Rodent Control for Albuquerque Homes: Mice, Deer Mice and Pack Rats

Three rodents make up most of the calls on this line. House mice get into kitchens and walls all over the city. Deer mice show up in sheds, garages and cabins, especially near open land, and they're the ones that carry hantavirus. Pack rats, the native woodrats, build stick nests under decks and junipers and sometimes under the hood of a car.

We're a referral line. You call, a person asks what you're seeing and where, and we connect you with an independent pest control provider licensed in New Mexico. They inspect, quote and do the work. We don't send anyone out, and we don't set prices.

Start with the edges. Albuquerque runs right up against open land on almost every side: the Sandia foothills to the east, the West Mesa and Petroglyph National Monument to the west, the bosque along the river. Native rodents live in all of it. Homes along those edges, in the foothills, on the West Side and in Rio Rancho, get more pack rats and deer mice than homes in the middle of town.

Then there's what people expect versus what's here. A state rodent guide hosted by the New Mexico Department of Health says Norway rats turn up only sporadically in New Mexico's bigger cities and roof rats are mostly limited to the southern Rio Grande Valley. Most "rats" around here are pack rats. Rat control explains how to tell.

Health is the third piece. The New Mexico Department of Health names deer mice as the main carriers of hantavirus, and the City of Albuquerque says most of the county's plague cases come from the East Mountains, with some from the western foothills and North Albuquerque Acres. None of that is a reason to panic. It is a reason to clean up droppings the right way and to keep rodents out of the house. The cleanup guide is short.

Inside town, the story is older houses. Nob Hill went up between 1925 and 1950. Much of the Northeast Heights is postwar. Valley homes in the North Valley and South Valley include old adobe. Decades of settling open the quarter-inch gaps mice need.

Fall into winter

NMSU Extension says deer mice often move indoors in fall and winter. Seal the garage and the house in late summer. See when the nights turn cold.

Spring cleanout

Opening the cabin, the shed or the camper after winter? Air it out first and soak any droppings before you touch them.

Summer and the monsoon

The National Weather Service puts average monsoon onset around July 9 for the central Rio Grande valley. After the storms, check vent screens and the soil along the foundation.

Any month

Pack rats build year round. Watch for stick nests under decks, junipers and in cars that sit.

1. Rodents only. The line is for house mice, deer mice and pack rats, plus the occasional Norway rat. No ants, roaches or weeds.
2. Someone picks up. During business hours, you talk to a person. Tell them what you found and roughly where you live.
3. Cleanup done safely. In New Mexico, droppings mean hantavirus precautions. Ask the provider how they handle cleanup.
4. No phone quotes. The provider prices the job after seeing it. About this line has the rest.

• House Mouse Control
• Deer Mouse Control
• Pack Rat Control
• Rat Control
• Sealing and Exclusion
• Attic Cleanup and Roof Sealing
• Droppings and Nest Cleanup
• Rodents in Cars and Garages
• Commercial Rodent Control
• Prevention and Monitoring

• North Valley
• Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
• Corrales
• Rio Rancho
• East Mountains
• Northeast Heights
• Sandia Foothills and North Albuquerque Acres
• Nob Hill and the University Area
• South Valley
• West Side and West Mesa

• Cleaning Up After Mice Without Breathing In Hantavirus
• Pack Rat Nests: Finding Them and Dealing With Them
• Plague, Fleas and Pets Around Albuquerque
• Deer Mouse or House Mouse? Telling Them Apart
• When the Nights Turn Cold: Getting Ahead of Fall Mice