, greasy, nocturnal, GROSS
- Body larger than tail, can get up to 16″ long
- Brown to gray in color with pink feet
- Feeds on food debris, garbage, dog poop, and gnaws constantly
- Excellent swimmers, strong climbers, ultimate survivalists
- Droppings have rounded ends
- Dig burrows near fence lines, buildings, trees, where they breed and hide from predators
- Notorious for carrying a variety of diseases, spreading fleas and mites, and contaminating food
- Known to damage structures with burrow digging and chewing through electrical wires
House Mouse
- Light brown or gray fur body with lighter cream colored belly
- Rounded body and ears
- Typically between 2-4 inches long but babies are much smaller
- Feed on seeds, nuts, and insects, but will take advantage of food debris
- Nest in structures like wall voids using insulation, paper, fabric, etc.
- Can swim, but prefer not to
- Can jump up to a foot high
- Can’t see beyond 6 feet in front of them and are color blind
- Females can give birth to a half dozen mice every 3 weeks
- Telltale signs of mice in the house: gnaw marks on food packaging, greasy rub marks on walls, pointy-ended droppings
For a visual comparison on the difference between mice and rats, check out our infographic!
How to Keep Mice out of the House
Temperatures are slowly cooling, which is every creature’s cue to get out of the elements and snuggled up into cozier quarters. That’s right…mice and rats have the same motives as us sometimes! Before snow hits, doing the following things around your home or business will ensure you’ve got a solid rodent prevention plan in place. (These tips provided by the National Pest Management Association.)
- Install door sweeps on exterior doors and repair damaged screens.
- Screen vents and openings to chimneys.
- Seal cracks and holes on the outside of the home, including areas where utilities and pipes enter the home, using caulk, steel wool or a combination of both.
- Store food in airtight containers and dispose of garbage regularly.
- Keep attics, basements and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry.
- Replace loose mortar and weather stripping around the basement foundation and windows.
- Eliminate all moisture sites, including leaking pipes and clogged drains.
- Inspect items such as boxes, grocery bags and other packages for evidence of rodents before bringing them indoors.
- Store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house and keep shrubbery trimmed and cut back from the house.
Wicker Park Storefront Display Winter 2015
To encourage Rodent Awareness, Rose’s storefront displays went through another transformation recently! This time, it’s all about RATS!
Rats are shown swimming, climbing, eating dog poop, stealing seed from bird feeders
Top View of Rat Burrow near tree’s root system
Cross-section of a rat burrow’s structure underground
Common Midwest woodland creatures: squirrel on his nest and cardinals
Come See Us!
Want to speak directly to one of our specialists about how to get rid of rats and mice? Come visit us and we’ll tell you everything you never wanted to know about mice and rats. 😉 Our store on North Avenue in Wicker Park is open from 7am to 5pm Monday through Friday and from 8am to noon on Saturdays. We can’t wait to see you! If you don’t have time to visit, call (800) GOT-PESTS or hit us up online! Someone is always here to help!
