I was really concerned early in the summer. I'd go days without seeing a track. It got better as the year went on.
We've had a really dry year. I recoated my roof in March and we haven't had a drop of rain to test the coating. I actually have a couple of holes (that I put in) my kitchen ceiling and I'd really like to close them up but have to wait to test the roof.
Anyway, the excess of rodents has done some damage to drought ravaged plants. I think that alone will control the rodent population this coming year.
Wow that's unfortunate. Sounds way to dry, gets dangerous for forest fires as well. Hopefully you get some rain soon to test your new roof and to rehydrate the soil and rivers. We had a few dry years here, it was hard. We seemed to be oversaturated the last 2 years, no middle ground.
Rodents are no picnic, they make a legit mess and can chew thru anything. Gross. One thing we have going here, there was a war on rats and Alberta has been rat-free for decades. We still have mice outside but house cats take care of them.
Our rats are so damn cute that we like them :) Kangaroo Rat. Funny looking buggars that can really jump. I understand that there is a pack rat species around here, but I've never seen one (of course, I haven't been under my house in years).
We have a ground squirrel that is just endemic. They are cute buggars too, look like a mini prarie dog and have the same sorts of behaviors. About the size of a chipmunk.