Collect and remove fallen fruit from backyard trees and orchards. Keeping lids on trash cans and closing dumpsters at night will also make an area less attractive to rats and mice. The drainage holes in dumpsters should be covered with hardware cloth to keep rodents out. Exclusion is also called rodent-proofing . This involves making your home a fortress that rodents can not breach.
Rodents can squeeze through any opening that their head can fit through.
Young rats and mice are the dispersing individuals, so these are the ones most likely to invade new areas, like your home. Any opening that a pencil can fit through will admit a mouse. Below is a list of recommended materials for excluding rats and mice. Galvanized, stainless, or other non-rusting metal. Broken glass added to mortar or concrete will deter rodents from tunneling through a patched hole before the material hardens.