Winter is upon us and we humans like to keep warm both for comfort and in order to survive. We stay indoors, away from the at times severe natural elements in order to achieve this. The same can be said of other mammals, including rats. At Key West Pest Control, we would like you to let us know if you suspect a rat infestation in your commercial or domestic premises.
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 distress 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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