Licensed pest control
Rodent Removal Services
Rodent removal means trapping the mice or rats already inside and sealing the holes they used, and most homes pay $150 to $550 for mice or $189 to $656 for rats. Sealing entry points adds $200 to $600 on a smaller job. Skip the sealing and new rodents move into the same spots within weeks. Tell us what you’re hearing or finding and we’ll connect you with a licensed rodent company near you for a free quote. You see the price before anyone sets a trap.
- Licensed & insured techs
- Free, no-pressure quotes
- Homes, apartments and businesses
How to Tell Rodents Apart: Mice vs Rats
House mice are small and gray to brown, about 2.5 to 3.75 inches in the body with a tail just as long, big ears and a pointed nose. Their droppings are 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, about the size of a grain of rice. A mouse squeezes under a gap 1/4 inch tall.
Norway rats are heavy brown rodents with a blunt nose, small ears and a tail shorter than the body. They burrow along foundations and live in basements and ground floors, and their droppings run 3/4 to 1 inch. Roof rats are sleeker and darker, with a pointed nose, big ears and a tail longer than the body. They climb into attics, trees and wall voids and leave droppings about 1/2 inch long.
Droppings are the easiest clue. Measure one with a ruler before you buy traps, because mouse traps won’t hold a rat.
Signs of Rodents in Your House
Droppings Along Walls and in Drawers
Dark pellets behind the stove, under the sink or in a kitchen drawer. Fresh ones are shiny and soft, old ones dry and crumble.
Scratching in the Walls or Ceiling
Scurrying or gnawing sounds at night, mostly in fall and winter. Noise overhead points to roof rats or mice in the attic.
Gnaw Marks and Chewed Packaging
Small teeth marks on cereal boxes, pet food bags, baseboards or wiring. Rats leave bigger, rougher chew marks than mice.
Grease Smudges and Nests
Dark rub marks along a regular path at floor level, and nests of shredded paper or insulation in a storage box or wall void.
Common Rodent Species in US Homes
Four rodent species cause most of the indoor problems in the states we cover. Knowing which one you have changes the trap size, where the tech looks and which holes get sealed first.
| Rodent | Where | What It Means for You |
|---|---|---|
| House mouse | All 10 states we serve, in cities and rural homes | Gets through 1/4 inch gaps, so sealing has to be thorough. Snap traps handle most cases. |
| Norway rat | Across the lower 48, worst in older cities like New York, Chicago and Philadelphia | Burrows near the foundation and comes in low. Exclusion work centers on the ground floor and basement. |
| Roof rat | Warm and coastal areas, including California, Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Texas | Climbs trees, wires and fences to get into the attic. Trim branches back and seal the roofline. |
| Deer mouse | Rural homes, cabins and sheds, with most hantavirus cases west of the Mississippi | The main US carrier of hantavirus. Clean up its droppings the wet way only. |
How Rodent Removal Works
Rodent removal works in two halves: get rid of the animals inside, then close the doors behind them. Most techs lean on snap traps indoors because they kill fast, you can count the catch and nothing dies in the wall. Bait stations with rodenticide go outside in locked, tamper-resistant boxes, where kids and pets can’t reach them. Poison inside a house often means a rat dying behind the drywall.
Exclusion is the part that stops the problem for good. UC IPM says rats fit through a 1/2 inch hole, and techs pack gaps with steel wool, then cover vents with 1/2 inch galvanized hardware cloth. Expanding foam, plastic and wood don’t count, because rodents chew right through them.
What Happens on a Rodent Job
- Inspection
- The tech walks the exterior, attic, crawl space and kitchen, checks dropping sizes and marks every gap, vent and pipe opening big enough to matter.
- Trapping
- Traps go along walls and runways where droppings show up. Bait stations go outside if the company uses them.
- Sealing Entry Points
- Gaps get packed with steel wool and covered with metal flashing, cement or hardware cloth. This step usually happens on the same visit or one booked soon after.
- Follow-up Visits
- The tech returns to clear traps and check for new activity until the catch stops. Angi lists follow-ups at $50 to $150 each.
How Much Does Rodent Removal Cost?
