As the weather begins to cool across North Alabama, many homeowners start noticing an unwelcome guest—rodents. Mice and rats become much more active during the fall as they search for warm, dry places to shelter for the colder months. Unfortunately, your home offers everything they need: warmth, food, water, and protection from the elements.

Rodents (from Latin Rodere, “to gnaw”) are mammals of the order Rodentia, which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws.