When the weather turns cold, mice and rats go looking for warmth, food, and shelter — and a house or apartment building has all three. A mouse fits through a hole the size of a dime, so the gaps you never notice are exactly the ones they use. R.J.’s Integrated Pest Management finds how rodents are getting in, removes the ones already inside, and seals the way back — for single homes and multi-family properties across the South Shore.
Signs rodents are already inside
- Droppings — mouse droppings are small (⅛ to ¼ inch, rod-shaped with pointed ends); rat droppings are much bigger (⅝ to ¾ inch, thicker, capsule-shaped). The size tells you most of the story.
- Gnaw marks — around pipes, along baseboards, on stored food packaging. Rodent teeth never stop growing, so they never stop chewing — wiring included.
- Scratching and scurrying in walls or ceilings, especially at night.
- Chewed food packaging — a dog food bag gnawed straight through is one of the most common first signs we see.
- Grease marks along walls and entry points, where rodents run the same route every night.
Read: 5 Ways Mice Get Into Your Home →
Mice or rats?
It matters, because the plan is different. House mice are small and curious; the Norway rats we have here on the South Shore are bigger, cautious, and strong enough to gnaw through materials mice can’t. Identifying what’s actually in your building is step one of every job we do — droppings, gnaw marks, sounds, and where the activity is all point to the answer.
Our approach
- Inspect — we find the activity, identify the animal, and map the entry points: pipes, cables, door gaps, foundation cracks, vents.
- Remove — trapping and treatment matched to the animal and the building, placed where residents, kids, and pets aren’t part of the equation.
- Exclude — entry points sealed with materials rodents can’t gnaw through, so the next group doesn’t move in.
- Follow up — we verify the activity has stopped, not just slowed down.
For property managers
Rodents in one unit become the building’s problem fast. We handle multi-family rodent work on a coordinated schedule, unit by unit. Commercial Pest Control →
Common questions
How do mice get in? Gaps around pipes and cables, worn door and garage seals, foundation cracks, and loose vents. If you can see daylight, a mouse can get through it. Our blog walks through the five most common entry points.
Are the treatments safe around kids and pets? Placement is the whole game — traps and materials go where the rodents travel, not where your family does. We’ll walk you through exactly what we’re using and where.
Will they come back? Removal without exclusion is a temporary fix. Sealing the entry points is part of the job, and follow-up visits confirm it held.
Which towns do you serve? Braintree and the South Shore, including Dorchester, Quincy, Randolph, Stoughton, Canton, Hanover, Norwell, Weymouth, and Pembroke.
Don’t wait for a small problem to multiply
Rodents multiply fast, and the longer they’re in, the more damage they do. Call sooner rather than later.
Call R.J.’s Integrated Pest Management: 617-842-5801
288 Grove St., #366, Braintree, MA 02184