Rodent Control in Oro Valley

Oro Valley is a younger town than a lot of people from out of state expect. Most of it went up from the 1980s on, in master-planned neighborhoods like Rancho Vistoso, along Oracle Rd. and the Canada del Oro Wash on the northwest side of the Catalinas. Stucco, tile roofs, desert landscaping, and Catalina State Park with miles of open desert right at the edge of town.

That open desert is the whole story. Pack rats come in from the washes and open space into backyards and garages, and deer mice settle into garages near the desert edge once the nights cool off. Golf carts and cars that sit while their owners travel get nested in too.

The CDO Wash and Honey Bee Canyon

The Canada del Oro Wash runs right through the middle of town, and Honey Bee Canyon cuts through the north side. Between neighborhoods, natural open space and golf course edges give rodents plenty of cover. If your house backs to a wash or open space, the back wall and the gate are where it starts. View fences are pretty, but the gap at the bottom is an open door.

Newer doesn't mean sealed. Garage door seals bake in the sun. AC and plumbing lines pass through stucco. Tile roofs can have open ends at the eaves where a rat slips under the first row. A tech can look at the tile eaves and garage seals while they're out for pack rats near open space. Up toward Pusch Ridge the rock outcrops and washes get closer still.

Golf carts, HOA walls and summer trips

Plenty of Oro Valley residents leave for weeks in the summer, and a car or golf cart sitting in the garage is an easy target. Run through our checklist for parked cars before you go. If something's already been chewed, see how the tech handles rodents in vehicles.

Most homes here are in an HOA. A tech can work your lot and your house, but common areas belong to the HOA, so let them know if you find middens along a shared wall. Deer mice in the garage are a fall call, usually handled with mouse trapping and new door seals. Homes farther west in Marana's Dove Mountain area and south in Casas Adobes see the same patterns on both sides of the town line.

Backed up to Catalina State Park

Homes near Catalina State Park and along Oracle Rd. north of Tangerine have the park's desert right behind them, with cholla flats and washes running down off the Catalinas. Deer mice and pack rats don't pay much attention to property lines. If you back up to the park or a natural area, expect a midden or two along the wall every few years, and check the garage door seal each fall when the nights start dropping.

Around Oro Valley: Catalina State Park · Rancho Vistoso · Canada del Oro Wash · Steam Pump Ranch · Oracle Rd. and Tangerine Rd. · Naranja Park (ZIP 85737, 85742, 85755)

Also serving Catalina Foothills, Marana, Tanque Verde and East Side, Midtown and Sam Hughes, Vail, Sahuarita and Green Valley, Rita Ranch, Casas Adobes, South Tucson and West Side.