How to Identify Rodent Problems In Your Home

Rodents pose many risks to the wellbeing of humans and pets in and around your home. With a wide range of rodents that can be found in Canada, disease, as well as home and garden damage can occur when rodents find their way onto your property. Before making any drastic decisions to get rid of rodents, it is important to understand the various types of rodents that exist and learn about the different signs that you should look for that are clear signs that you have a rodent problem in your home.

Read this article to learn everything you need to know about identifying a rodent problem in your home.

Types of Common Rodents in Canada

More often than not, you are more likely to discover home damage or remnants of a rodent in your home or on your property before you physically see any rodents at all. In cases like these, it is difficult to identify what type of rodent you are dealing with. Discover the different types of rodents you will commonly find in Canada to better inform you of what rodents may be causing you and your home issues.

types of rodents found in canada
Type of Rodent	Where They Typically Nest	Type of Damage to Your Home	What They Choose to Eat
Rats	Underneath decks, in garages, near buildings, in homes and in gardens	Chewed drywall, furniture, electrical cables, grease marks on floors	Omnivores that eat things discovered outdoors, but also human food and pet food
Mice	Tall grass, thick shrubs, inside homes and buildings	Chewed drywall, baseboards, electrical cables, furniture, food packaging	Cereal grains and seeds, but also human food and pet food
Skunks	In-ground dirt tunnels, under decks, porches and in sheds	Home structure, outdoor electrical cables, underground plumbing pipes, digging into lawn and garden	Outdoor plants, vegetation, insects and smaller animals
Rabbits	In-ground and near bushes and trees	Chewing electrical cables, eating garden and digging holes in lawn	Grass, garden vegetables and crops
Squirrels	Elevated in trees and in home gutters	Chewing support beams of home, drain pipes, shingles and occupying gutters	Garden vegetables, fruits, seeds and insects
Raccoons	Hollow tree logs, under rocks, abandoned burrows of other animals	Pulling apart vents, chewing walls, cables, insulation and structural beams of your home	Omnivores that eat fruits, vegetables, crops, human food and pet food
Groundhogs	Underground burrows and underneath homes	Chewing foundation of your home, digging in lawn and garden	Garden plants, vegetables and insects
Moles	Near roots of trees in the ground	Destroying lawns and gardens	Insects

Rats

These long-tailed rodents have been known to frequent homes and businesses in pursuit for sources of food and water for centuries. With a wider body and stockier build than mice, rats have a more significantly larger tail that helps tell them apart from other rodents. Frequenting unsanitary places that span from garbage, to sewage and other outdoor areas, their ability to thrive in many types of conditions can lead to them bringing unsanitary conditions into your home.

For more information about rats and the common species of rats that are found in Canada, read our article on how to identify a rat problem in your home.

Mice

A common intruder into many homes across the country, mice are in constant pursuit of food and water and can easily slip through cracks in your home to consume human and pet food. Much like rats, these rodents can do great damage to your home and can poorly affect the living conditions of your home.

For more information about mice and the common species of mice that are found in Canada, read our article on how to identify mice problems in your home.

Skunks

Although skunks commonly stay clear of human interaction and spray other animals and humans when they feel they’re in danger, these rodents have been known to frequent urban areas and sometimes burrow their way into surrounding areas of your home. Skunks are known to make dens under porches, decks and sheds by digging into the ground.

Rabbits

Although not known to enter your home, wild rabbits can be found across Canada and have been known to damage gardens and farm crops by eating growing vegetables and digging their way through gardens. Wild rabbits also carry diseases with them that can be transmitted upon close contact.

Squirrels

With more than 20 species found across the country, the one thing that all species of squirrels have in common is their ability to find their way to residential neighbourhoods that they know are good places for food and shelter. Squirrels are good climbers and frequent roofs of houses to find their way into your home to nest and scavenge for food.

Raccoons

Raccoons are adept to urban communities and are said to be almost as smart as human toddlers. Known for their whiskers, fur and mask-like black and white face, raccoons are notorious for finding shelter in and around homes. Roofs, underneath porches and even inside of house walls are areas raccoons are known to enter to find shelter and food.

Groundhogs

Groundhogs can be found outdoors in yards, fields and meadows as they dig holes in the ground to create shelter for themselves. Burrow holes around your home is a sure sign that groundhogs are around as they have potential to also enter your home looking for an easy source of food and water. What may also lead groundhogs to your home are growing crops and flowers in your garden that groundhogs are notorious for destroying while in pursuit for food.

