How to Protect Your Electrical Wiring from Mice and Rats

Each year, mice and rats contaminate and destroy enough food worldwide to feed 200 million people. These rodent droppings are known to transmit pathogens that cause diseases including hantavirus and salmonellosis. In addition to numerous health risks, rodents can chew through wallboard, cardboard, wood, and even electrical wiring, causing expensive damage and posing a fire hazard.

Reasons for Rodents Chewing Electrical Wires

There is a natural reason behind rats or mice chewing electrical wires. Unlike humans, teeth don’t stop growing in rodents. They need to keep chewing something to granulate and sharpen their teeth. It’s similar to how we cut our nails to prevent them from growing.

Rodents are attracted to wires, mainly because they are round in shape. It makes their teeth grinding easier as they can hold the wire. They also use them as tools to build their small homes and to hide.

Not only house wiring cable but car wires are also attractive to rodents. Car wires are manufactured with renewable and edible material like soya, which rodents seem to like. So don’t be surprised if you spot rodents eating car wires.

If rodents are chewing on your wires, there could be some tell-tale signs, as follows:

• You spot bite marks on wires and cable;
• You hear a scratching sound behind the wall;
• You spot their nest and dropping;
• You directly came across mice eating car wires or rats chewing car wires;
• Flickering lights of house or microwave;
• Circuits tripping;
• Appliance failure or malfunctioning.

Dangers of Rodents Chewing Wires

Rodents chewing wires can be responsible for incidents such as electrical failure and malfunctioning, which can cause fires. In fact, according to the National Fire Protection Association, electric malfunctioning is the second highest reason for house fires in the United States.

As you can see, this is not a matter to take lightly. When you spot a mouse or rat, you should start taking action immediately because their population increases rapidly and more damage can be done.

How to Prevent Rodents from Chewing Wires

If you are sure that there are rodents eating house or car wires, we recommend the following course of action:

• Seal the Entry Points: Rodents can squeeze in from the tiniest hole. Seal each possible entry and exit point.
• Cover the Wiring: Use hard covering of wires like plastic or steel to make it more difficult for mice or rats to chew on them.
• Check the Electrical Wiring: Call a professional electrician to check and evaluate the possibility of any rodent’s presence. They have the necessary experience. They can also repair any electrical damage early to save you more harm and cost at a later stage.
• Trim Trees: To prevent rodents from coming in, trim the trees near your house, especially those with branches reaching out to your roof.
• Elimination: Call us to get rid of the rodents!

Electrical damage happens very quickly due to rodents chewing wires. Follow the precautions and take action immediately if you believe rodents are chewing your wires.

Eliminate Rodents from Your Home for Good

If you have a pest problem in your home or want to take proactive action, we can help! At Alexandria Pest Services, our trained professionals will analyze your pest control needs and come up with a personalized plan for your household. Our team of expert technicians will provide a free inspection and work to create a plan to eliminate your pests. At Alexandria Pest Services, we help homeowners just like you get rid of pests in their homes all year round. If you find that you are having a problem with insects or pests, and need an exterminator, call Alexandria Pest Services at 703-923-0925 to schedule a professional evaluation. We can help you get rid of these invaders in your home or office!