RODENT HEALTH RISKS
There are many risks to property and health associated with rodent infestations. From rodent-borne diseases such as murine typhus, hantaviruses and arenaviruses to contamination via exposure to rodent fleas, feces, urine and nesting material, there are serious health implications for humans. The Los Angeles County Dept. of Health has issued multiple health advisories. A recent advisory discusses the dangers of Endemic Typhus. You can read more about the rodent-borne disease and risk reduction in our learning center.
Rats and mice are very agile animals and can perform acrobatic feats that allow them to enter almost any part of a structure from the roof to the foundation.
Did you know that rats can climb straight up a vertical wall with great speed and enter a hole in the ceiling? They are also capable of swimming for hours without drowning. They are adaptable animals who find access points to a structure that one might never suspect were vulnerable.
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FACTS ABOUT RATS:
- can climb quickly straight up a vertical wall in order to enter a small hole in the ceiling
- can swim for hours without drowning
- teeth never stop growing like finger nails, that’s why they chew on things in your home
- give live birth to 6-8 young 4-5 times a year
- can be responsible for over 50,000 offspring in a single year (single pair)
- can crawl through a hole the size of its head and squeeze its bulky body through
- live about 18 months to 2 years in the wild
- are omnivorous, meaning they will eat vegetables, nuts and meat
- are nocturnal; they are awake at night and forage for food at night
- don’t have control over their bowels so they urinate and defecate as they move along
- can jump 3-4 feet across and 3-4 feet straight up
- carry rat fleas or mites
- are responsible for the black plague in Europe that killed 25 million people
- are responsible for approximately 30% of house fires in the United States
- bite over 50 thousand humans each year, children and housebound elderly people
- are responsible for billions of dollars in damage to food and structures each year