Rats, Mice and Squirrels Control in Torbay, Teignbridge, South Hams & Exeter - ProAction Pest Control
The dangers of Rats, Mice and Squirrels in your home
We all know about the diseases rodents carry, but today the greatest risk we encounter is the damage they cause to your property. Rats, mice and squirrels’ teeth never stop growing, so they constantly gnaw to wear them down. That chewing often targets water pipes and electrical cables, creating a significant fire hazard, as well as damaging plumbing and gas lines that can lead to costly leaks and further safety dangers.
They may seem cute at first glance, but the damage, foul odour, and hazardous urine and excrement they leave behind can quickly make your home uninhabitable.
Have a squirrel in your loft? Don’t underestimate them — the damage squirrels can cause in a remarkably short amount of time will surprise you.
Not sure whether it’s rats, mice, or squirrels? Our office staff can usually identify it over the phone; if not, a technician can check in person, who are always fully equipped to take on all 3 straight away. No hidden fees — our cost per visit price is similar for all three, and you’ll get a clear quote over the phone before you decide.
Looking for a rodent service contract to ensure your premises is protected from pests 24/7? We have you covered - please see our Service Contract page.
All photos are from jobs ProAction successfully cleared.
Rats chew electrical wire insulation to wear down their teeth, which exposes the wires and creates a safety hazard.
Not all quotes are the same
With us, there are NO HIDDEN FEES. You have peace of mind knowing the price you were quoted is the price you will be charged. If any additional charges are required, we will always communicate them to you beforehand.
For all of our rodent quotes, we don’t just treat the specific area where you’ve noticed a problem — we SURVEY THE WHOLE PROPERTY to check the most common trouble spots, and if additional problem areas are found WE WILL TREAT THEM AT NO EXTRA CHARGE.*
We aim to prevent repeat rodent issues, so our quotes include an exterior survey to identify possible entry points, with up to two small entry points rodent-proofed at no additional cost.
It’s all too common to feel misled by tradespeople these days, so we are proud to be fully upfront about costs and exactly what you will receive.
We also understand trades can be late or sometimes no-show pre-booked appointments entirely, which is why we offer a VISIT GUARANTEE — if we are late, or our technician cannot attend a booked appointment for any reason, you will receive a discount on your treatment cost (even if the delay is unavoidable!). Please see our ProAction Guarantee page for full details.
*Applicable to one single address and one building (not multiple flats/apartments, and no gaps separating buildings) up to 3,000 square feet.
Clearing trash by the building showed rats entering through a man-made hole — Notice the smear marks — they’ve been using this for a while.
Newer builds, unfortunately, often come with plastic air bricks as standard — which rats can easily gnaw through, creating an easy point of entry.
Rats (Inside and Outside)
Rats are always scavenging and Bird feeders are one of the main reasons for domestic garden treatments.
Rat droppings behind a kitchen plinth/kickboard. This is a medium to high infestation.
Rats communicate and mark their territory by urinating wherever they go, creating a widespread contamination risk and a significant public health concern. They can carry numerous harmful diseases, most notably leptospirosis (Weil's disease), which can be transmitted to humans—typically when rats’ urine or contaminated body parts come into contact with food preparation areas, surfaces, or water supplies.
We are normally contacted when someone hears scratching in their ceiling in the middle of the night, but did you know another common area is behind your kitchen kickboards/plinths? The example to your left is an extreme one, but they tend to be around when you’re not, the kitchen can sometimes be an easy one to miss!
We also treat for rats outside, where bird feeders and harbourage points such as underneath garden sheds, decking and overgrown hedges are known to be the biggest culprits.
Unsure if you have an issue? give us a call today for our expert advice and opinions on whether treatment is needed.
Mice
Mice droppings (pictured) are roughly the size and shape of an uncooked grain of rice, sometimes even a bit smaller, whereas rat droppings are noticeably larger and more comparable in size to a raisin.
Mice are sometimes regarded as harmless, which is most true for outdoors, but inside they can pose a threat similar to rats. They also carry diseases such as Salmonella and Listeria, can cause structural and cosmetic damage to your home, and because they are much smaller they can squeeze through very small gaps to get inside.
Another issue is that mice are sporadic feeders — they rarely eat all of one item, instead taking little nibbles here and there, which can ruin a variety of foods and cause greater damage to your pantry, where some don’t realise their food has been slightly consumed.
They explore many of the same areas as rats, although they typically don’t make as much noise and can go unnoticed. We get a lot of calls around the holidays when people bring down their Christmas decorations and discover droppings and chewed items in the loft or attic.
Give us a call today to see what we can do for your mice issues.
Squirrels
Squirrels may look cuter than the other rodents mentioned on this page, but over the same timescale a squirrel can cause roughly ten times more damage than a rat.
We have encountered many cases where loft wooden beams have been chewed almost all the way through, and the loft electrics have required a complete rewire because the insulation around cables was gnawed away. Simply put, squirrels are larger, stronger and more agile than rats.
They commonly nest in loft spaces during the breeding season and construct a nesting “mound” out of the loft insulation, so if you suspect an issue you should act quickly. Squirrels in the loft are usually distinguishable from rats by the noises they make when moving — more of a thumping sound than a scuttle.
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) recognises the grey squirrel as one of the 100 worst invasive pest species in the world. Being non-native to the UK, grey squirrels contribute to destruction of UK woodlands and negatively impact the native red squirrel and other wildlife. For these reasons it is illegal for us to relocate squirrels found in your loft, and they must be humanely dispatched instead.