Rodent control in Grenada
Rats and mice contaminate food, chew through wiring and water pipes, and breed quickly, so a small problem becomes a serious one within a season. Clearing them out is half the job. Closing the ways in is the half that keeps them out.
Why clearing them out is not enough on its own
- A building that suited rodents once will suit them again. If the ways in stay open, clearing the current lot just makes room for the next.
- Roof rats climb well and travel along branches, cables and roof lines, so the way in is often high up where nobody thinks to look.
- They need very little. A gap the width of your thumb is enough for a rat, and less for a mouse, as long as there is food and water nearby.
- Cutting cane, clearing land and heavy rain all push rodents off open ground and towards buildings.
Rodents leave droppings and urine on food and surfaces, and they are associated with leptospirosis, which is present in the Caribbean and spreads through water contaminated with rodent urine. They also chew wiring, which is a fire risk. A rodent problem is worth dealing with straight away rather than watching for a while.
How to tell you have a problem
- Droppings in cupboards, along walls, or at the back of a pantry.
- Gnaw marks on food packets, boxes, cables or plastic water pipes.
- Scratching, thumping or running sounds overhead at night, which usually means roof rats in the ceiling.
- A strong, stale smell in a closed room, cupboard or roof space.
- Dark greasy marks along beams, pipe runs and the tops of walls.
- A pet that has suddenly become very interested in one wall or one cupboard.
Common species here
The common rat in the Caribbean. A good climber that nests high up, in roof spaces, ceilings, palms and thick planting rather than in burrows.
Heavier, and lives at ground level. Burrows, drains, ground floors and waste areas. Less common here than the roof rat.
Small enough to use gaps a rat cannot. Nests inside wall cavities, appliances and stored goods, and breeds very quickly.
How we treat it
We work out what you have, roughly how many, and how they are getting in. That means looking at the roof line, the eaves, pipe and cable entries, the drains and the planting against the building, not just the room where you saw one.
We put down locked bait stations and traps on the routes we found, positioned away from children, pets and other wildlife. For food businesses we keep a station map and records you can show an inspector.
This is the part that lasts. We seal the gaps, put metal mesh over vents, fit brushes to doors, cut back the branches and cables they climb, and go through the storage and waste that fed them.
What you can do yourself
None of this replaces a treatment, but it makes the treatment work better and last longer.
- Cut back any branch or vine within about a metre of the roof line. Roof rats use them as a bridge.
- Keep dry food and pet food in metal or thick plastic containers rather than bags or cardboard.
- Keep bins closed and off the ground, and clear fallen fruit from around the house.
- Seal gaps around pipes and cable entries, and cover vents and weep holes with metal mesh. They chew straight through foam.
- Fix dripping outside taps and clear standing water, which is often what draws them in during the dry season.
- Do not put loose bait down where children, pets or chickens can reach it.
Common questions
Not covered here? Call us on (473) 403-7251 and we'll talk it through.
Yes, and a good part of our commercial work is exactly this. We come outside service hours, use unmarked vehicles if you prefer, and keep the records you need for a health inspection without the work being visible to your customers.
The bait goes in locked stations that are fixed in place, sited where children and pets cannot reach them, and we show you every location before we leave. Where there is any doubt, or where you keep poultry, we use traps instead.
It can happen, and it smells for a while. That is why we prefer traps in roof spaces and enclosed areas, because it lets us take the carcass away rather than leave it. If you get a smell, call us and we will come and find it.
Most homes are sorted out over two or three visits across a few weeks. The proofing work is what stops it happening again, and it is the part we spend the most time on.