Mice And Rats – Have They Infested Your Home?
There are lots of people who shiver at the thought of ever having a problem related to a mouse or rat, and yet if only they knew how prolific these pests really are.
The most virulent species tend to be the black rat which is also known as the ships rat but numbers have died down over the generations and they are not as prevalent as they were historically. These days the most common pest are the brown rat and the house mouse.
Mice and rat pest control products and techniques have been developed over the years fortunately to eradicate these rodent’s from most households.
Many people use Pest control products off the shelf but some like to try their own DIY pest control, this is often done by placing traps to catch the rat or mouse, or even poisons.
A number of diseases can be implicated to rats as the carriers and this is probably why they are so despised, although some people keep them as pets. The disease that most people will remember being taught at school though is about bubonic plague which ravaged England in the 17th century, continuing to about 1910.
Even today though with conditions far more sanitary than every before, these unwelcome pests can still carry disease and bring it into the home so if you do suspect infestation make sure you take some action or get help from your local exterminator or pest control shop.
One of the biggest concern when it comes to potential exposure to disease by rats is held by people who are often exposed to water for example sewer workers, they are exposed the serious risk of Weil’s disease so need to take extra precautions.
The risk to the home is not restricted to disease however, as damage to the home can be considerable as these rodents have incisor teeth that do not stop growing, so to wear them down they will chew on anything.
It’s important to catch infestion as early as possible as a female rat can have a litter of baby rats (called kittens) when only four months old. She may then carry on to having up to five litters (14 kittens) per year, and then as the baby grows the reproductive cycle starts again.
