Eliminating Rats And Mice

By Author: Shelby Lara
Total Articles: 100
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In terms of the number of species and their population rodents are actually the most successful making up about 40% of living beings. Every continent in the world with the exception of Antarctica has rodent populations and even Australia got Rodents before the humans arrived.

Rodents, as a species all have incisors on their upper as well as lower jaws that continue to grow. Thus they have to continually gnaw at things to keep these teeth worn down. Because of the way the tooth is made up with dentine covered by enamel the teeth self sharpen so do not blunt as they are worn away. This naturally makes the rodents very successful at making holes into your living spaces into which they enter and steal the food.

Mice can and do gnaw into packets of flour or cornmeal of bread or any other food stuff that may be in the cupboards and closets. Surprisingly agile and able to climb just about vertically mice seem to be able to get in anywhere. Nothing that is not securely enclosed in a tin or plastic container is particularly safe. They will, in addition, rip up clothing to line their nests. So they are a real pest. The ...
... food they manage to get is contaminated and their droppings can spread disease.

Rats are even more of a problem. Mice are very retiring and shy whereas the rat is far more adventurous and aggressive. Rats creep in and start living in the roof spaces crawling up and down pipes and damaging the infrastructure. Rats chewing up the wires are a common cause of house fires.

The other thing about rats is that they carry a lot of harmful parasites and are known to spread disease. Bubonic plague also known as "The Black Death" is thought to have been spread by parasites (Yersinia pestis) that live with rats and their fleas and from the rat droppings. Only the great fire of London seems to have cleared them away and when the city was rebuilt some hygienic features helped keep the rat population down.

But rats are very adaptive and cunning and if they come they will be in the attic, in the basement, between the walls, on top of the air-conditioning ducts and under the porch and just about everywhere else that there is a small gap.

To get rid of a rat infestation you basically need an expert rat exterminator. Rat poison may kill a few but then you are left with their rotting, dehydrating bodies still in these spaces. Removing food sources may help so all food should be in rodent proof containers. This especially includes pet food.

Sealing all points of entry is also an effective method. Rats and mice climb well and the entire structure needs to be gone over by someone who is and experienced rat exterminator. Bait will be used initially if there is a high population to get them under control. Thereafter traps will be used like and enclosed trap which lets them in and then contains them. These need to be checked and the bait refilled frequently until the rats are eliminated.

Any infestation of mice and rats in a building needs the attention of a rat exterminator.