Treating For Rodents In Your Storage Unit

Posted on: 4 June 2020

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Climate controlled storage is a must if you have sensitive, fragile, or valuable items to store. But just like your storage areas at home, the storage unit you choose can be susceptible to depredations by mice and rats in some scenarios. And while many facilities do have pest prevention protocols, they're typically not legally required to protect against pests in your unit.

If you've seen signs of these pests in your unit, you may be wondering what steps to take next. Here are some dos and don'ts for dealing with these pests.

Do Try Traps First

Although poison may seem like a more hands-free way to dispose of rodents, it can actually create a hazard and some inconvenient side effects. For example, any small children or pets who come into the storage unit could be at risk of poisoning if you use poison. If the rodents eat the poison, they could create quite a stink if they die in an inaccessible spot in the unit.

Don't Depend Solely on Facility Pest Control

If you inform the facility managers that your unit has pests, they may agree to take some sort of action to exterminate the pests. However, since the facility isn't typically liable for the eradication in a legal sense (or for damage to your property by pests), you can't count on this. So be sure to take some measures of your own, such as hiring a pest control expert.

Do Look up Different Types of Traps

Your first resort should be a trap of some kind, but that doesn't really narrow the field much. Many types of traps are available, including glue traps, humane catch-and-release traps, and kill traps. You have to first research the best approach to take for the variety of rodents you have, then which trap models are highly-rated in dealing with rodents.

Finally, you'll have to decide if you'll use a pre-baited trap or provide your own bait. Although some people still think cheese is the best bait, the list of options is actually quite a bit longer than that. Chocolate, peanut butter, or something else greasy or sugary may be the best lure, depending on what your rodents prefer to eat. Local pest experts can help you decide.

Don't Leave a Cat in the Unit

Cats may be a traditional way to kill or repel rodents, but storage units aren't any place to keep a living creature. Even if rodents find it an okay place to live, that doesn't mean that a cat will be all right there. In addition, the cat could damage your belongings, and keeping pets in the unit is likely against your contract.

These dos and don'ts will help you decide what steps to take next in the rodent eradication process. Talk to your local pest control expert to learn more about rodent treatments.