The short version
Trap the ones inside, then seal the gaps. Around Rome, check the roofline too, since roof rats come in high. An inspection usually costs $75–$250.
- Look for droppings, gnaw marks and night-time scratching.
- Across Rome, mice usually start moving indoors in November and December, as nights get colder.
- Traps remove them; sealing keeps them out.
- Never sweep or vacuum droppings dry.
Homeowners, renters and landlords in Rome 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.
- 1Shredded paper, fabric, or insulation gathered into a nest.
- 2Food scattered or hollowed-out fruit and nuts.
- 3Pipe gaps stuffed with debris or looking chewed wider.
- 4Tracks or tail drag marks in dust or flour.
- 5Small dark droppings on top of the water heater.
- 6Pets staring at or pawing at a wall or appliance.
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
Skipping this step is why so many homeowners buy traps twice. A proper Rome inspection finds the gap you cannot see from the ground, usually up high or under the deck.
- Time
- 60–90 minutes
- Best for
- Every job; nothing else works without it
Attic and Crawlspace Cleanup and Sanitation
$500–$3,000, higher if insulation is replaced
After the rodents are gone, what they left behind still matters. Cleanup in Rome attics means removing droppings, nesting material, and urine-soaked insulation, then disinfecting the surfaces underneath.
- Time
- Half day to two days
- Best for
- Heavy contamination; odor, urine-soaked insulation, nesting
Tamper-Resistant Exterior Bait Stations
$100–$300 setup, $40–$80 per service visit
Rodenticides are regulated, and some products are restricted to licensed applicators. Ask which product they use. Ask how they protect pets and wildlife.
- Time
- 30–45 minutes per visit, ongoing
- Best for
- Outdoor rat pressure; ongoing perimeter protection
Sealing and Rodent-Proofing
$200–$1,500, more for large or complex homes
Sealing the gaps is what separates a fix from a subscription. Once Rome homes are properly sealed, trapping wraps up quickly and bait stations become optional rather than essential.
- 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.
Roof rats and mice love attic insulation. Tunnels through the fluff, flattened runways and droppings along the eaves are the signs to look for.Which rodents live around Rome.
They're small, curious and breed quickly. Norway rats are the other usual suspect. They burrow along foundations and enter low. Roof rats are common around Rome too. They climb, and come in high through attic vents and branches. House mice are the most common rodent in Rome homes.
When they move in.
Roof rats are active all year. Listen for them in the attic after dark. Spring is breeding season. Small problems grow fast. Check for gaps before then.
This is what a proper seal looks like: metal mesh fastened with screws and sealed at the edges. Foam or caulk on its own gets chewed through.How they get into houses here.
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 Rome out to Kennesaw and Canton 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 lot of houses around Rome have crawl spaces, and crawl vents and access doors are the usual way in.
A year of rodents in Rome.
- Summer: with highs around 91°F in Rome, rodents look for water. Fix drips and leaks. - Fall: rodents look for shelter. Seal gaps before cold nights arrive. - Winter: with lows near 31°F in Rome, check the attic, garage and pantry for droppings. - Spring: breeding season. Act on any sign quickly.
Mice or rats?
- Rub marks: rats leave greasy smudges along walls and beams. - Droppings: mouse droppings are rice-sized. Rat droppings are two or three times bigger. - Holes: mice chew dime-sized holes. Rats chew holes closer to quarter-sized. - Sounds: mice sound light and quick. Rats sound heavier. - Behavior: mice are curious about new traps. Rats avoid them for days.
Sealing small gaps yourself.
- Check your work: daylight through a gap means it isn’t sealed. - Steel wool or copper mesh: pack it into small gaps first. - Sealant or mortar: cover the mesh so it stays put. - Hardware cloth: use quarter-inch mesh over vents and larger holes. - Door sweeps: close the gap under garage and exterior doors. - Expanding foam: fine on top of mesh, useless on its own.
Cleaning up droppings safely.
- Wash your gloved hands, then your hands. - Air the room out for 30 minutes first. - Wear rubber or plastic gloves. - Spray droppings with a bleach solution, then wait five minutes. - Wipe up with paper towels and bag them. - Don’t sweep or vacuum droppings dry. It stirs up dust.
What happens at an inspection.
The inspector walks the outside first. They check the foundation, vents, rooflines and utility gaps. Inside, they check the kitchen, garage and attic. They'll also check the crawl space. You should come away with a list of entry points. Photos help. Most inspections take about an hour.
Rodents in the car.
Park in a closed garage when you can. Check the air filter box for nesting. Clear birdseed and pet food from the garage. Mice and rats nest in engine bays and chew wiring.
Bird feeders and rodents.
