Before the Holidays: A 15-Minute Rodent Check for Jacksonville Homes

Jacksonville doesn’t get a real winter, but it does get cool nights. Once evenings drop into the 50s, mice and roof rats start looking for somewhere warmer, and an attic, a garage or the space behind a kitchen cabinet is exactly what they’re after. That usually lines up with the weeks when the house fills with family, food and holiday boxes coming down from the attic.

Here is a walk-around you can do yourself in about 15 minutes. You don’t need tools beyond a flashlight. If you find something, the last section explains what to do next.

Step 1: Walk the outside of the house (5 minutes)

Rodents don’t need much room. A house mouse can squeeze through a gap about the width of a pencil (around 1/4 inch), and a rat through a gap about the size of a quarter. Walk slowly around the house and look at:

• Where pipes and wires enter the wall — the AC line set, the dryer vent, plumbing and cable entries. Gaps around these are some of the most common ways in.
• The garage door — check the bottom seal and the corners. Daylight showing at the corners means there’s room for a mouse.
• The roofline and soffits — roof rats are climbers. Look for gaps where the roof meets the fascia, loose soffit vents and damaged screens on gable vents.
• Trees and shrubs touching the house — branches resting on the roof work like a bridge for roof rats. Keeping branches trimmed back from the roofline removes that route.
• Wood piles and clutter against the walls — they give rodents cover right next to your foundation. Keep firewood off the ground and away from the house.

Step 2: Check the places inside where they hide (5 minutes)

Rodents stay out of sight, so look where you normally don’t:

• Under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, especially around the pipes going into the wall.
• Behind the stove and refrigerator — warm, dark and close to food.
• The pantry floor and the back of low cabinets.
• The garage, around stored pet food, bird seed and holiday boxes.
• The attic, if you can get in safely — along the insulation near the eaves and around stored items.

Step 3: Know what you’re looking for (5 minutes)

• Droppings. The most reliable sign. Mouse droppings are small and rice-shaped (about 1/8 to 1/4 inch). Rat droppings are larger — roughly 1/2 inch or more.
• Gnaw marks on wood, plastic, food packaging or wiring.
• Greasy rub marks along walls and beams where rodents run the same path every night.
• Noises after dark — scratching or scurrying in the attic, the walls or the ceiling, usually at night.
• Nesting material — shredded paper, fabric or insulation tucked into a corner.
• A musky smell in closed spaces such as the garage or a closet.

One safety note: if you find droppings, don’t sweep or vacuum them dry — that can put dust into the air. The CDC recommends wearing gloves, spraying the area with a disinfectant or a bleach-and-water solution, letting it soak for a few minutes, and then wiping it up with paper towels.

Why traps alone usually don’t solve it

Traps catch the rodents that are already inside. They do nothing about the gap they came through, so the next one moves in a few weeks later. That’s why a rodent job that lasts has two parts: removing the animals that are inside, and exclusion — finding every entry point and sealing it with materials rodents can’t chew through.

Our customers notice the difference. Virginia H. called us back after spotting mice droppings: “They came out and showed me where they were coming in from and sealed it up!!” Dennis B., who had just bought a home with rats and roaches, told us that after the entry points were sealed he “never seen or heard another one.”

What a free rodent inspection covers

If your walk-around turned something up — or you just want a second set of eyes before the holidays — a KnockOut technician will:

1. Walk the outside of the house, including the roofline, vents and every pipe and wire entry.
2. Check the attic, garage and kitchen for activity and nesting.
3. Show you exactly where rodents are getting in, in person, not just in a report.
4. Give you a written estimate for removal and sealing, with no obligation.

The inspection is free. Our sealing and treatment work is backed for a full year after the job is complete.

Holiday Rodent-Proofing: 15% off exclusion

Through January 31, 2027, rodent exclusion work booked after a free rodent inspection is 15% off. The price is quoted after the inspection, and the discount applies to exclusion work only. See the details on our specials page.

Call (904) 842-3663 — the phone is answered 24 hours a day, and if you call before noon we can usually get someone out the same day at no extra charge. Or book your free inspection online.

KnockOut Pest Control is family-owned and veteran-owned, and has served Jacksonville since 1991. Florida pest control license JB3761.