Rats and mice
Rodent control for Amarillo-area homes
Rats and mice are covered by your Home Protection Plan, with a technician visit about every two months. Voles, which tunnel through lawns and beds, are available as an add-on.
Overview
Why rodents move in, and where to look first
University of California integrated pest management guidance notes that where house mice live outdoors, they frequently move into homes in autumn when nighttime temperatures turn colder. In Amarillo, the National Weather Service puts the average first freeze around October 20. Rats stay active in every season, so signs can show up at any time of year.
It does not take much of a gap. House mice can squeeze under gaps a quarter inch tall and through openings about three-eighths of an inch wide, and young rats can slip under a door with a gap of only half an inch. Utility line openings, vents, door bottoms, garage doors and cracks in the foundation are the usual routes in.
Rodent control is part of your Home Protection Plan, so your technician can check your home for activity and entry points on a regular schedule instead of only after you hear scratching in the wall. The plan covers rats and mice. Voles, which live in lawns and garden beds, are an add-on.
What is covered
Your Home Protection Plan covers the rodents most likely to move into a home:
- Rats: included in your plan
- Mice: included in your plan
- Voles: available as an add-on, priced separately
Rodent activity depends on food, water and shelter around the home. Tell your technician what you have seen and where, and see the questions below for what you can do between visits.
The Home Protection Plan at a glance
One year-round plan covers most of the pests on this site, so you are not booking a separate visit for each problem. Here is how it works.
- Visits about every two months, year-round: six a year, each within about 15 days of its target date
- Covers rats, mice, spiders, wasps, carpenter bees, earwigs, non-wood-boring ants, millipedes and centipedes, American and Palmetto roaches, stink bugs, pill bugs and silverfish
- Add-ons: carpenter ants, voles and exterior fleas and ticks, priced separately, plus interior liquid application at no extra charge
- A 100% warranty: free re-service if covered pests return between visits and, if the same activity is verified to persist after two free re-services, a refund of your last charge and the end of your plan with no cancellation fee
- A 12-, 18- or 24-month initial commitment: 3 business days to cancel after you sign, and an early-termination fee if you end it sooner
- After your commitment ends, your plan continues on the same schedule until you ask us to stop (at least 30 days before your next scheduled service)
Signs of rats and mice
Rodents are mostly active at night, so the evidence is usually what they leave behind.
Droppings
Droppings turn up in cabinets, along walls and in garages and attics. The CDC notes that droppings can be found anywhere rodents have been.
Gnaw marks
Rats and mice gnaw to widen openings and to keep their teeth worn down. Look for fresh marks on wood, wiring, food packaging and pet food bags.
Greasy rub marks and tracks
Rats leave smudges where their fur rubs along beams, pipes and walls, and both rats and mice leave tracks in dusty spots.
Scratching and noises
Scampering or scratching in walls, ceilings or the attic, especially at night, is one of the most common signs.
Nests and a musky odor
Mice build nests from finely shredded paper and other fibrous material, and a musky odor often goes with an active population.
Burrows and runways outdoors
Burrows along the foundation or under woodpiles and rubbish can point to rats. Grass runways that connect holes about an inch and a half to two inches across suggest voles, which are an add-on.
How it works
What a typical rodent visit looks like
A typical rodent visit starts with finding how rodents are getting in.
Inspect the outside
Your technician may check the foundation, door bottoms, garage doors, vents and the places where utility lines enter the house, and look for signs of activity such as droppings, gnawing and runways.
Address entry points and cracks
Entry points and cracks can be treated along the foundation and around doors and utility openings.
Talk through what you can change
Rodents stay where they find food, water and shelter. Your technician can point out things to change around the property, such as pet food left out, woodpiles against the house or dense vegetation along the foundation.
Follow up about every two months
Visits repeat about every two months, year-round. Rats are active in every season, and mice can breed all year wherever food and shelter are steady.
Seasons
When rodents are active in the Texas Panhandle
Rodents are a year-round issue, but the calendar has a pattern. Mice living outdoors tend to look for shelter as nights cool in autumn, and rats are active in every season. In a semi-arid climate like Amarillo’s, where precipitation averages about 20 inches a year (National Weather Service), reliable water and food near a house, such as pet food and leaky outdoor faucets, is a strong draw.
Voles are different. They live outdoors in lawns and beds and stay active day and night all year, and in snowy winters they keep working beneath the snow. University extension guidance notes that damage under snow often goes unnoticed until it is too late.
Season by season
Fall
Mice look for warmth as nights cool. The average first freeze in Amarillo comes around October 20 (National Weather Service).
Winter
Rodents already inside stay active in the warmth of a house, and University of California guidance notes that house mice can breed year-round where food and shelter are steady.
Spring
Snowmelt reveals vole runways and bark damage that were hidden through winter. The average last freeze in Amarillo comes around mid-April (National Weather Service).
Summer
Rats stay active in every season, according to University of California guidance. Summer is a good time to trim vegetation away from the house and to keep pet food and trash secured.
Rodent control questions
Have a question that is not here? Call us and we will answer it.
Call (806) 209-4849Are rats and mice covered by the Home Protection Plan?
Yes, both are included. Voles are available as an add-on, priced separately. If you are not sure what you are dealing with, call (806) 209-4849 and describe the signs you have found.
How do rats and mice get into a house?
House mice can fit through openings about three-eighths of an inch wide, and young rats can squeeze under a door with a half-inch gap. Common routes are gaps around utility lines, vents, door bottoms, garage doors and the foundation. Your technician can check these places during a visit.
What should I do about droppings?
Follow CDC guidance: open doors and windows to air out the space, wear rubber or plastic gloves, wet the droppings with disinfectant and wipe them up with paper towels. Do not sweep or vacuum them, because that can put particles into the air.
What can I do around my property between visits?
Store food, pet food and bird seed in sealed containers, keep firewood and lumber away from the house, trim vegetation back from the foundation and repair leaky outdoor faucets. Rodents stay where they find food, water and shelter.
What if I still hear or see rodents after a visit?
Call us at (806) 209-4849. Your plan includes a 100% warranty: if pests covered by your plan return between visits, we re-service your home at no charge. If the same activity is verified to persist after two free re-services, you receive a refund of your last charge and your plan ends with no cancellation fee. Full terms are in your service agreement.
What are voles, and are they covered?
Voles are small, stocky rodents that live in lawns and garden beds rather than in the house. They leave runways in grass and can damage the bark of young trees and shrubs. Voles are available as an add-on to the Home Protection Plan, priced separately.
Service areas
Where we work
We serve Amarillo and nearby communities across the Texas Panhandle. Choose your community to see what is active there through the year.
Ask about rodent control
Request a free quote and we will confirm your plan and schedule your first visit, or call us at (806) 209-4849 and tell us what you have noticed.