Rodent Control in the Southeast Heights
The Southeast Heights includes some of Albuquerque's older planned neighborhoods. The Parkland Hills Addition, usually called Ridgecrest after its tree-lined boulevard, started in 1926, when the Albuquerque Journal noted two bungalows under construction. Prewar homes there are Mediterranean Revival. Postwar building added more conventional and Modernist houses, and the subdivision is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Depression-era tree planting gave these streets their shade. Mature trees, old houses and nearby Kirtland open space mean mice and the occasional pack rat.
Older homes, older gaps
Original windows, old vents and settled foundations all leak. Many houses have detached garages or casitas, which mice use as a first stop. Check the garage before the house. Rodent exclusion explains the materials that hold up.
- Detached garages with gaps at the door and floor edge
- Old crawl space and attic vents
- Window frames and door thresholds
- Roof-mounted coolers and their ducts
Trees and yards
Mature trees drop seed and offer cover, and thick shrubs along foundations hide burrows and nests. Trim plants back 3 to 4 feet from the walls, as the state rodent guide suggests, and keep fallen fruit and seed cleaned up. If you see stick nests near the south edge of the neighborhood, that's a pack rat.
Local questions
Will sealing hurt a historic house?
Good exclusion work uses mesh, metal and mortar placed to match. Ask the provider how they handle older homes.
We hear mice in the ceiling. Where are they getting in?
Often at the roofline, through old vents or cooler ducts. See attic cleanup and roof sealing.
Are there rats in the Southeast Heights?
Most calls are mice. Pack rats show up near open land. Norway rats are uncommon in Albuquerque.