Use a seed tray and sweep up spills. If rodents show up, bring feeders in at night. Store seed in a metal can with a tight lid. Spilled seed feeds mice and rats.
Questions to ask before you sign.
- Will you use poison inside? (Ask them not to.) - Where are they getting in? - Which gaps will you seal, and with what? - How many trap visits are included? - What happens if they come back? - Is cleanup included, or extra?
Rodents by the numbers.
Across Rome, what actually matters is a walk-through: where the droppings are, how the rodents are getting in, and how large the colony is. Across Rome, those three findings — species, entry points, and scale — are what a quote should be built on, not a regional average. Across Rome, ask any provider to show you the entry points and the plan before you compare numbers. National surveys set rough expectations but cannot diagnose one house.
What affects the price
- Number of trapping visits needed to reach zero.
- Whether insulation must be removed and replaced.
- Sewer line inspection if rats are entering underground.
- Attic access and how much insulation is contaminated.
- Home size, stories, and roofline complexity.
- Emergency or short-notice scheduling.
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What's your biggest concern about rodents?
When to call for help
Call right away if you see rats. They take a longer, more careful approach. Attic cleanup is hard to do safely without training. Call if you hear them in the attic or walls. Droppings in several rooms are another sign. So is a dead-rodent smell.
What you can do yourself
Seal small gaps with steel wool and sealant. Rooflines, vents and attics are harder. That's where a pro's sealing work pays off. Start tonight with snap traps along the walls. Bait them with peanut butter. Store food in sealed bins.
Rodents in Rome
Rome gets about 54 inches of rain a year, and heavy storms flood burrows, which pushes rats toward buildings. Winter lows average around 31°F in Rome, and that cold is what sends mice looking for a way in. In Rome's neighborhoods, woodpiles, fences, bird feeders and gardens draw rodents close to the house. A typical home in Rome is worth around $210k, and chewed wiring or soiled insulation can get expensive.
Local research
Rodents in Rome, GA: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which rodents actually live in Georgia, when they are busiest around Rome, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Commensal rodent species established in Georgia
UGA Extension states all three live in Georgia, so identification drives where you place traps.
University of Georgia ExtensionNorway rat home range
A Norway rat may spend its whole life in that circle, so control has to cover the burrow area, not just the house.
University of Georgia ExtensionRodent species recorded in Georgia
- 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.
- Roof rat (Rattus rattus) — Climber of attics and trees in warm and coastal regions; tail longer than head plus body.
When rodents are busiest around Rome
Year-round, fall surge. Roof rats dominate Florida, Texas and Gulf Coast attics.
Based on Rome’s humid subtropical climate profile.
UGA Circular 970 (revised November 2025) recommends about a dozen traps per house for rats, set perpendicular to walls.
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 Georgia Extension; 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
- Check crawlspace doors and vents for chewed openings each fall.
- Keep garbage in lidded cans and pick up fallen fruit.
- Inspect vehicle engine bays if parked near fields or woods.
- Screen foundation and attic vents with quarter-inch hardware cloth.
- Cover dryer and exhaust vents with metal louvered covers.
- Install brush or rubber door sweeps on exterior doors.
Shared basements and utility rooms are where rodent problems in rentals usually start. Landlords should walk them each fall and after every tenant turnover.Did you know?
Across Rome, rats make ultrasonic chirps when they're tickled, which researchers compare to laughter.
A mouse's heart beats around 500 times a minute.
Questions people ask
How do I know if I have mice or rats?
Check the droppings. Mouse droppings are about the size of a rice grain. Rats also chew larger holes and sound heavier at night.
Do I need to replace attic insulation?
Only if it's heavily soiled or flattened by nesting. Light activity can often be cleaned up. Ask the inspector to show you before you agree to replacement.
Will rodents leave on their own?
Rarely. Once they've found food, water and a warm nest, they stay.
Is it safe to clean up droppings myself?
For small amounts, yes, with care. Wear gloves and spray the droppings with a bleach solution. Wait five minutes, then wipe up with paper towels. Never sweep or vacuum them dry.
How long does rodent control take?
Most jobs take two to four weeks. That covers inspection, sealing and a few trap checks.
Do homes with rodents usually have other pests too?
Often enough to matter. The U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Housing Survey (AHS) counted 2.9 million occupied homes that had seen both rodents and cockroaches in the preceding year. Before work starts in Rome, ask how many visits are included and what happens if the rodents come back.
Are rodent problems in U.S. homes getting worse?
Not noticeably, on the national numbers. Rodent contact has stayed steady: roughly 11.8% of occupied U.S. homes reported signs in the previous year, calculated from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Housing Survey (AHS) rounded counts, almost identical to 2019.
Are rodents a problem in Rome?
They're common here, as almost everywhere. Roof rats are also common in the area.
Nearby cities
Related guides
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