Rodent Control in San Antonio, Texas

The limestone church and bell tower of Mission San José under a blue South Texas sky — Mission San José on the South Side. Old town, old houses, and rodents that have been here a long time too.

Roof rats in the attic, Norway rats under the shed, mice in the pantry and pack rats out in the brush. One call connects you with a local rodent technician who works your part of town.

Call and describe what you're hearing

(210) 955-2948

Rats, mice and pack rats only
Your call goes to a local rodent technician
Same-day appointments are often available
Homes and businesses in Bexar County

A lot of San Antonio rodent stories start in the attic. Something runs across the ceiling at 2 a.m., stops, then runs back. Most of the time that's a roof rat. They climb pecan trees, palms and power lines, cross the roof and slip in at a gap by the soffit. Our roof rat page walks through what to look for.

Rats aren't the only call. House mice come in through weep holes and garage doors. Norway rats dig along slabs and under sheds near the creeks. Out on the north and west edges, where houses back onto cedar and prickly pear, pack rats build stick nests under decks and in stored trucks. We take calls about all of them, and only them.

Here's how it works. You call the number on this page, and the call goes to an independent pest control provider that covers your part of Bexar County. Tell the technician what you're seeing and where you live. They come out, look things over and give you a price. We stay out of the money. Before anyone starts work, ask for their Texas Department of Agriculture license, and read how to check it.

Which one have you got?

A slender roof rat with a long tail walking along a porch railing, the climbing rat found in San Antonio attics

Roof Rats

The climbing rat. Lives in attics, palms, ivy and fruit trees, and comes and goes along fences and utility lines.

A brown Norway rat eating from a plastic food container beside a chain link fence

Norway Rats

The heavy brown rat that digs. Burrows under slabs, sheds and woodpiles near food and water.

A gray-brown house mouse inside a metal live trap, with a cracker used as bait

House Mice

House mice in kitchens, garages and wall voids. Small, quick, and able to use gaps you'd never notice.

A southern plains woodrat, a gray-brown pack rat with a furry tail and large dark eyes

Pack Rats

Woodrats that build big stick and cactus nests in brush, sheds, under decks and in cars that sit.

Why San Antonio houses get rodents

Start with the weather. San Antonio winters are short and mild, so rodents stay busy all year. There's no single fall rush like up north. Instead the calls come steadily, with spikes when a hard cold front blows through or a week of rain floods the low spots. Roof rats do well here. The urban entomology team at Texas A&M says roof rats are common in cities across the South, and an attic in Bexar County is warm enough for them twelve months a year.

Then look at the trees. The older neighborhoods inside Loop 410 have huge oaks and pecans, and a lot of those limbs hang right over the roof. That's how rats get up there. Alamo Heights, Olmos Park and Terrell Hills are full of homes like that, and so are the big lots in Castle Hills and Shavano Park. Our guide to roof rats and fruit trees covers what to trim.

Close to downtown, the houses get older and many sit on pier-and-beam foundations with a crawl space underneath. Broken skirting gives Norway rats and mice a place to live under the floor. That's a common story in Beacon Hill and Five Points and the older blocks of the South Side. Creeks and drainage channels run through much of the city too, and rats travel along them.

Out past Loop 1604, the houses are newer but the land isn't tamed. Stone Oak and Timberwood Park back onto cedar, oak and limestone. Woodrats, deer mice and roof rats live in that brush, and a shed, a deck or a stored boat is an easy step up for them. We take calls from Leon Valley, the Northeast Side cities and the rest of Bexar County too.

Old trees over old roofs: roof rats in the attic
Pier-and-beam houses: rats and mice in the crawl space
Brick veneer: mice through open weep holes
Brushy edges of town: pack rats in sheds, decks and stored vehicles

Noise in the attic tonight? Talk to someone who handles San Antonio rodents.
Call (210) 955-2948

What to say when you call

Your call goes to an independent rodent control provider who works your part of San Antonio. A two-minute description gets you a better answer on timing and price.

Tell them

What you've noticed: noise overhead, droppings, chewed fruit, a burrow, a stick nest
Where: attic, walls, kitchen, garage, crawl space, shed, yard
How long it's been going on
The house: one story or two, slab or pier-and-beam, big trees near the roof
Kids, pets or anyone with breathing problems at home
Your ZIP code or nearest cross streets

Ask them

What is your Texas Department of Agriculture business license number, and is the technician licensed too?
Will you seal the entry points, or only set traps and bait? What material do you use?
Where will any bait go, and will it be in locked, tamper-resistant stations?
How many follow-up visits does the price include?
Can I get the scope and the price in writing before you start?
What happens if rodents come back after the work is done?

