Rats
The discovery of an infestation of rats can be very
distressing whether it is found in your business premises or in your home. For
a significant number of people the presence of rats is a cause of fear as a
phobia of rats is a fairly common one. Rats can transmit very serious diseases
and can, in fact, be a cause of fire – these rodents have a tendency to chew
through electrical wiring. Rats have incisor teeth and are capable of chewing
through wood, plastics and mild steel in order to gain access to a building
Rats are extremely persistent pests and if they gain access
to your business premises or your home they can spread disease, contaminate
food and cause physical damage to the fabric of your property. One pair of rats
sheds more than one million body hairs each year and an individual rat can
leave up to 25 000 droppings. If you suspect that you have an infestation of
rats in your business premises or your home prompt action at the first sign of
it will ensure that your problem can be quickly remedied.
Rats tend to be at their most active between dusk and dawn;
it is therefore easier to spot the signs of a rat problem rather than an actual
rodent. The most important signs indicating that you have a rat infestation or
rat problem can be quickly learned. The signs to look out for are as follows:
1.
Rat droppings – the droppings of the brown rat
are dark brown in colour; they are spindle-shaped, somewhat like a grain of
rice
2.
Scratching noises – black rats are notoriously
agile climbers therefore you might hear scratching noises at night when they
are in your loft
3.
Rat nests – rats typically shred whatever
materials are available to them in order to make their nests such cardboards
and materials used in loft insulation
4.
Footprints – footprints and tail marks are
sometimes left by rats in dusty, infrequently used areas of buildings
5.
Rat holes – a tendency typically found in brown
rats is the digging extensive systems of burrows, which they use for food
storage, shelter and nesting
6.
Rub marks – rats often leave smudges on surfaces
made by grease and dirt on their bodies
As mentioned, a danger that arises with an infestation of
rats is the spreading of diseases. They potentially may spread pathogens and
diseases such as Salmonella, Leptospirosis and Hantavirus. Salmonella is a group of bacteria that causes
typhoid fever, food poisoning, gastroenteritis, enteric fever and other
illnesses. People become infected mostly through contaminated water or foods,
especially meat, poultry and eggs. Leptospirosis is caused by a strain of
bacteria called leptospira, which is found in certain animals and can spread to
humans. Many different kinds of animals can carry the bacteria, but it is most
commonly associated with rats and mice, dogs and some farm animals. Hantaviruses
are single-stranded, enveloped, negative sense RNA viruses in the Bunyaviridae
family. They normally infect rodents and do not cause disease in these hosts.
Humans may become infected with hantaviruses through contact with rodent urine,
saliva, or faeces.
At Key West, we recommend quick action as rats are well
known to spread diseases, damage property, contaminate food stuffs and also
introduce parasites like fleas, lice and ticks into your business premises or
home. If you suspect that you have a rat problem, contact Key West Pest
Control.
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