Most humans love furry cute little warm-blooded critters. They appeal to us on an unfathomable emotional level. Nature is wonderful and we should do all we can to conserve and protect our natural environment including the little furies. But when nature decides to move in with us and share our homes, we are not all that understanding or pleased. Naked tailed rats in particular evoke in some a strong negative emotional response.
Rodent Property Damage & Diseases Caused By Rat & Mouse Droppings
Household rodents are destructive to a home. They chew through walls and gnaw the structural supports. But their primary real danger is disease. Rats carry diseases such as Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) that can transfer to humans or blood sucking parasites like fleas that transmit disease. This was how half of the European population was wiped out by the Plague carried by fleas hitching a ride, and a meal on infected rats. Rats and mice have all the bodily functions that we do, but don’t care where the deposit their excreta. Rat feces and urine dry, become airborne and can carry disease but can also irritate the mucus membranes of allergy suffers. So, if they stayed outside, we wouldn’t have a problem, but when they move in, they’re like the freeloading relative that show up and never leaves, with glaring difference, they make a lot of rat babies that grow rapidly to adulthood. Pittsburgh has a high rat population, so rat problems are not unique to the residents of our city. Winter is the worst time. Starting in the fall rats and mice begin to seek shelter and food supplies to sustain them through the winter. So, they just move in. Another danger related to their chewing is their taste for electrical wiring insulation. This increases the fire hazard. Rodents can contaminate your food pass pathogens through feces and urine. Rats can enter through a hole the diameter of a quarter. Mice only need change the size of a dime.
Rodent Prevention
• Inside and out, look for rodent droppings. Rats like to travel next to walls so look for rub marks. The sooner you find you have a rodent problem the easier it is to manage their control.
• Look for entry points. Make sure the doors fit tight as do windows. Seal and caulk all cracks. Their domiciles will be hidden, dark, warm and difficult to reach.
• Install weather stripping around entryways especially under doors to block entry points.
• Keep food sealed and in rodent proof containers like plastic bins or metal canisters.
• Clean up crumbs and spills ASAP, avoid leaving food residue or sugary substances as these attract rodents.
• Keep bushes and trees at least three feet from homes that provide jumping off points that access the interior of the home, gutters, roof or other hidden openings.
Diseases Spread By Rats & Mice to Humans
There are many diseased transmitted by rats and mice:
• Rat-bite fever usually responds to antibiotics it causes fever, chills, headaches, skin rash and vomiting.
• Lassa Fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic caused by the Lassa virus. It is transmitted via rodent excreta.
• Hantavirus is carried to the patient via dried urine or droppings or bites.
• Many of the transmitted diseases are virus related infections are there for difficult to treat. The preceding listed are merely examples of about 11 diseases associated with rodent infestation. The health of the home members and damage to the house itself are the primary reasons rodents are not welcome in our living environments. Even squirrels can have their attendant problems.
Rodent Control
Mice and rats are hard to catch and remove from the premises without professional assistance. Stewart Termite & Pest Control can perform a thorough inspection and recommend a custom plan to get rid of rodents and help keep them from coming back. Contact us today!