Rat Control in Albuquerque

People say "rat" for anything bigger than a mouse, so it helps to know what Albuquerque actually has. A state rodent guide hosted by the New Mexico Department of Health says Norway rats show up only sporadically in some of New Mexico's larger cities, and roof rats are generally found only in the southern Rio Grande Valley.

What most Albuquerque callers have is either a pack rat, the native woodrat with a furry tail, or a big house mouse. The fix depends on which one it is, so the first job is figuring that out.

Look at the tail. Norway and roof rats have bare, scaly tails. Woodrats have furry tails and white bellies and feet. NMSU Extension describes the Norway rat as grayish brown with a tail shorter than its head and body, and the roof rat as having a tail longer than its head and body.

• Furry tail, big ears, stick nest: pack rat
• Bare tail, heavy body, burrows by the slab: Norway rat
• Bare tail longer than the body, climbs: roof rat
• Rice-sized droppings and a small body: mouse

Norway rats are diggers. Check foundations, shed floors and dumpster pads for burrows. Restaurants, warehouses and older commercial strips are the likeliest spots in town. Businesses should look at commercial rodent control. NMSU says rats can get through holes about half an inch wide, so sealing is part of any rat job: see rodent exclusion.

Take a photo of the droppings next to a coin, or of the animal if you catch one, and mention it when you call. The provider can confirm on the visit and plan from there.

• Pack Rat Control
• House Mouse Control
• Commercial Rodent Control

We take calls from 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.