Moles

Growing as long as 8 inches in total length, moles are most known for their pointed nose and extremely tiny eyes that look visibly hidden behind their darkish-grey fur. Moles are known to dig holes in your yard as deep as 40 inches to create shelter for themselves. These holes can easily damage your grass lawns and gardens and also create the potential for moles entering basements and cracks in your home’s foundation

Signs That Rodents Are In Your Home

While mice and rats keep quiet enough to avoid being seen, the fecal matter and damage they can do to your home will always give away that they are active in your home. The following list of signs are common characteristics of a home that rodents like mice and rats frequent:

common signs a rodent are in your home
Common Signs of Rodents	Where to Look for These Signs
Your Dog is Upset	Pet is disturbed and paying attention to odd places in your home
Rodent Droppings	Rodent droppings in areas that mice and rats are likely to frequent
Tracks and Tail Trails	Paw prints and tail prints across areas of your home rodents have traveled
Wood and Drywall Chewed	Holes and chew marks in home structure and drywall as rodents scavenge for food
Smears Along Baseboards	Baseboards are no longer clean as rodents travel through your home nearby to them
Musky Odour in the House	Urine, droppings and overall smell of rodents exist in your home
Scratching and Squeaking	Rodents may be traveling through your home in cabinets and inside of walls

Specific Signs of Mice In Your Home

Mice droppings and urine
Pungent urine smell
Track prints in cabinets and on the ground
Chew marks on food packaging and furnishings
Dead mice
Holes in drywall the size of a Canadian 10 cent dime
Mice nest made of paper or other garbage material in corners of the home

For more information on signs of mice in your home, read our article to learn how to identify a mouse problem.

Your Dog Is Upset

Dogs can become disturbed when they hear and smell rodents in the house. You may notice that your dogs pay extra attention to the fence line of your yard, especially at night when rodents are more active. It is important to not rely on your dogs to rid the house of mice or rats. Dogs have very different immune systems than cats and may not be able to handle some of the diseases that rats and mice often carry.

Rodent Droppings are Present

Stumbling upon a pile of rodent droppings is less than pleasant, however, they can be helpful when trying to determine which type of rodent you have and what the next steps are in finding a pest control solution. If you notice multiple, distinct piles or tracts of what looks like dirt in your house, especially along walls, take a closer look to determine if it might in fact be rat or mouse droppings.

Mice droppings are small and smooth with pointed ends, usually about 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch long.
Norway Rat droppings are typically brown and are blunt on both ends.
Roof Rat droppings are dark and both ends are pointed.

Small Tracks and Tail Trails Discovered In Dusty Areas

Tiny footprints or lines from tails dragging will appear in dusty areas. Check along baseboards, in corners and near sources of food. You may even be able to determine a rodent's entrance and exit points by following these marks.

Wood or Drywall Has Been Chewed

Since their teeth never stop growing, both mice and rats are avid chewers. Typical rat teeth marks are 1/8-inch long. Smaller and "scratchier" marks usually indicate mice. Check along baseboards, door frames, doors, inside cabinets and anything that serves as a barrier to get behind walls. If you're hearing noises inside your walls, check the back panels of cabinets to try to find the rodent’s access point.

Smears Along Baseboards and Other Areas

Rats and mice tend to stick near walls and borders when moving. If you are noticing greasy smears along baseboards or the bottoms of your walls, you may have some very unwanted visitors. Of course, marks can appear from other sources as well, so if you're noticing marks, try keeping the areas clean and see if the marks reappear.

A Heavy Musky Odour In the House

Like all animals, rodents leave behind a distinct smell. If your house is suddenly smelling musky, chances are that fecal matter, urine and dander of rats and mice are in your home. Pathogens found in this odour can become a serious issue to human and animal health and will greatly affect the air quality in your home.

Strange Noises Like Scratching and Squeaking

Due to their nocturnal nature, you're much more likely to hear mice and rats at night. If you have a rodent infestation in your house, you will more than likely hear them moving and scratching in your walls and squeaking as they go. You may even spot them scurrying across the floor or along the wall in the middle of the night.

Specific Signs of Rats In Your Home

Rat droppings
Oil or rub marks from oily rat fur
Scratching noises in cabinets and inside of walls
Holes in drywall the size of a Canadian 25 cent quarter
Rat nests made of paper or other garbage material in corners of the home
Footprints on the ground and in cabinets
Gnaw marks on furniture and other household items
Foul odours developed from rats likeliness of living in unsanitary conditions previously
Tracks and runways from the oily skin of rats

For more information on signs of rats in your home, read our article to learn how to identify rats.

How to Inspect Your Home for Potential Rodents

Rats and mice enter your home the same and for the same reasons. Follow these steps to effectively identify signs that rodents are in your home:

Identify what type of rodent is entering your home to then understand what products to use to get rid of them.
Use a flashlight to inspect dark areas of your home that would be good places for rodents to hide. Behind your fridge, inside of cupboards and any cracks in the wall are ideal places for rodents to frequent.
While you inspect these dark areas, identify the severity of the problem based on any droppings or residue that rodents may have left behind.
Identify the cause of your problem by inspecting where you place your garbage, food and water which may be too easy for rodents to access.

How Rodents Can Damage Your Home

While in their pursuit for food and shelter, rodents are known to damage your home in the process as they make their way through walls and widen cracks to make your living space habitable for them. Here are a few common items in your home that are most susceptible to the following types of rodent damage:

Toxic pathogens through rodent droppings and urine
Floor damage from urine stains
Chewed drywall and baseboards
Exposed electrical wiring
Soiled food from broken food packaging
Structural damage due to chewed home framing
Chewed home furniture
Shredded boxes and paper documents