No one wants a rodent problem inside of their home, but the danger of mice and rats getting inside a house or business is a real threat. It seems like mice and rats have always been part of nightmares. But when they are inside the seemingly safe walls of a home that nightmare becomes all too real.

In this article, we will cover how rodents enter your home or business, how they become a nuisance, and the dangers that they represent.

If a home or business located in the Polk County, FL area needs pest control services, contact us today.

How Rodents Enter Your Home

A mouse or rat is just like any other animal. It needs food, water and shelter to survive. Unfortunately, these rodents may try to find a home inside a house for business.

There are preventative measures you can take to mitigate the dangers of mice and rodents. These measures include making sure seals in doors and windows are hole free. A mouse can squeeze through an opening of only ¼ inch. A rat needs only ½ inch to get in. If one finds an opening, it can chew around the opening until it’s big enough to squeeze through.

How Rodents Become A Nuisance 

Once a mouse or rat enters your home it will seek to find shelter. To do that it will climb into cabinets, through walls, closets or storage areas in the attempt to find the perfect place to build a nest. A nest can be very difficult to find in it’s made in the walls or ceiling.

One of the biggest dangers of mice and rats is how quickly they can populate. Mice and rats breed an absurd amount according to this article. Once rodents have established a safe nest with food and water nearby they begin to breed.

A female rat can have up to seven litters in one year with up to 14 young in a single litter. A mouse can have up to 10 litters a year with 6 young per litter. The rodents are full grown adults in 4 and 7 months respectively. Consequently, as the young grow into maturity, the population increases. Soon, there is an infestation of the home or business.

Dangers Of Mice And Rats

While their presence alone is enough to send people screaming, their slinky bodies are not the only problems of having them in your building or home.

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), rodents carry several different types of diseases that can cause harm to humans.

This list includes diseases that are directly transmitted by rodents through contact with them physically or with their droppings. Each disease has the potential to cause serious medical harm to the infected person.

  • Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
  • Hemorrhagic fever with Renal Syndrome
  • Lassa Fever
  • Leptospirosis
  • Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis (LCM)
  • Omsk Hemmorhagic Fever
  • Plague
  • Rat-bite Fever
  • Salmonellosis
  • South American Arenaviruses (there are many)
  • Tularemia

This list may be long, but the ongoing dangers of mice and rats include diseases that they indirectly transmit. These indirect diseases are transmitted by parasites such as ticks and fleas. Infected parasites carry the diseases, spreading them to other animals.

The best practice for avoiding an infestation and the dangers of mice and rats, contact Total Pest Solutions for more information.

continue reading

Related Posts