Rodent Control in Silverado Ranch, Las Vegas, NV

Droppings settle it quickly — mouse droppings are small, grain-sized and scattered widely; rat droppings are considerably larger and concentrated. Noise helps too: rats in a roof void are audible and travel along a line, mice are quieter and closer in, often behind a kitchen unit. It matters because a mouse needs a quarter-inch gap and a rat needs more, so the exclusion is a different standard of work.

Frequently, yes. A garage has ground-level connections to the outside, storage for cover, and often a connection into the wall cavities of the house. Stored cardboard is nesting material, food packaging and shelter at once. The good news is that when the evidence is confined to a garage, the entry point is usually close by and quick to find.

Two possibilities, and they need separating. Either that was the population, in which case fresh droppings will stop appearing — which is worth checking deliberately rather than assuming. Or the remaining animals have learned the trap line, which is common with rats and means the placement needs changing rather than the traps needing replacing.

Closing the building in materials rodents cannot chew, and dealing with what is on the property: stored cardboard off the floor and reduced, pet food in hard containers, bins closed, fallen fruit cleared, and branches cut back clear of the roofline.