Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Rodents: How Are They Getting In, How Do We Stop Them?

  • By Drew McFadden
  • 10/01/17

It’s critical that pest problems be identified and addressed as quickly as possible because rodents breed quickly — a single pair of rats can multiply into 640 within a year, and mice can multiply to over 1,000. Stopping them for good means finding the points of entry and sealing them up to prevent future invasion. Below are some of the most common entry points and exclusion solutions. Remember, when conducting your inspection, mice can fit through a gap of about 1/4 inch and rats through a gap of 3/8 inch.

Common Entry Points and Solutions:

  • Exterior doors — Damaged or worn out sweeps are one of the most common entry points. Most standard brush or vinyl sweeps keep out the weather but not mice and rats. All doors should be fitted with specialized rodent-proof door sweeps.
  • Vents and grilles — Protect them with screen or mesh and ensuring any voids or gaps around them are filled with a pest exclusion material.
  • Drain pipes — Rats are excellent swimmers. Make sure exterior drain and sewer access points are covered with an appropriate metal cover. Openings surrounding the drain should be patched or filled.
  • Vertical wires and pipes — Mice and rats are excellent climbers. Circular rat guards should be placed around all vertical wires and pipes.
  • Utility and other building penetrations — Check places where pipes, wires or HVAC enter the building and fill any gaps with pest exclusion material.

Ensure the exterior of the building, especially around the foundation, is free from harborage areas such as shrubs and ground cover, and eliminate any “bridges” to the roof, like overhanging trees.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Drew McFadden is director of Marketing for Xcluder, and can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Higher Ed is Betting on New Buildings While Quietly Undermining Their Campuses — Here’s Why

    In this climate, the owner’s representative has changed from a delivery-focused advisor to a strategic campus partner. Institutions are increasingly relying on owner’s reps not just to manage, cope, schedule, and budget, but also help evaluate whether a project should proceed at all.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.