The short version
Trap the ones inside, then seal the gaps. An inspection usually costs $75–$250.
- Look for droppings, gnaw marks and night-time scratching.
- In Collierville, mice usually start moving indoors in October and November, as nights get colder.
- Traps remove them; sealing keeps them out.
- Never sweep or vacuum droppings dry.
Homeowners, renters and landlords in Collierville who are hearing, seeing or smelling signs of rodents.
What to look for
Seeing one in daylight usually means there are more. A mouse fits through a gap the size of a dime. You hear them at night and find droppings by morning. Rodents are mostly unseen.
- 1Live sighting, especially during the day.
- 2Shredded paper, fabric, or insulation gathered into a nest.
- 3Bait or pet food vanishing from bowls overnight.
- 4A musky or ammonia-like smell in closed rooms.
- 5Chewed vehicle wiring or nesting under the hood.
- 6Droppings in drawers, pantries, under sinks, or along walls.
Why it’s worth acting soon
- Mice breed fast, every few weeks.
- Droppings and urine contaminate food and insulation.
- Gnawed wiring can be a fire risk.
- Nests and odor get harder to clean the longer they stay.
Treatment options and typical costs
Inspection and Entry-Point Mapping
$75–$250
An inspection starts outside. The pro checks the foundation, roofline and utility gaps. Inside, they check attics, crawlspaces, and appliances for droppings and gnawing.
- Time
- 60–90 minutes
- Best for
- Every job; nothing else works without it
Follow-Up Monitoring
$50–$150 per visit, or included in a plan
Fresh droppings look dark and soft; old ones look gray. That tells a pro whether activity is current.
- Time
- 20–40 minutes per visit
- Best for
- Confirming the house stays clear after treatment
Snap-Trap Program
$150–$400 per visit
Placement matters more than bait. Rodents run along edges, so traps in Collierville attics and kitchens go perpendicular to walls, in the dark corners where droppings cluster.
- Time
- 30–60 minutes per visit, 2–4 visits
- Best for
- Active indoor infestations; fast results you can see
Sealing and Rodent-Proofing
$200–$1,500, more for large or complex homes
Ask for a walkthrough of every sealed point, plus photos. A good Collierville company will photograph each repair so you know what was done and where to look later.
- Time
- 2–6 hours, sometimes a full day
- Best for
- Stopping re-entry for good; the lasting fix
Prices are typical published ranges. Ask what’s included before you compare quotes.
Crawl spaces are where rats and mice get comfortable. Vent screens, the sill plate and any gap around pipes are worth a careful look.Which rodents live around Collierville.
House mice are the most common rodent in Collierville homes. They're small, curious and breed quickly. Norway rats are the other usual suspect. They burrow along foundations and enter low. Roof rats turn up in parts of Tennessee. They climb and come in high, through attics and rooflines.
When they move in.
Small problems grow fast. Spring is breeding season. Check for gaps before then.
A good inspection starts outside at ground level: door thresholds, the joint between siding and foundation, and anywhere a pipe or cable enters.How they get into houses here.
A lot of houses around Collierville have crawl spaces, and crawl vents and access doors are the usual way in. Check that vent screens are intact. Make sure the crawl door closes tight. Look for gaps where pipes and wires pass through the floor. Homes from Collierville out to Germantown and Bartlett share the same weak spots, so the checklist below works across the area. For roof rats, check soffit vents, gable vents and eaves. Trim branches back from the roof.
A year of rodents in Collierville.
- Summer: with highs around 91°F in Collierville, rodents look for water. Fix drips and leaks. - Spring: breeding season. Act on any sign quickly. - Winter: with lows near 31°F in Collierville, check the attic, garage and pantry for droppings. - Fall: rodents look for shelter. Seal gaps before cold nights arrive.
Mice or rats?
- Rub marks: rats leave greasy smudges along walls and beams. - Behavior: mice are curious about new traps. Rats avoid them for days. - Sounds: mice sound light and quick. Rats sound heavier. - Holes: mice chew dime-sized holes. Rats chew holes closer to quarter-sized. - Droppings: mouse droppings are rice-sized. Rat droppings are two or three times bigger.
Sealing small gaps yourself.
- Check your work: daylight through a gap means it isn’t sealed. - Expanding foam: fine on top of mesh, useless on its own. - Door sweeps: close the gap under garage and exterior doors. - Hardware cloth: use quarter-inch mesh over vents and larger holes. - Sealant or mortar: cover the mesh so it stays put. - Steel wool or copper mesh: pack it into small gaps first.
Cleaning up droppings safely.
- Wash your gloved hands, then your hands. - Don’t sweep or vacuum droppings dry. It stirs up dust. - Wipe up with paper towels and bag them. - Spray droppings with a bleach solution, then wait five minutes. - Wear rubber or plastic gloves. - Air the room out for 30 minutes first.
What happens at an inspection.
Photos help. You should come away with a list of entry points. They'll also check the crawl space. Inside, they check the kitchen, garage and attic. They check the foundation, vents, rooflines and utility gaps. The inspector walks the outside first. Most inspections take about an hour.
Rodents in the car.
Clear birdseed and pet food from the garage. Check the air filter box for nesting. Park in a closed garage when you can. Mice and rats nest in engine bays and chew wiring.
Bird feeders and rodents.
Store seed in a metal can with a tight lid. If rodents show up, bring feeders in at night. Use a seed tray and sweep up spills. Spilled seed feeds mice and rats.
