Stampede Pest Control
Houston Rat & Rodent Control

Guaranteed Rat Extermination Services in Houston, TX

Damaged food packages in your pantry? Scurrying sounds inside your house at night? Those are signs of a rat and mouse infestation. Reach out to Stampede Pest Control for expert assistance. Every service is guaranteed.

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Houston rat & mouse exterminators

Expert rodent removal across Houston, TX

Are there damaged food packages in your pantry? Do you hear scurrying sounds inside your house at night? These are signs of a rat and mouse infestation. Reach out to Stampede Pest Control right away for expert assistance. We can quickly and safely remove current rodent problems as well as help to prevent future infestations. Our Houston rat and mouse exterminators are experienced and thorough, and we guarantee all services.

Mice and rats can cause serious, expensive problems to your property. They can cause fire hazards by chewing through wiring, spread infected fleas and ticks, and they're just plain gross. Let us help you protect your home from rodents all year round. Call us now for a free quote.

Updated June 2026

Quick answer

How do I get rid of rats in my Houston home?

Scurrying sounds at night and damaged food packages are signs of a rat or mouse infestation. Rats chew through wiring and spread fleas and ticks, so act early. Our experienced Houston exterminators remove current rodents quickly and safely and seal entry points to prevent future infestations. Every service is guaranteed.

Let's talk about rats and rodents

What draws rats into your home

Understanding how rats breed, enter, and nest is the first step to keeping them out for good.

Breeding

Rats reproduce all year round. They breed easily, most especially in favorable, warm climates like that of the Houston area. Females can produce up to 5 litters every year, each with 7 to 14 pups. Rats have a lifespan of about 3 years. However, due to species conflicts and predators, most of them only live for about a year.

Entry points

These pests can enter homes and businesses through openings as small as half an inch. The most common entry points are holes around roofs, chimneys, and vents.

Diet and habitat

Food preferences may vary per rat species. However, in general, rats eat basically anything when hungry. In the wild, they consume plants, seeds, and fruits. Indoors, they eat anything and everything they come across. There are three primary things that can attract rats to your property: shelter, water, and food. They are highly adaptable creatures and can thrive anywhere near food sources.

Nests

Rats prefer to nest in secure, warm areas with convenient access to water and food. They build their nests near food sources using shredded materials like fabrics and newspapers. Their nests can be found in several places around your home. Always check your attic, wall cavities, and under and behind appliances.

Ecological benefits

Rats are pests, sure, but they pull their weight in the ecosystem. They keep things in balance. They feed snakes and birds of prey, and they help scatter seeds and plants from one area to the next.

Common types of Houston rodents

The rats & mice we treat in Houston

From deer mice to Norway rats, here are the rodents most likely to turn up in a Houston home or business.

Deer Mice

Deer mice are about 3 to 4 inches long, with pointed noses and big, black eyes. They are uniquely bicolored. The upper part of their bodies is reddish-brown, while their feet and underbellies are white. These rodents don't live past a year in the wild but can live up to 8 years in captivity. These tiny pests love eating seeds, nuts, insects, animal matter, and other plant products. Outdoors, they live in hollow logs, tree holes, or piles of rocks. Once they find their way inside homes, they look for dark, warm areas like attics and basements. If you think your house is infested with deer mice, try looking for their nest in undisturbed spaces. These are usually made from fur, seeds, paper, and weeds.

House Mice

House mice vary in color, from black and light brown to grey. These mice have pointed muzzles, and their tails are around 2 to 4 inches long. Just like deer mice, they prefer to consume fruits and nuts, but will generally eat any available food source. House mice love to eat food items that are high in carbohydrates, including chocolates and other sweets. They love spending time under cabinets, under kitchen appliances, and other secluded areas, while basements and attics are considered nesting hotspots. These pests gnaw furniture pieces and electrical wires alike. Exposed, chewed wires can spark and cause a fire, so it's crucial to call reliable pest control specialists the moment you suspect an infestation.

