Have you ever wondered how to get rid of rats and rodents in your home or business? You’ve probably heard stories about how these animals can damage your property, but did you know they can also pose a health threat?
Rats and rodents can spread diseases through urine, faeces, and saliva. These tiny creatures are unsightly and dangerous for humans and the environment. It’s important to understand what types of symptoms should raise the alarm about potential dangers from rat infestations to protect yourself and your family from contracting any illnesses or diseases carried by these pests.
What Are Rats & Rodents?
Rats and rodents are small mammals with long tails, sharp teeth and fur. You can find these animals anywhere, but they’re most common in urban areas where food is plentiful.
Most of us have heard the term “rodent,” but what exactly does it mean? The word rodent comes from an old Latin word meaning “to gnaw”–and these creatures do just that!
Rodents are omnivores (animals that eat both plants and meat), which means they’ll eat pretty much anything they come across–including your home’s insulation or wiring insulation if you leave it exposed in your walls.
There are many types of rodents out there; some are bigger than rats, while others are smaller than rats. Some rodents have long ears, and some have no ears at all.
Are Rats & Rodents Dangerous to Humans?
Rats and rodents can carry a number of diseases that are dangerous to humans. Some of these include:
- Rat-bite fever (streptobacillus moniliformis)
- Typhus fever (arbovirus)
- Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome).
Health Threats Rodents Can Pose to Your Family
Rats and rodents can pose a health threat to your home and family. These animals can spread diseases through urine, faeces, bites, fleas, and lice. They are known to transmit the following illnesses:
- Rat-bite fever (Streptobacillus moniliformis). This bacterial infection causes fever, muscle aches and headaches, as well as swollen lymph nodes throughout the body. Symptoms usually start within two days of being bitten by an infected rat or mouse but may take up to three weeks before they appear if you have been bitten by an animal that has recently died from the disease.
- Leptospirosis is caused by eating food contaminated with rat urine or exposure to contaminated water sources such as streams or ponds.
- Salmonella food poisoning results from eating food contaminated with bacteria found in rodent droppings.
Rats & Rodents are Unhygienic and Dangerous
Rats and mice are a major source of disease in Australia. They carry bacteria that can cause infections in people, including salmonella and hantavirus (a rare but potentially fatal disease). Rats also spread fleas that carry bubonic plague, which can be fatal if left untreated.
Rats are known to be dangerous to humans because they bite when cornered or threatened, but not all rats have such a bad reputation: some species have been domesticated by humans for centuries! Rats have been kept as pets since ancient times; even today, you might find them caged up at zoos or aquariums–although this practice has come under fire recently due to concerns about animal welfare.
Rats & Rodents Can Carry, Spread and Cause Serious Health Threats
Rats and rodents can carry, spread and cause serious health threats to your home.
Rats are known carriers of disease-causing pathogens like the Plague, Leptospirosis and Hantavirus. These diseases can be transmitted through contact with the rodent’s body fluids or droppings.
In addition to spreading disease, rats can also transmit infections such as Salmonella food poisoning (through their faeces) or Rickettsia rickettsii, which causes Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (through their bite).
Rats & Rodents are Dangerous for the Environment
Rats and rodents are a threat to the environment. They can spread diseases, destroy crops and other plants, and cause damage to property and infrastructure.
Rats are also known to be carriers of fleas that transmit bubonic plague (also known as the “black death”). This disease killed millions of people during medieval times before it was eradicated in most parts of the world by modern medicine. The most common symptoms of bubonic plague are fever, headaches, chills and painful swelling of the lymph nodes. If left untreated, it can cause death within 24-48 hours.
Rats are not just a nuisance to us. They’re also a threat to the environment. They can spread diseases, destroy crops and other plants, and cause damage to property and infrastructure.
Rats and rodents can also cause fires by gnawing on electrical wires. They are known to chew through walls and other materials to create nests for themselves, which can cause damage to your house or apartment.
How to Deal with a Rat Infestation at Home?
Rats are clever and can find ways into your home that you may not even know about. They can squeeze through holes as small as 1/2 inch in diameter, so examine all of your doors, windows and vents for cracks or other signs of damage that might allow rats to enter your home.
Inspect all trash cans outside your house regularly–you never want to leave food out where rodents can get at it. If you find that rats are getting into your home, you should seal up any holes they might use as entry points. Place a one-way door trap outside to catch any rats already living in your yard. Then, use baited snap traps indoors to kill the ones that have invaded your home. Check your yard for holes in the ground or any other signs of rodent activity. Rats like to burrow under decks and patios, so look for evidence of possible burrows there.
You may also want to place rat traps around your home–you can buy some from most hardware stores or online. Look in your attic and crawl spaces for evidence of rats. You may be surprised to see how many rats are living there. If you do find a rat or two, call an exterminator immediately. If you find a rat in your home, do not try to catch it yourself. They bite and can transmit diseases. Call a professional pest control Melbourne company immediately!
Why Are Rodents a Menace to Society?
You may be wondering why rats and rodents pose such a threat to you, your family, and your home. The answer is simple: they do all of the following:
- Rats are a menace to the environment. They cause damage to crops by feeding on them or burrowing them for shelter. This can reduce crop yields significantly and lead to higher prices at grocery stores and less food available for humans worldwide.
- Rats are a menace to humans. These tiny creatures carry diseases like typhus that can spread quickly through populations if left unchecked by public health officials who work hard every day trying to keep us safe from such threats (and who deserve our support).
- Rats also pose an immediate threat when they invade homes across Australia, especially during cold weather when families seek refuge indoors after doing things like shovelling snow outdoors. These pests have grown increasingly bolder, with no natural predators left here today except humans (who sometimes trap them).
Until now, we are facing an epidemic where homeowners need help keeping these creatures out before they start breeding uncontrollably inside walls or crawlspaces.
How to Get Rid of Rats & Rodents?
Professional pest control services can help you to get rid of rats and rodents in your home. When choosing a professional pest control service, it’s important to make sure that they are licensed, insured and certified. These companies will also be trained to safely handle pests like rats or mice without risk of exposure for themselves or their customers.
Once you’ve found an experienced company specialising in rodent removal services, they should inspect your property before beginning any work so that they can identify all areas where there might be signs of infestation.
During this process, they might need to find entry points where rats or mice could have gotten inside.
This could include holes around pipes outside buildings or gaps between walls inside homes and seal them off completely with materials like silicone caulk or metal mesh screening material that won’t allow small animals through but still lets air flow freely through vents on roofs. So, no one overheats outdoors during hot summer months when temperatures rise above 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Achieve a Rat-Free Home with Pest Police
In conclusion, rats and other rodents pose a significant health threat to your home. They can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans, including leptospirosis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), rat-bite fever and salmonellosis. They also contaminate food and water supplies with their faeces and urine, which can unknowingly cause illness in people who consume them.
When rats invade your house, you must contact our experts at Pest Police Australia immediately. Many do-it-yourself solutions are ineffective over the long term. In fact, after setting certain traps, you can potentially put yourself in more danger because you’ll feel insecure.
To ensure that you and your family have a rat-free home, call our expert technician today at 1800 737 876 and let’s come up with long-term, reliable solutions for all your pest control needs.