Rats can easily chew through softer materials like cardboard and plastic. They can even chew through harder things like wood and PVC pipes. But rats cannot chew through steel. They can't chew through anything stronger than iron.
Many homeowners opt for galvanized stainless steel wire mesh for DIY exclusion of rats, mice, and other pesky rodents. To galvanize the material, steel is dipped into molten zinc or treated with electrolytic reactions. This forms a stable, protective zinc coating, which makes the product extremely resilient.
Silicone sealant has a number of advantages. It is non-toxic and safe for the building's residents, and can be used to keep rodents away because it is difficult to chew through. Mouse-proofing silicone sealant may be the best solution depending on where the entry points to your home are.
Other materials they can get through include thin glass, plastic (like window & door screens and water pipes), drywall / sheetrock, asbestos, and electrical wires. Super strong teeth are not the only superpower-like trait these rodents possess.
Seal up gaps and holes inside and outside your home
Seal any holes you find to stop rodents from entering. Fill small holes with steel wool. Put caulk around the steel wool to keep it in place or use spray foam. Use lath screen or lath metal, cement, hardware cloth, or metal sheeting to fix larger holes.
Mice hate the sound and smell of aluminum foil.
They also can't grip onto it, despite generally being good climbers. If you want to use aluminum foil to keep mice away naturally, wrap it around the objects you want to protect. Mice will avoid them completely.
They can also gnaw away at any wood, plastic, or vinyl barriers you install. In this case, inexpensive steel wool can be your best friend, and it's one of the most effective materials available for keeping mice and rats at bay. Mice have unbelievably sharp teeth, but they're no match for the power of steel wool.
Mice and rats will eat cardboard, paper, wiring, or other strange nutrition sources when they are hungry.
By providing ample space for nesting and sleeping, a cardboard box makes the perfect breeding ground because they are dark, warm, and enclosed. Rodents can also chew on cardboard to help dull their teeth and satisfy their need to gnaw while using them to protect their growing brood.
Protein-rich foods: Rats have a natural inclination towards protein-rich foods. Items such as nuts, seeds, cooked meat, and even dog or cat food can be difficult for them to resist due to the high protein content. These foods provide essential nutrients for their growth and overall well-being.
Clean and uncluttered homes and yards scare rats due to the lack of food and places to hide, as well. Rats are not happy when the holes, cracks, and crevices in your foundation and entryways are sealed off, excluding them from your home. Rats are afraid of loud noises as they have excellent hearing.
Most people measure that rat bites exert more force per square inch than alligators and sharks. Because of this, rats can chew through almost anything: wood, drywall, brick, concrete, aluminum, sheetrock, and more. When motivated, a rat can almost certainly make its way into your home using its powerful jaws.
There are two main things that can attract mice and rats to your house – food and shelter. If you don't tidy up properly and there's food waste on the floor or surfaces, rodents are going to love it! Rats and mice also need shelter, particularly during winter to avoid the worst of the cold.
Rats are very playful and providing toys for enrichment is highly recommended. Some good options include: cardboard boxes, paper towel and toilet paper rolls, bells, and paper towels left in sheets so that they can have the fun of chewing them up!
Mice and rats can sniff out food from a distance and will chew through almost any material they can to reach it. To store food without having to worry about rats and mice: Leave Food in Original Packaging – Until you open it, food is often safest in its airtight, original packaging.
Just to mention a few, mice can chew their way through wood, plastic, vinyl and aluminum. That said, you might be curious to know, "Can mice chew through concrete?" The answer is yes, but only if the concrete is not cured properly. There is one material that mice tend to shy away from – steel wool.
If you do go with steel wool as a pest preventative, choose the right kind: medium grade. Lower grade steel wool is too soft and won't provide enough of a challenge to deter pests, while higher grade is less malleable and harder to stuff into tight entry points.
Yes, bleach will repel mice, but it's not something that you want to use to get the job done. Bleach has a powerful and unpleasant smell, and that will keep mice away in the short term. However, that smell doesn't stay around very long without a great deal of the product being applied to an area.
Repel With Peppermint: Mice don't like the scent of peppermint. I mix up a spray bottle with half vinegar, half water, and a few drops of Peppermint essential oil. I use this mixture as a cleaning spray to clean the kitchen walls, cabinets, and floor. I use this spray for everyday kitchen cleanup.
Caulk, board up or poke steel wool into openings to keep mice from getting back into the house. Peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, pepper and cloves. Mice are said to hate the smell of these.