Rodent Control in the Sandia Foothills and North Albuquerque Acres
The foothills are the high edge of the city, where neighborhoods meet open space. North Albuquerque Acres was platted in 1931 and, with Sandia Heights, sits on the highest ground. Glenwood Hills and the neighborhoods around it spread across the bench below. The Elena Gallegos Open Space and the Sandia Foothills Open Space are right there.
Living next to open space means living next to its rodents. Pack rats and deer mice are common calls from up here, and the City of Albuquerque lists the foothills and North Albuquerque Acres among the places plague cases have come from in Bernalillo County.
Why the city tests rodents here
The city's Urban Biology Division collects dead rodents for plague and tularemia testing in North Albuquerque Acres, neighborhoods east of Tramway, the foothills and the East Mountains. If you find a rodent or rabbit that died with no sign of injury, call 311 and don't touch it.
For the house, the city's advice is to reduce habitat: woodpiles off the ground, brush and rock piles cleared, pet and livestock food sealed, and the home and sheds rodent-proofed. That last one is where a provider comes in. See rodent exclusion.
Pack rats in the junipers
Native landscaping with junipers, chamisa and cactus looks right up here, and pack rats like it too. Look for stick nests at the base of shrubs and under decks. Don't dig them out by hand. Pack rat control explains the safer way.
Local question
Should I worry about plague?
Cases are rare, but they do happen here. Keep pets on flea control, keep rodents away from the house and see a doctor quickly for a sudden high fever or a painful swollen lymph node, especially after contact with rodents or fleas.