Rodents

Side view of an all-black icon of a rat. The rat's tail is longer than its body (it is a roof rat).

The District provides rodent inspections to help residents reduce rodent issues in and around their houses. If you would like a rodent inspection, please fill out a service request.

Rats need many of the same things we do: food to eat, water to drink, a safe place to live, and the company of their families. Unfortunately, they sometimes find those resources in our neighborhoods. Commensal rodents, such as roof rats, Norway rats, and house mice, have been associated with people for hundreds of years. They live on our food and waste products and inhabit our buildings.

Having rats doesn’t mean a neighborhood is dirty or poorly-kept. Most neighborhoods have at least some rats, and any neighborhood can find itself with a large infestation. Rodents can cause serious damage to structures, equipment, furniture and utilities, and may spread a wide variety of diseases, including leptospirosis, trichinosis, hantavirus, rickettsial diseases, and bacterial food poisoning.

Rodent fact sheet

Side black silhouettes of four animals. An opossum, a mouse, a rat, and a squirrel

Rodent Identification

Both wild and commensal rodents may infest homes and other structures, especially in rural areas. These are a few of the most common rodent species that you may see San Mateo County.

Side view of a roof rat, which is a long dark grey body with pink ears and feet, and a dark tail as long (or longer!) than its body.

Rodent Prevention and Control

The District can help you keep rats and mice out of your home. Schedule a comprehensive inspection today to identify key entrance points.

Three people in white Tyvek suits are around a table covered in white plastic. One person holds a small brown mouse while the other person looks on.

Rodent Surveillance and Data

Rodents can spread many diseases. These diseases can be spread to humans directly, through handling of rodents, through contact with rodent feces, urine, or saliva, or through rodent bites. Diseases carried by rodents can also be spread to humans indirectly, through ticks, mites, or fleas that have fed on an infected rodent.

Sideview of a mouse. The mouse is mostly dark brown, but the belly of the mouse is white. The mouse has light pink feet, large black eyes, and long white whiskers.

Hantavirus

Hantavirus is the common name for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (abbreviated as HPS), which is caused by inhaling particulates infected with Sin Nombre virus. Sin Nombre virus is carried by native deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and shed in their urine, feces, or saliva.

A grey and light brown squirrel stands partially emerged from a hole in the ground.

Plague

Plague is a bacterial disease that can be fatal if left untreated. There are three forms of the disease:

May contain: rat, animal, mammal, and rodent

FAQS about Rodents

Page last reviewed: August 12, 2021

Website Accesibilty Policy San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District

San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District is fully committed to providing accessible facilities, elements and channels of communication to all members of the public. As part of this commitment, San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District has a policy of providing an accessible website compatible with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and commercial screen reading software. All features of the website are coded to allow individuals with vision and other impairments to understand and use the website to the same degree as someone without disabilities. We welcome feedback and can often resolve issues in a timely manner if they arise.

If you need any special assistance or accommodations

Call us at (650) 344-8592

Ongoing Compliance Information

Compliance Officer

San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District has designated a compliance officer for website disability-related accommodations. The compliance officer has received training in website accessibility and updates the site in accordance with those best practices. Contact our accessibility officer to report an issue.

Compliance Procedures and Reports

In addition to testing with users with a wide range of disabilities and coding our website to WCAG standards, San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District regularly scans its website to ensure ongoing compliance, and makes timely changes to any inaccessible changes, if any are found. In our ongoing commitment to transparency, we make the last three months' reports available to the public.

August 2021 Website Accessibility Compliance Report

July 2021 Website Accessibility Compliance Report

June 2021 Website Accessibility Compliance Report

Linked Documents and Third Parties

Please note that this site may link out to third-party websites, such as state or federal agencies, that do not have accessible content. This site may also include documents provided by third parties included in our agenda packets, for example. While we cannot control the accessibility of content provided by third parties, we are happy to assist any member of the public with reading and accessing content on our site.

See an opportunity for us to improve? Please contact our accessibility officer or call us at (650) 344-8592.

Report a Website Accessibility Issue

We are committed to your ability to access all content, and we will respond to all requests as soon as possible.

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