Human Services
Rats and Mice: An Introduction
Rodent Control Program: The goal of our program is to provide ongoing monitoring, consultation and assistance to Arlington residents and property owners interested in controlling rats or mice. The focus is on prevention efforts, rather than extermination.
What we do: We respond to individual complaints and take appropriate action to help eliminate both rodents and rodent harborage. Assistance can include 1) community education on methods to be used to reduce food sources and harborage, 2) enforcement of laws related to rodent activity and rodent harborage, and 3) cleanup and extermination of rodents on public property only. Extermination of rats on private property is the responsibility of property owners, with the County providing consultation and guidance upon request.
To request assistance or information on controlling rats or mice or to report rodent harborage on the exterior premise of a commercial or residential property please contact us at (703)-228-7400.
Read on to learn more about rodents and how you can help to control them around your home and in your neighborhood.
Rats and mice are rodents that are commonly found living near people. They can be very destructive to homes, and can carry germs that make people sick. They often make their nests in and around people’s homes and office buildings.
The most common rodents encountered by residents in Arlington County are the Norway rat and the house mouse. Both of these rodents are very good at jumping, climbing, swimming, gnawing and squeezing through very small spaces.
COMMON (NORWAY) RAT
The Norway rat digs and travels through burrows, and will nest up to 150 feet from its food supply. It can make a nest in your home by gnawing holes in sheds and walls, etc., or squeezing through cracks and crevices in foundations, vents, etc. Learn more about Norway rats.
Fact: Rats can squeeze through spaces as small as a quarter!
HOUSE MOUSE
The house mouse usually makes a nest in stored materials indoors, but can also live outside. Mice often become a problem in the fall when they enter homes to seek warmth. Mice tend to nest only 10 to 30 feet from their food supply.
Fact: Mice can squeeze through spaces as small as a dime!
For more information, please click on the following resources:
ON THIS PAGE
Rats and Mice: An Introduction
CONTACT US
Arlington County Public Health/ Environmental Health Program
800 S. Walter Reed Drive
Arlington, Virginia 22204
703-228-7400
Email to Environmental Health Program