Questions to ask before you sign.
- Will you use poison inside? (Ask them not to.) - Is cleanup included, or extra? - What happens if they come back? - How many trap visits are included? - Which gaps will you seal, and with what? - Where are they getting in?
Rodents by the numbers.
National surveys set rough expectations but cannot diagnose one house. In Collierville, what actually matters is a walk-through: where the droppings are, how the rodents are getting in, and how large the colony is. In Collierville, those three findings — species, entry points, and scale — are what a quote should be built on, not a regional average. In Collierville, ask any provider to show you the entry points and the plan before you compare numbers.
What affects the price
- Age of the home and condition of the foundation.
- Exterior bait stations and ongoing service frequency.
- Whether insulation must be removed and replaced.
- Local labor rates and licensing costs.
- Number of trapping visits needed to reach zero.
- Follow-up visits included versus billed separately.
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What's your biggest concern about rodents?
When to call for help
Attic cleanup is hard to do safely without training. They take a longer, more careful approach. Call right away if you see rats. So is a dead-rodent smell. Droppings in several rooms are another sign. Call if you hear them in the attic or walls.
What you can do yourself
Start tonight with snap traps along the walls. Bait them with peanut butter. Store food in sealed bins. Seal small gaps with steel wool and sealant. Rooflines, vents and attics are harder. That's where a pro's sealing work pays off.
Rodents in Collierville
A typical home in Collierville is worth around $460k, and chewed wiring or soiled insulation can get expensive. In Collierville's neighborhoods, woodpiles, fences, bird feeders and gardens draw rodents close to the house. Winter lows average around 31°F in Collierville, and that cold is what sends mice looking for a way in. Collierville gets about 55 inches of rain a year, and heavy storms flood burrows, which pushes rats toward buildings.
Local research
Rodents in Collierville, TN: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which rodents actually live in Tennessee, when they are busiest around Collierville, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Commercial certification exam fee
Structural and health-related pest control is category C07; certifications run on a three-year cycle from July 1 to June 30.
Tennessee Department of AgricultureRodent species recorded in Tennessee
- House mouse (Mus musculus) — Enters at 1/4 inch; 5-10 litters per year; eats about 200 small meals a night.
- Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) — Burrowing rat of basements, sewers and ground floors; tail shorter than head plus body.
When rodents are busiest around Collierville
Mice may infest buildings year round, but as the house mouse cannot hibernate it is more likely to invade structures in the fall.
Tennessee pest control companies need a TDA charter plus applicator licenses; UT Extension's school IPM guidance is to seal entrances, remove debris harborage and clear high weeds.
Rules that apply in Tennessee
For context, nationally
- 1/4 inch (the width of a pencil) — Smallest gap a mouse can enter. CDC
- 890; 35% fatal; 94% west of the Mississippi — Hantavirus cases reported since 1993 (through 2023). CDC
Sources: University of Tennessee Extension School IPM program; Tennessee Department of Agriculture; CDC; Pest Notes: House Mouse; Pest Notes: Rats. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Simple ways to keep rodents away
- Stack firewood off the ground and away from the house.
- Insert metal weep-hole guards in brick veneer.
- Move compost bins away from the house and use closed models.
- Check crawlspace doors and vents for chewed openings each fall.
- Fit garage doors with tight bottom seals and corner guards.
- Seal every gap larger than a quarter inch with metal mesh.
In a multi-unit building, mice move between apartments through shared walls and pipe chases, so treating one unit rarely solves it. Ask for a building-wide plan.Did you know?
In Collierville, rats are strong swimmers and can tread water for a long time, which is why they sometimes travel sewer lines.
A house mouse can jump about a foot straight up.
Questions people ask
Is it safe to clean up droppings myself?
Never sweep or vacuum them dry. Wait five minutes, then wipe up with paper towels. Wear gloves and spray the droppings with a bleach solution. For small amounts, yes, with care.
Will rodent control harm my pets?
Tell the company about your pets before they start. Bait stations are locked. Traps go where pets can't reach. It shouldn't.
What does a rodent inspection involve?
You should get a list of entry points. Inside, they look at the kitchen, attic, garage and under sinks. The inspector checks the outside walls, roofline, vents and utility gaps.
Will rodents leave on their own?
Rarely. Once they've found food, water and a warm nest, they stay.
What is rodent-proofing and why does it cost so much?
It's also the part that keeps them out. A mouse fits through a dime-sized gap, so it's slow work. It means sealing every gap with metal mesh and sealant.
Are families with kids more likely to have rodents?
For a home in Collierville, the next step is an inspection that finds the source. Families with young children may want to be extra careful about food storage. homeowners, at 68%. Households with children were the most likely group to report a rodent encounter in the 2022 NPMA/Harris Poll of U.S. The survey evidence suggests they report them more often.
How many homes in the U.S. have mice or rats?
When you get quotes in Collierville, ask each company what they usually see in your neighborhood. Census Bureau's 2019 American Housing Survey (AHS). homes reported rodent sightings or signs in the U.S. Roughly one household in eight is dealing with mice or rats in a given year: 11.9% of occupied U.S. About one in eight report them.
Are rodents a problem in Collierville?
They're common here, as almost everywhere. House mice cause most problems.
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Sources (11)
The facts in this article come from the public sources listed above. Every home is different, so ask the company you talk to about pricing and what’s included. Published by Rodent Exterminator · Updated September 11, 2026 · How we write these guides