Black Rat / Roof Rat

Despite its name, black rats range from light brown to black in color, with a much lighter underside. They have slender bodies and big ears, with tails longer than their bodies. Black rats are often found outdoors, living in farmlands or fields, feeding on fruits, seeds, nuts, and other vegetation. When food is no longer available, they find their way inside homes and businesses, urinating and producing droppings often and contaminating everything they come into contact with. They're excellent climbers (also referred to as roof rats because of their tendency to seek shelter in a structure's upper levels) and can squeeze through a hole about the size of a quarter. They are about 7 to 10 inches long and weigh about 5 to 9 ounces. Their incisors grow about 4 inches each year, which they manage by continuously chewing on things.

Norway Rats

Norway rats, also referred to as sewer rats, are heavily bodied animals with blunt muzzles. They are 7 to 9 inches long, brown in color, with scattered black hairs and white to gray undersides. These are social pests, often living close to one another. If you notice one burrow in your yard, more likely there are others nearby. They build nests near garbage cans, riverbanks, woodpiles, and under concrete slabs. Norway rats normally live in farmlands and fields, but enter homes around fall when water and food sources become scarce outdoors, nesting in basements and the lower floors of buildings. They eat several types of food but prefer carbohydrates and proteins, and will even kill and consume small insects, birds, mammals, and reptiles.

Rats vs. mice

How to tell rats and mice apart

Pest control works better once you can tell these two apart. They look alike at a glance, but the size gives them away. Mice run about 12 to 20 cm, tail included. Rats are bigger, medium to large rodents that can stretch as long as 40 cm.

Mice have bigger ears and eyes relative to their heads, with sharper, narrower muzzles and thin, slightly hairy tails. Rats have bigger muzzles and thicker, scaly tails, with ears that are smaller relative to their heads. Compared to mice, rats have coarse fur and bigger feet.

Whether your property is infested with rats or mice, calling Stampede Pest Control is the best solution for an immediate and lasting result. Schedule an inspection now.

Dangers of rat & rodent infestations

Don't wait on a rodent problem

Annoying scratching and squeaking noises at night? It's possible that there's a rat infestation in your home. Rodents don't just damage food and property. By chewing through wiring they can create fire hazards, and they can spread infected fleas and ticks. The sooner you act, the easier the problem is to control.

Stampede's Houston rat and mouse exterminators remove the rodents you have, seal the entry points they're using, and put measures in place to keep them from coming back. Every service is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. Reach out to us today to schedule an inspection.

Licensed Technicians

A large team of highly trained, licensed pest control technicians across Texas.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

If the problem isn't handled, we treat until it's gone, at no additional cost.

Same-Day Service

We make same-day pest control a priority in most cases.

Organic & Pet-Friendly

Child- and pet-friendly products, with fully organic options and IPM techniques.

Why Texas homeowners choose Stampede

Same-day service in most cases

Dealing with pests is stressful, so we make it a priority to treat your home or business the same day whenever we can.

100% satisfaction guarantee

If the problem isn't handled right away, we treat your home or business until it's gone, at no additional cost to you.

Experienced, licensed technicians

A large team of highly trained technicians and the proper tools to do the job the right way the first time.

Organic & pet-friendly options

Child- and pet-friendly products, fully organic services, and IPM techniques that avoid over-spraying.

Good questions

Frequently asked questions

Absolutely. If you ever see pests around your home even a week after treatment, call our office and we'll return to make it right at no additional cost. If you are not 100% satisfied, we will refund your money.

We're in every area within 2 business days. We can generally service your home the very next day or, at the latest, within 48 hours.

No. But bugs don't ever go away. It's like pulling your weeds once and not doing it again for a year. Nearly all of our customers get a routine monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly service to keep pests from returning.

Yes. Everyone should have a termite inspection done once a year. At Stampede we do termite inspections for free, and we offer termite protection plans that stand behind your home. Ask about our service guarantee.

When you get pest control with Stampede, we do an initial service and then the first bi-monthly or quarterly the very next month. This eliminates the egg cycle. Products don't penetrate egg sacs and pupae, so we come back after they hatch to stop the cycle permanently.

Once the product dries, it's virtually harmless to pets. We just ask that you keep pets away from wet areas for about 15 to 20 minutes. We use products approved for use in daycare centers, hospitals, and restaurants. An organic service is also available.

The exact price depends on your home, the pest, and the severity. Call us for a free, instant quote over the phone with no surprises.

Rats or mice in your Houston home?

Call Stampede now for a free, instant quote. We'll get rid of all rodents quickly and safely, and we guarantee every service.

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