Rodent control and exclusion in Culver City

Less common than the roof rat in hillside residential areas, but it dominates wherever there is dense food service, older sewer infrastructure, or a waterway corridor.

Size

Body 7 to 10 in, tail shorter than body

Droppings

18 to 20 mm, capsule-shaped, blunt ends

Where it nests

At or below grade: crawl spaces, burrows along foundations and retaining walls, storm drains, sewer laterals

Where it enters

Low. Foundation vents, pipe sleeves, door thresholds, gaps at the stem wall, compromised sewer connections

The dominant residential rodent across Los Angeles. It is a strong climber and it approaches a building from above rather than from the ground. That single fact is why so much self-performed sealing fails here.

Size

Body 5 to 7 in, tail longer than body

Droppings

10 to 13 mm, spindle-shaped, pointed ends

Where it nests

Above ground: attics, untrimmed palm crowns, dense ivy and cypress, roof voids

Where it enters

At roof height. Soffit gaps, bird blocks under tile, roof-to-wall junctions, unscreened attic vents, the point where a utility line meets the fascia

Frequently found alongside rats rather than instead of them. Because the gap it needs is so small, mouse exclusion is the work that exposes sloppy sealing.

Size

Body 2.5 to 3.5 in, tail roughly equal to body

Droppings

3 to 6 mm, rice-grain shaped, pointed ends

Where it nests

Inside the structure: wall voids, insulation, appliance cavities, stored goods, cabinet backs

Where it enters

Almost anywhere. A house mouse passes a gap of roughly 6 mm, about a pencil diameter