Don’t touch or handle wild rodents or their carcasses.

Keep your pets from roaming and hunting rodents. This is important – when an animal

dies from the plague, fleas leave the body and look for another host, which could be your pet, especially if it rolls in a carcass or eats it.

Talk to your veterinarian about flea control for your pets before venturing out to ground squirrel areas, and follow the directions on the label. Not all flea products are safe for dogs and cats.

If you find a group of dead ground squirrels, you can report it to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game on its plague website.

Don’t feed rodents in campgrounds, picnic areas, or near your home.

Clean up areas near your home where rodents could live.

Store hay, wood and compost piles as far as possible away from your home.

Don’t leave pet food and water where rodents can get to them.