Rats and mice are good at hiding in homes. Many homeowners may not notice that they even have a rat or mice problem for weeks or even months. In order to ensure that you catch a rat or mice problem early, you need to be sure that you know the signs. You may not actually see the rat or mouse, but seeing these five signs are a huge indicator that they are there:

1. Droppings: Rat and mice droppings are an obvious sign that they are in your home. However, you may not recognize them as droppings since they are small and have the appearance of rice grains or raisins. If you know that you haven't cooked with raisins or rice grains for a while, then they are probably rat or mice droppings that you are looking at. 
2. Tracks: Once you notice droppings, you should catch mice or rat tracks in order to be sure that those truly were droppings that you spotted. To do this, you can scatter flour around the edges of your home. Once a rat or mouse walks through it, they will leave their tracks in your home. Then you know for sure there is a problem that needs to be taken care of and you can call pest control right away. 
3. Gnawings: When you are using anything in your pantry that comes in a box, you should check for signs of gnawings, which would be rats or mice trying to get through the packaging to eat the food inside. You may also notice shredded paper and more. You obviously don't want to eat anything that has been touched by a rat or mouse since they can carry diseases that would put you at risk. 
4. Nests: Rats like to make nests out of paper, cloth and more in drawers and closets. If you notice piles of random cloth and paper in your drawers or closet, this is another sign that you probably have a rat problem. 
5. Odor: If there is a strong odor in your home, this is usually an indicator that you have a mouse problem since they leave a smelly, musty odor behind. This typically comes from their droppings. 

There are many signs that rats and mice leave behind that homeowners need to be aware of to ensure that they know when to call the pest control professionals. Remember that even if you do not see the rat or mouse physically, the signs that they leave behind make it obvious that they are there.