How Much Does a Rat or Mice Exterminator Cost?

Cost Range for a Rat and Mouse Exterminator

If you need to have rats and/or mice removed by a professional, the cost will usually range from $230 to $685, with the average coming in at about $395. This will normally include an inspection, treatment aka extermination, and exclusion, which involves preventing the critters from infesting your home again.

Severe infestations may run significantly higher because of the extermination methods that may need to be employed.

Average Cost

While the national average cost of riding your home or rats or mice is around $350, this number can be less if you are doing it yourself, and a lot more if the infestation is so severe that tenting and fumigation of the entire home is required. This can run the cost to as much as $2,000 to $6,000.

Overview of Rodent Exterminating

Having mice or rats in your home is no joke. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), rats and mice are known to carry many diseases that can spread to people through direct contact with them or their excrements. But they can also carry ticks, mites, or fleas that can spread diseases from the rodents to your family.

When a professional rodent exterminator inspects your home, he will obviously want to see what you have seen: droppings, urine, places where chewing has taken place, etc. Then he will look for places of entry – where the critters are coming into your home from outside. He may also look to see if perhaps the critters have taken up residence and made nests inside your house.

If the inspection concludes that the rodents are living outside and “just visiting” your home from time to time, you can expect the cost of extermination to be on the low end of the scale. However, if it is determined that they are in the attic, walls, or ceilings, you will know that the cost to remove them will be much higher.

Once the inspection is complete, a plan can be formed, and the actual extermination can begin.

Rat and Mice Extermination Cost Factors

The factors that will determine the price of rodent extermination are similar to that of other types of pests. These will have been revealed by the inspection by a competent pest control company. They will include the following:

The factors that will determine the price of rodent extermination are similar to that of other types of pests. These will have been revealed by the inspection by a competent pest control company. They will include the following:

• The Severity of the Infestation – This factor alone will be a large part of determining both the method used and the final cost of getting rid of the mice or rats in your house. A few critters might be taken care of quickly and without any extreme measures. A large infestation will take more time, effort, and will cost considerably more to exterminate.
• Location of the Infestation – A couple of mice coming in through a hole in the foundation is one thing. A dozen or more mice living in the walls or ceiling is something very different. The more out-of-the-way or difficult-to-reach the critters are, the more extensive and difficult the treatment will be. Mice or rat removal from an attic are one of the hardest to find, due to the insulation and other places they can easily nest.
• Clutter – Another factor that often adds to the difficulty of exterminating mice or rats is a very cluttered room or basement in which they have taken up residence. Even if they live in a backyard shed or garage that is stacked high with items, this will have an impact on the cost of getting rid of them.
• Method of Removal – There are several commonly used methods to exterminate or remove rats and mice. Traps and bait stations that kill the rodents are usually less expensive than methods that trap them alive for removal from your property. The live trap method also has the additional cost of having the professional transport the animals away from your home to be released at a remote location. *The need for fumigation for rats or mice is rare, and usually only employed with an extreme infestation and as a last resort. It is also the most expensive method of rodent extermination by far.
• Exclusion – Trapping alone will not stop the invasion. Rodents leave scent trails and rub marks on entry holes that attract others. All entry points must be sealed to prevent having a new invasion after the extermination is complete. The number of places to be sealed will be another factor in determining the final cost of the extermination process.

Exterminator and Application Cost Details

Cost of Services

Here are DIY costs plus fees for professional rodent extermination services.

DIY – Most home and property owners use multiple methods to exterminate mice, rats, chipmunks and other rodents.

• $1 – $3 Each | Snap Traps
• $1.50 – $2.50 Each | Glue Traps
• $7.00 – $10.00 Each | Live Traps
• $25 – $75 Each | Electronic Kill Traps
• $3 – $25 per Package | Baits, Blocks, Pellets

Pro Services

• $100 – $150 | Inspection – The fee is usually waived if services are contracted
• $200 – $400 | Rodent extermination with kill traps and baits
• $350 – $500 | Trapping and removing using live traps
• $1,500 – $6,000 | Whole-house fumigation
• $40 – $70 per Month | Monthly spray to discourage further infestation

How Much Does It Cost to Exterminate Rats and Mice?

The average cost of having rats and/or mice removed is around $350 – $400.

In extreme cases, tenting and fumigation may be required. This is normally between $1 to $3 per square foot. A 2,000-square-foot house would cost between $2,000 and $6,000 for this last-resort method.

Permits, Inspection, and Labor Costs

Permits and/or Inspection Cost

• $0 – $100 | In most states, you do not need a permit to exterminate mice and rats. However, the pro should be licensed and insured. In some states, you need a permit to trap or exterminate other rodents including chipmunks, squirrels and nutria. Check with your local authorities for details – and your exterminator should also be aware of local regulations.

Exterminator Labor Cost

Most exterminator estimates do not itemize the cost of labor. These vary widely, depending on the average cost of living where you are. You can probably figure that labor will be $45 to $70 per hour.

Treatment Time

Once again, several factors will determine how long it takes to completely rid your dwelling of rats or mice. How many critters, points of entry, where they are located (hiding), and how busy the exterminator is all come into play – especially if return visits are required. But here are some approximate timeframes that can be considered:

1 to 3 Hours | The initial inspection and placing some test traps.

2 to 3 days | Leaving the traps to catch a few rodents, determine effectiveness and form the full extermination plan.

2 to 6 hours | Set or place whatever methods will be used.

1 to 2 hours | Once rats, mice and rodents are eradicated, locate a seal entry points.

2 to 7 days | Fumigation. It takes longer fumigate, ventilate and clean after fumigation.

Related Projects

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DIY or Hire a Pro

Upon discovering evidence of mice or rats in their home, many people attempt to take care of the problem by setting a couple of traps or bait stations. If the infestation is relatively minor, this may be all that is required. However, if after catching one or two, or even a few of these nasty rodents it is obvious that the infestation is more serious, a professional should be contacted.

Don’t be afraid to ask for quotes from 2 or 3 different companies. Be sure they are bonded and have been in business for more than a short time. Rat and mouse extermination can turn out to be expensive, so you want it to be both effective in removing the problem and safe for your family and home.