What gets examined.
The inspection follows the animal's logic, not a fixed checklist. We start where the evidence is strongest and work outward, looking at the roofline, soffits and vents, the garage door and slab edge, the attic hatch and any crawl space, then the yard and outbuildings.
- Exterior: roof edge, vent covers, utility entries, siding gaps and foundation corners.
- Interior: kitchen and bath cabinets, water heater closet, laundry area and garage.
- Attic and crawl space: insulation, ducts, wiring and any nest.
- Yard: burrows, food sources, branches, fences and stored items.
Reading the evidence.
Pellet size, shape and freshness help identify the species and the timing. Grease marks show repeat routes. Gnaw marks differ in width, and nests tell us how long an animal has lived in a spot. All of it goes into the notes.
| What we find. | What it suggests. | What it changes. |
|---|---|---|
| Small pointed pellets. | House mice. | Smaller gaps matter, and traps stay near walls. |
| Larger blunt pellets. | Rats. | Sealing needs heavier material and the roofline gets walked. |
| Scattered pellets at the attic hatch. | Overhead access. | Insulation cleanup may join the plan. |
| Fresh soil beside a slab. | Burrowing rats. | Yard work and low sealing come first. |
A noise inside a wall seldom stops by itself, and one call shows where you stand.
Reach us on (888) 686-4821Using a landmark to place a call.
Callers sometimes locate themselves by the Casements, the city-owned cultural center on the Halifax River that John D. Rockefeller once owned. That helps the dispatcher picture the area. The inspection itself still depends on your own building, so the first question is always your street address and whether your lot has an attic, a slab or a raised floor.
What you receive.
At the end of the visit you hear a short verbal summary, and a written plan arrives afterward. The plan names the animal and lists each entry point. Catching, closing, cleaning and fixing are separate entries, so you can approve one today and the rest later.
If the walk-through shows no rodent activity, we tell you that, and we do not invent work. A clean result is still useful information.
Getting ready.
A clear route to the attic hatch, to the garage wall and into the cabinet beneath the sink. Put pets in a quiet room. Do not sweep pellets, because they show us where animals travel.
Before you call: health guidance in brief.
Go line by line. Rushing is how dust ends up in the air.
- Aged pellets disintegrate when brushed, which is why a light mist of disinfectant comes before any towel or hand.
- Prop the doors open, let a breeze run through and return after about half an hour.
- With gloves on, skin never meets droppings, urine or nesting material, and that contact is easy to prevent.
- Saturate the waste and the surface around it, then leave it alone before the first wipe.
- Knot the bag, throw it away and wash your hands again.
- Sickness after a cleanup belongs with a physician, not a pest company, so describe exactly what you touched.
Check these agency pages.
If a point matters to you, verify it at the source listed beneath.
- CDC page on preventing hantavirus: Pointers for keeping rodents away from houses, outbuildings and parked vehicles.
- CDC guide to cleaning up after rodents: Air, soak, bag: the sequence on which our cleanup tips rest.