From First Call
to a Permanently Quiet Attic

Phone Triage — Species Confirmed Before We Arrive

Every job starts with a 5–10 minute call before scheduling. We ask specifically: what do the sounds sound like and when do they occur (heavy rolling and thumping at night = deer mice in attic insulation; light scurrying at dawn/dusk near the kitchen = house mice near food sources); where in the structure the sounds come from; your home’s age and construction type (A-frame, log cabin, T&G siding, standard frame); tree proximity to rooflines; and whether the property has been vacant and for how long.

By the end of this call we have a high-confidence species hypothesis that determines our inspection prioritization before we arrive. A Tahoe Donner A-frame describing rolling sounds from the ceiling between 11pm–2am: deer mice in attic insulation, probable entry via rafter tail voids. A Glenshire cabin describing kitchen-level scratching near the pantry: house mice at ground level. Different species, different inspection priorities, different trap placement strategy. We arrive prepared — not starting from zero at your front door.

60% of our calls come from Bay Area and Sacramento owners managing properties remotely. We’ll take property details, access codes, and any photos you can share via text before arrival.

On-Site Inspection — GPS-Tagged Photo Report Same Day

This is the step that separates every job we do from what Paragon Pest Control, True Blue Pest Control, and most generalist companies in the Truckee market provide. We access the roofline by ladder and physically inspect every candidate entry point from above — where over 80% of active deer mouse and roof rat entry points are located. A ground-level perimeter walk finds less than 20% of what matters.

The inspection covers: full roofline assessment with hantavirus-safe respiratory protection during attic entry (P100 minimum — deer mouse presence can’t be confirmed absent before entering any Truckee attic), freeze/thaw structural damage assessment specific to this season’s snowfall (the February 2026 storm’s 111 inches in 5 days at the Central Sierra Snow Lab created significant fascia lift and soffit displacement across the service area), A-frame rafter tail void documentation, crawlspace foundation vent integrity, vapor barrier condition, Norway rat burrow evidence near Donner Creek and Truckee River corridors.

Every candidate entry point is GPS-tagged, photographed, and rated A (confirmed active), B (high probability), C (monitor). Written report delivered same day. Remote owners in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles receive it digitally — no site visit required to see every finding.

Inspection fee: $150–$350 depending on property size and access complexity. Credited in full toward any approved exclusion work on the same property.

Mechanical Trapping — No Poison. No Dead Rodents in Your Walls.

Traps are placed same day as or next day after the inspection approval, positioned along confirmed travel routes — the grease runs (dark oily deposits on rafters and beams) that mark where deer mice move every night. This is not random placement. Grease run positioning produces catches on days 3–5, after the neophobia window clears. Random attic placement can produce zero catches for weeks.

We use no rodenticide at any stage. The reason is specific to Truckee’s mountain home context: when a poisoned rodent dies inside a wall cavity or behind attic insulation in a seasonal cabin, the carcass decomposes at ambient temperature — warm in summer cabins, cold in winter-vacant properties. In summer, peak decomposition odor arrives within 24–48 hours and the smell can persist for 3 weeks or longer. In a vacant winter property, the carcass may freeze, then thaw repeatedly, extending the smell problem across multiple seasons. Remote owners managing from the Bay Area face a housing emergency that can’t be resolved without a site visit. Mechanical trapping produces a retrievable body at a known location, removed same day.

Trapping continues until 72 consecutive hours of zero catches confirms the interior population is clear. This is the confirmation threshold that triggers exclusion sealing — not a calendar date, not an assumed number of animals, not a “good enough” estimate.

The 72-hour zero-catch standard is non-negotiable for one reason: sealing with animals still inside creates a trapped colony. Trapped deer mice chew through drywall attempting to exit and die in wall cavities — creating both structural damage and the hantavirus-bearing decomposition scenario described above.

