Rats are not only an unpleasant sight, they can also pose serious threats to both the home and the wellbeing of the inhabitants. In this article, we’re going to go over these threats and what you can do to minimize them.
Threats to the home
Rats have teeth that grow constantly and never stop growing. If these teeth are not used up by gnawing, they will grow long enough to pierce the lower jaw of the rat, which will either kill or mutilate the rat. So rats have to gnaw often on various surfaces in order to keep their teeth short. This means that they will look for objects around the home that can fulfill this function. They will gnaw on furniture, doorstops, surfaces inside wall voids, and even insulation and electrical wiring. Electrical wiring can be particularly dangerous, because the rats can cause an electrical fire hazard with their gnawing.
Diseases
Rats can spread a wide variety of diseases. This is because they will often enter unsanitary environments and carry parasites such as ticks and fleas, which themselves spread disease. The diseases can be spread either through direct contact, feces or urine. Some of the diseases carried by rats include rat bite fever, salmonella, E. coli and even the plague. So it’s essential to get rid of rats as soon as possible, and to sterilize any area that they frequent or even come into contact with. Needless to say that any food that is touched by a rat is contaminated and should be quickly thrown away.
Control
Controlling rats can be difficult, which is why it’s best to work with a pro in these situations. A pro will have the tools and expertise needed to make sure that the rats are removed safely from the home, and that the infestation is removed completely. An incomplete removal will simply force the rats to repopulate the area, and before you know it, the rats bounced back and are as numerous as ever. In general, either traps or poisons will be used to remove the rats – traps for small infestations and poisons for large ones. The pest control pro will instruct on which method is best for your situation and on what you need to do to protect your home from infestation in the future. For more information about rat infestations, or if you currently have an infestation that needs to be removed, contact us today.