Do you have rats and mice in your attic in Memphis TN? If you have been hearing little running and scratching noises at night, then you just might have an infestation. Fortunately, Apex Wildlife Control has the best solution for your rat and mice problems!

We often have clients call in because they are hearing different types of noises, especially at night. The noises are often described as scratching noises, animals running around, squeaking, gnawing sounds, and fighting.  Because rats and mice are nocturnal, you may see them running on your roof sometimes during the day, but you will primarily hear them at night.

The attic cools off enough at night for the rats and mice to be more active. However, if there are too many rats in the area, they will fight each other to the death over food and territory.  The little creatures can make quite a racket during the night.  It can be hard to get a good night's sleep with that kind of noise going on!

Roof rats tend to climb up trees and use limbs to cross over onto your roof. They can gain access to your attic in a variety of ways.  They get in by chewing on your soffits, going in through roof vents, and primarily a home's construction gap.

The construction gap is the largest area rats tend to gain entrance into people's homes. Every house has a construction gap unless the builder specifically decided to close it. The construction gap is designed to help a house vent the hot air out from the attic. Rats and other wildlife have learned this and take advantage of this gap.  If the gap is not large enough they will simply chew a large hole in this area.

When we are called about rats in someone's attic, we need to do an interior and exterior inspection first. We look for droppings to verify the species and potential quantity of rats. Once we have seen the fecal and urine damage we check all the wiring. One of the main issues rats create is a potential fire hazard due to the chewing of electrical wires.

If our technician finds any chewed wires or damage to the HVAC or duct work, he notify you immediately. If you do have electrical problems caused by rodents, please contact a licensed electrician to repair this problem. Chewed wires is a very dangerous situation. Many house fires have been started from exposed wires that have been chewed by mice, rats or squirrels.

Did you know that a rat's teeth will grow up to SIX INCHES LONG in only a year?  Imagine a rat with teeth like a walrus.  Now that's an image that will be hard to forget!  These animals have to constantly chew on things to file them down like we file our nails. Otherwise their teeth will grow too long for them to eat.

Rats and mice will also build their nests in your attic.  These nests contain flammable materials such as dried leaves, grass, twigs and even man made materials such as plastic bags and cloth.  If there are chewed wires nearby, these nests can easily burst into flame.  This is a very dangerous combination that happens more often than you would think.

 Our technicians perform an interior and exterior inspection of your home. During the interior inspection, he will check for fecal droppings in your attic to determine what species is in your home. Specifically, he will check to see how the rats and mice have found their way inside. The technician will check to make sure there are no chewed wires, damage to your duct work or HVAC, and if there is any urine damage to your insulation. He will document his findings with photos which he will email to you at the end of the inspection.

Next, the technician will perform the exterior inspection where he will look from your home's foundation all the way to the top of the roof. The technician will be checking for all possible and actual entry points such as the pipe in this photo.

Once the technician completes the full interior and exterior inspection of your home, he will provide you with an estimate for not only trapping the animals, but also sealing your home against further entry. 

Our exclusion process is pretty straightforward. We do everything we can to mitigate an interruption of your schedule. All of the exclusion work is typically performed from the outside of the property. This keeps you from having to miss work while we seal your property.

The only thing you need to be there for is the initial inspection and interior trap checks. Unless we specify otherwise, all of the exclusion work is done from the outside of your home.

Rodents can carry several types of bacteria and germs that can make you and your family very ill.

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a severe illness caused from exposure to the droppings or urine of deer mice that carry the virus. About 1- 5 hantavirus cases are reported each year in Washington State and about one third of the cases have been fatal. It is important to take precautions when cleaning up an enclosed space such as a shed, cabin or trailer where mice have nested or rodent droppings are present.  

Leptospirosis is a disease caused by bacteria called Leptospira that infects both humans and a wide range of animals. It occurs worldwide but is more common in temperate and tropical areas of the world. Some people infected with leptospirosis will have no symptoms at all, and some people will become severely ill. Some wild and domestic animals, such as cattle, pigs, dogs, raccoons, and rodents, carry the Leptospira bacteria and pass them in their urine. Soil or water contaminated with infected urine are the most common causes of human infection.



Plague is a serious infection of humans caused by a germ called Yersinia pestis. It is usually caused by the bite of a flea that has fed on an infected wild animal, such as a rat, chipmunk or prairie dog. It usually causes large sores and abscesses in the glands of the arms and legs. Dogs, and especially cats, can also become infected and can spread the disease to their human companions. People and domestic animals like dogs and cats could be bitten by infected fleas while traveling to other areas of the country. Plague is treatable with antibiotics.



Tularemia is a bacterial disease caused by Francisella tularensis and is most commonly found in wild animals (e.g., wild rodents, squirrels, rabbits, hares and beavers). People and their pets can become ill from tularemia by coming into contact with infected dead or ill animals through animal bites and exposure to contaminated blood or raw meat. Tularemia can also be transmitted by the bite of an infected arthropod (e.g. ticks, biting flies), exposure to contaminated water or soil, and inhalation of bacteria. One to 10 cases of tularemia in people are reported every year. To prevent exposures to tularemia, don't handle dead or ill animals; avoid animal bites, tick and deer fly bites; and avoid direct bare-hand contact with blood and raw meat from wild animals. Don't drink untreated water in areas where tularemia is known to occur in wild animals.

The longer you let the problem go the worse it will get and the more expensive it will be. Mice or rats can have up to 1500 offspring in a single year. The longer the problem persists the more they will chew, urinate and defecate in your attic. This can filter in through the walls and start to smell, and in turn attract more wildlife.

When other animals smell urine and fecal it attracts bigger predators like snakes and raccoons. In fact, raccoons will often specifically target a home because they are targeting the rats in the attic.

Rats and mice are very unsanitary animals. Rats are most active during the night. They typically crawl over counters, and through cabinets searching for food. You can contract many different sicknesses from the dirt and bacteria they carry around on their bodies and feet.

So if you have some uninvited little guests making noise in your attic, give us a call today.  We're here to help!