A rodent one of the most common pests that burden households around the world. It's qualified as a mammal because of the structure of its teeth and jaw. These features let them gnaw on fibrous materials, like wood, because of the rate of the growth of their teeth and jaw structure. If you want to get rid of rodents, you need to get rid of pests like rats, gophers, groundhogs, squirrels, and chipmunks. While these animals may be different, the methods of eradicating them are the same. Your primary focus should then be on what kind of rodent you are dealing with at home, so that you know what control measures to use.

Different Rodents, Similar Techniques

Squirrels – Taking out squirrels is more about prevention than physical destruction. If you have been dealing with rats, gophers and groundhogs by killing or trapping them, you have to deal with squirrels just by preventing them from getting near you or your belongings. Squirrels have many predators. If you try to kill squirrels through poisoning, the other animals that feed on them will be killed, too. You are also going to kill the creatures that you are not supposed to kill, even those that do not do any harm unto you at all. Efforts to control squirrels are focused on getting the pest out of your way. What you have to do is observe proper sanitation at home. Property maintenance is a must. If there is pet food leftover, make sure you don't leave it unattended. Bird seeds are a squirrel's favorite, so make sure that these are always out of the way of the pest. Squirrels will refrain from hanging around too long if they do not find any food around. Gophers - If you have a gopher problem, you can deal with it in two ways: you can either use a gopher trap or just let it feed on something poisonous. Pocket gophers, also known as true gophers, can be dealt with by setting a trap in an area where the gopher usually passes through. Its main runway is usually a tunnel system. Inject a strychnine-laced barley into it to trap a gopher. Trapping is an effective way to get rid of a gopher because of the added security it gives you. The trap is installed inside gopher mounds. With this, you are sure that you do not kill other innocent creatures. You will need strychnine to poison a gopher. Strychnine saves you from checking traps, setting them up, and cleaning the whole mess because a poisoned gopher usually dies immediately. The only time that you will have to do all the cleaning, setting and checking is if the pest can still wander before it runs out of breath. Another mess you might have to deal with is if a predator feeds on the dying gopher. If it feeds on the poisoned rodent, then that predator will also die from poison. Mice - The best way to control rats or mice is with the use of a mouse trap. While some people say that using live traps is more humane, it's only effective if you have very few rats at home. A live trap can be relocated away from your room or your house. The concept behind this method is to release the rat outside for it to find a new home. Since live traps are only effective if you only have a rat or two in your home, this method is not recommended if you have more, since rats are too domesticated these days. A rat will always find a way to go back to your home. Using a lethal mouse trap is the best thing you can use. Aside from that fact that it can kill almost all the rats in your home, it's also economical. You can save more money if you use a lethal mouse trap because it's a reusable tool. Groundhogs - When dealing with a groundhog, you will need a fumigant gas cartridge. Find a burrow where the groundhog hides and then inject the fumigant gas into it. Any gas like carbon monoxide will kill a groundhog. You may think that a gopher and a groundhog are the same, but they're not. You can see the difference between the two through their burrows. The burrow of a gopher is smaller than that of a groundhog. The entrance of the burrow of a groundhog usually measures three to four inches. Fumigants like aluminum sulphide and carbon monoxide may be used to get rid of either a groundhog or a gopher. What you need to be sure of is to seal the mound system with soil. The soil should always be moist. Never use it under your house. Chipmunks - With chipmunks, all you need is proper trapping techniques. The most effective control measure for them is the same technique you use for rats. You will need a mesh-wire live trap or a simple rat trap. How effective the trap is depends on the size of the chipmunk and the size of its population. It will surely be a relief if the chipmunks are small and there are only very few around you. Deal with chipmunks with a rat trap if you think that there are just too many pests burrowing under your precious house. Use bait like dried fruits, nuts and seeds. Use the same bait for a live mesh-wire trap if you are worried about killing animals other than chipmunks. The most important tool for getting rid of rodents is a trap. Because traps will be your friend, always keep them clean before using them again. Washing them with regular dishsoap is OK. Just make sure that, as you clean your traps, the guts and blood are washed away completely. If it still has an odor because you didn't wash it well, expect it not to work for the next pest you intend to get rid of.