How Much Damage Can Rodents Do to Your Attic?

There can be nothing more frustrating than sitting down on the couch or lying in bed after a long day at work, turning on the remote to your favourite television show, relaxing and hearing the soft pitter-patter of feet in your attic. …Hold on, one of these doesn’t sound right. It can be frustrating to think that everything in your home is well maintained when all of a sudden you are faced with the news that you might have rodents in your attic. It can be unfortunately simple for a rodent to get into your attic. All that’s needed is a loose tile or a small gap for a small rodent to squeeze through. Sometimes not even then, as they can chew their way inside.

You might think ‘but once they are in there, exactly how much damage can they do?’

A lot.

Rodents have the uncanny ability to chew through what seems absolutely everything leaving quite a mangled mess behind. Here are some of the damage that rodents can do:

CHEWING

• When entering the attic, they can chew large holes in eaves, soffits, and fascia (structures around the roof that provide ventilation and support to your home)
• They can chew through wiring which can cause problems with electricity or potentially cause a fire.
• They can chew through thermal insulation which can increase heating costs in your home (and also potentially lead to a fire)
• The incessant chewing will lead to holes at their entry point and in various locations of the attic. These holes lead to the attic being exposed to the outdoor elements such as rain and snow – which causes leaking, and will lead to more house repair costs.

CONTAMINATION

• Rodents have the tendency to defecate multiple times throughout the day which causes your attic to stink. The stench can also attract other rodents and other undesirable pests into your attic.
• If there are items stored in your attic, rodents can contaminate them, therefore damaging the items.
• Rodent droppings can also spread disease. Such diseases can be salmonella and tapeworm. This can be especially harmful to children who could be allergic to rodent droppings. They are also a danger to household pets who can contract intestinal problems due to the infestation of rodents.

All in all, the one sure thing that a rodent infestation in your attic will lead to is financial repercussions. The cost of repair if rodents are left unattended in the attic is high.

Rodents seem harmless, and usually one rodent is harmless. However, it usually never is just one. They breed and can multiply at an alarming rate. Having rodents in your attic can cause damage to the roof, wiring, insulation and more – leading to an increase in house repair costs. The best thing to do is to conduct routine inspections, lay out traps and seal any entry points that can be causing the rodents to come in.