Rodent removal costs $150 to $550 for a mouse job and $189 to $656 for rats on most homes. The bill climbs with the number of entry points, attic or crawl space access and how many return trips the trapping takes. Droppings cleanup and insulation replacement are separate line items.
Rat and exclusion prices come from Angi’s rat exterminator guide, mouse and cleanup prices from HomeGuide’s rodent removal guide. Ask every company to quote the exclusion work line by line, since that’s where bids differ most.
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Rodent inspection | $100 to $200, often credited toward the job |
| Mouse removal | $150 to $550 for trapping and visits |
| Rat removal | $189 to $656, about $396 on average |
| Exclusion (sealing entry points) | $200 to $600 for a smaller job, $600 to $1,400 for a full exclusion plan |
| Droppings and nest cleanup | $600 to $1,000, or $200 to $260 per hour |
Can You Get Rid of Rodents Yourself?
A mouse or two in the kitchen is a fair DIY job. Wooden snap traps cost a couple of dollars, and peanut butter works as bait. Set them against the wall with the trigger facing it, in pairs, where you found droppings. Then pack steel wool into gaps around pipes under the sink and caulk over it. For cleanup, the CDC says open the windows for 30 minutes, wear gloves, soak droppings with 1 part bleach to 9 parts water for 5 minutes and wipe with paper towels. Never sweep or vacuum droppings, because that kicks virus particles into the air.
Call a pro when you see rats, hear activity in the attic or walls, or keep catching mice for more than two weeks. That pattern means an open entry point you still need to find, often at the roofline or foundation where you’d need a ladder or a crawl.
So: one mouse, traps and steel wool. Rats, attic noise or an endless supply of mice, get a pro.
How to Keep Rodents Out of Your House
- Seal any gap wider than 1/4 inch with steel wool plus caulk, cement or sheet metal.
- Cover attic and crawl space vents with 1/2 inch galvanized hardware cloth, not chicken wire.
- Store pet food, birdseed and grains in metal or thick plastic bins with tight lids.
- Trim tree limbs and shrubs back so roof rats can’t reach the roof.
- Install door sweeps on garage and exterior doors, a common spot mice slip under.
Rodent Removal in Your State
Rodent species and peak seasons shift a lot between our states, so pick yours for local details and city pages.
How It Works
Tell Us The Problem
Tell us what you’re seeing, the dropping size and where, plus your ZIP.
Get Matched With A Local Pro
We send your details to a licensed rodent company that covers your area.
Book Your Treatment
The company quotes trapping and sealing in writing, and you book only if the price works.
Rodent Removal FAQs
Got a rodent question we skipped? Send it through the form, and a photo of the droppings next to a coin helps.
How long does rodent removal take?
Trapping out a mouse problem often takes a few weeks of visits. Rats can take longer because they avoid new objects for a few days.
Sealing the entry points often happens in a single day, and that’s what keeps the trapping from turning into a monthly bill.
Are mouse droppings dangerous?
Droppings from deer mice can carry hantavirus, and you catch it by breathing dust off dried droppings or urine. House mice and rats spread other germs, like salmonella.
Soak droppings with a bleach mix of 1 to 9 for 5 minutes and wipe them up with paper towels. Don’t sweep or vacuum them.
Are snap traps or poison better for rats?
Snap traps work better inside a house. You see the result and you remove the body, so nothing rots in a wall.
Rodenticide bait belongs outside in locked bait stations. It takes several days to kill, and it puts pets and wildlife that eat poisoned rodents at risk.
Why do I hear mice in the walls at night?
Mice and rats move mostly after dark, and walls give them a protected path between nests and food. Scratching that moves around points to rodents.
Attic or ceiling noise often means roof rats, which climb in at the roofline. A rodent inspection costs $100 to $200 and finds the entry.
Does homeowners insurance cover rodent damage?
No, standard homeowners policies treat rodent damage as a maintenance issue, so chewed wiring and insulation come out of your pocket.
That’s a good reason to pay $200 to $600 for sealing up front instead of paying for repeat damage.
Get a Free Rodent Removal Quote
Use the form to tell us about the mice or rats and your ZIP. A licensed rodent company near you sends a price for trapping and sealing, and you don’t owe anything to ask.
Along with rodent work, the companies we match you with handle Roach Extermination, Snake Removal and Termite Control, plus every other pest control service we list.