Exclusion Sealing — Snow-Rated Materials, Permanent Result

Every A and B entry point identified in the inspection is sealed after the 72-hour zero-catch confirmation. The material standard is categorical: 304 stainless steel hardware cloth (¼-inch openings) for all mesh applications. This is the only mesh material that survives Truckee’s freeze/thaw cycle without corroding — galvanized mesh oxidizes and loses structural integrity in 2–4 Truckee winters, increasing the mesh opening size to deer mouse entry threshold. Metal flashing for structural gaps at fascia junctions, foundation sills, and anywhere a rigid seal is required rather than mesh. UV-stabilized polypropylene vent covers with stainless mesh backing for ridge and eave vents. Snow-load-rated chimney caps with positive-lock brackets for any open chimney.

A-frame rafter tail voids — the primary deer mouse entry point in Tahoe Donner and Donner Lake A-frame neighborhoods — receive custom stainless mesh form-fitted to the rafter profile. Standard vent covers don’t address the specific geometry of exposed rafter tail construction. Log cabin chinking gaps receive flexible sealants compatible with wood movement rather than standard caulk, which loses adhesion in Truckee’s temperature cycling.

Every sealed point is photographed after installation. The close-out report contains before/after photos for every sealed point, organized by GPS coordinate. You can physically inspect every sealed location after the job and compare it to the documentation.

Attic Cleanup — HEPA Protocol, Enzyme Deodorizer, Hantavirus-Safe

Attic cleanup in Truckee is not optional pest maintenance — it’s a health protocol. Deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) droppings carry Sin Nombre hantavirus. The CDPH confirms approximately 3 Sin Nombre HPS cases statewide per year at a 38% fatality rate, concentrated in the Sierra Nevada above 1,200 meters elevation. Truckee is at 1,774 meters. Disturbing dried deer mouse droppings in an enclosed attic space without HEPA filtration and respiratory protection is the primary documented transmission mechanism.

Our cleanup protocol: HEPA-filtered vacuum removal of all droppings and nesting material (never standard shop vacuum — they aerosolize fine particles), 10% bleach-equivalent disinfectant applied before any physical disturbance, P100 respirator throughout, enzyme deodorizer applied to all confirmed grease run zones. The enzyme deodorizer is critical: it breaks down the pheromone scent compounds that persist after animals are gone and would otherwise recruit new deer mice into the space through any future freeze/thaw-created entry points. A sealed attic without enzyme treatment still chemically signals “established territory” to animals probing the exterior.

Insulation assessment is included: moisture meter readings in contaminated zones, zone replacement recommendation if saturation compromises California Title 24’s R-38 minimum for Truckee’s climate zone (Zone 16), before/after photo documentation.

Cleanup can be coordinated with remote access. Same-day photo delivery means Bay Area and Sacramento owners see every before/after finding without being on-site.

Close-Out Report + 90-Day Return Guarantee — The Defined Endpoint

Every job closes with a written close-out report and the start of a 90-day return protection period. The close-out report contains: before/after photos for every sealed entry point organized by GPS coordinate, animal removal count and dates, attic condition before/after cleanup documentation, wiring damage notation for electrician follow-up if gnaw damage was found, insulation assessment summary, canopy trim recommendations for any branch within 3 feet of the roofline, and the specific 90-day guarantee terms.

The 90-day return protection is unconditional for every entry point we sealed: if deer mice or other rodents re-enter through any point we sealed within 90 days of close-out, we return and resolve it at no charge. No deductibles. No exclusions. The close-out date — not the first service date — starts the clock, ensuring the full job is complete before the guarantee period begins.

For STR and vacation rental properties, the close-out report is formatted for Airbnb and Vrbo host documentation purposes. Hosts who can show a dated close-out report with GPS-tagged sealed entry points and before/after photos have a documented defense in platform case management processes.

The annual spring inspection — recommended in April or May, after Truckee’s winter freeze/thaw cycle has revealed any new structural gaps — is the maintenance step that extends the close-out’s protection into subsequent seasons. The February 2026 storm (111 inches in 5 days, 3rd-highest five-day total in Central Sierra Snow Lab history since 1970) is the clearest possible illustration of why annual inspection is not optional: that kind of structural movement creates new entry points in sealed properties across every winter season.