(210) 955-2948

The San Antonio rodent calendar

Spring	Babies in the attic and new nests in the brush. Good time to trim limbs off the roof and screen the weep holes before the heat sets in.
Summer	Rodents go looking for water. Leaky hose bibs, AC drip lines and pet bowls draw them. A dead rat in a hot attic gets noticed fast. See odor removal.
Fall	Pecans drop, citrus ripens and roof rats eat well. Check the attic for droppings while it's cool enough to stand up there.
Winter	Cold fronts push mice into garages and kitchens for a few days at a time. Listen for noise in the walls after a norther. The year-round prevention guide has a checklist.

Rodent work we can connect you with

Roof Rat Control	The climbing rat. Lives in attics, palms, ivy and fruit trees, and comes and goes along fences and utility lines.
Norway Rat Control	The heavy brown rat that digs. Burrows under slabs, sheds and woodpiles near food and water.
Mouse Control	House mice in kitchens, garages and wall voids. Small, quick, and able to use gaps you'd never notice.
Pack Rat Removal	Woodrats that build big stick and cactus nests in brush, sheds, under decks and in cars that sit.
Sealing and Exclusion	Closing the gaps at the roofline, the foundation and the garage so new rodents can't follow the old ones in.
Attic Cleanup	Removing droppings and soiled insulation, sanitizing, and checking ductwork once the rats are gone.
Rodent Inspection	A careful walk of the roofline, attic, garage and yard to find out what you have and how it's getting in.
Commercial Rodent Control	Ongoing rodent programs for restaurants, warehouses, offices, schools and apartment complexes.
Dead Rodent Odor Removal	Finding and removing a dead rat or mouse in the attic, a wall or the crawl space, then cleaning the spot.
Emergency Rodent Removal	For a rat loose in the living space, rodents in a nursery or kitchen, or a sudden problem after a storm. Same-day visits are often available.
Droppings Cleanup and Sanitizing	Wet-method cleanup of droppings, urine and nests in kitchens, garages, closets and storage rooms, after the rodents are gone.
Mice in Walls Removal	Finding where mice enter the wall cavity, trapping them where they come out, and sealing weep holes and pipe gaps.
Crawl Space Rodent Control	Rats and mice under pier-and-beam houses: skirting repair, trapping, sealing pipe holes and cleaning the space.
Garage and Vehicle Rodent Control	Mice, rats and pack rats in garages, sheds, cars, trucks, boats and RVs. Trapping, sealing door gaps and storage fixes.
Restaurant Rodent Control	Ongoing rat and mouse service for kitchens, bars, bakeries and food businesses, with a service log for health inspections.

Why call this line

Rodents only

No roach spraying, no termite pitch. This line is for rats, mice and pack rats, so be ready to say whether the noise is up high or down low, and whether you've seen burrows by the slab.

Local technicians

Your call goes to a provider who works San Antonio and the small cities around it. Give the cross streets and what you've found, and ask when they can come look. Same-day appointments are often available.

Ask about sealing

Traps catch the rats that are already in. Closing the gaps keeps the next ones out. Ask the technician whether the quote includes sealing the roofline, and with what material.

No sales pitch from us

We don't quote jobs or push packages. The company that comes out sets the price after they've seen the place. How the referral works explains the rest.

Quick answers

How do I know if it's a rat or a mouse?

Droppings are the quickest tell. Mouse droppings are about a quarter inch long. Rat droppings are closer to half an inch or more. Noise in the attic at night usually means a roof rat.

How much will it cost?

We don't set prices. The provider quotes it after they've looked, since the number of gaps, the size of the attic and any cleanup all change the job. Our cost guide lists published national ranges.

Is the bait safe with my dog?

Bait should only go in locked, tamper-resistant stations, usually outside. Many jobs need none indoors. Our pets and kids guide has more.

Do you handle squirrels or raccoons?

No, this line is rats, mice and pack rats only. For other animals in the attic, call a wildlife removal company.

San Antonio guides and rodent articles

Local rules and resources, from reporting rats to the city to checking a Texas pest control license. All of them, plus every article, are on the guides page.

Where we take calls

Don't see your neighborhood? Call anyway. If you're in Bexar County or a nearby city, there's a good chance a provider works your street. See all service areas.