How to Identify Rodents in a Shed

Rodents can infiltrate sheds if you don't keep it clean and free of food sources.

Rodents can infest any building or place where there are food sources. Sheds offer rodents a near ideal habitat because they are usually uninhabited and often have many food options for them. It is not difficult to identify the rodents you have in a shed, if you know what to look for. Once you establish that you have rodents, it is easy to get rid of them.

Instructions

1. Check any possible food sources in the shed like dog food, birdseed or other edible items. If there are holes or bite marks in the packaging, you may have mice or rats.

2. Look along the base of the walls or shelves for streak marks from rodents. Rats and mice travel with their bodies touching something and their oil leaves streaks.

3. Check the shed for rat nests. Norway rats and house mice make nests of out leaves, sticks, plastic, shredded paper or other objects. If you find rat nests, there are probably many rats in your shed.

4. Look for holes in the ground or raised spots in the dirt floor of the shed or surrounding area. These can indicate moles, gophers or other ground-dwelling rodents. There may also be below ground tunnels or burrows around or in your shed.

5. Examine any grassy areas around the shed. Voles are small mouse-like rodents that leave runways in grass. As they travel in the grass, the grass dies due to a chemical in their skin oil and, over time, this becomes a clearly marked path. Voles may also make burrows.

6. Look up rodent identification charts or use a search engine if you have seen the rodent but not any of these signs or indicators.

References

• Lowe's: Identify Rat and Mouse Problem
• Environmental Protection Agency: Controlling Rodents
• Kaput: Pest and Rodent Identification