Why You Need to Get Rid of Rats in Your Home ASAP

Rats are called pests for a reason. They are disease carriers and damage and consume human food, property, and structures. During wintertime or cold weather, they usually look for homes to invade and take shelter in. If you think your property is infested with rats, do not wait for them to grow a colony. Immediately act on the problem, or else, you will suffer several consequences. 

They carry deadly diseases

Rats carry several diseases that are harmful to humans. In fact, rats and mice carry and spread more than 35 diseases. One example that had dire consequences was the plague. In the mid-1300s, the infamous Black Death killed one-third of Europe’s population, and rats were said to be the cause of its fast spread. 

The diseases rats carry spread to humans through direct contact, mishandling of either dead or live rats, and even contact with their droppings, urine, or saliva. A rat merely running across a food counter can contaminate food and utensils and make people sick. 

They have infectious droppings

rat droppings on the floor

Rats do not only feed on human food; they almost always leave traces of their urine, feces, or hair on what they eat. Any contact or ingestion of these droppings can risk a person’s health. Their feces contain bacteria that trigger allergic attacks and cause various diseases. Here are some of the conditions you can get from getting exposed to their droppings:

  • The Bubonic Plague – This disease started with infected rats and spread to humans via fleas. People who got ill experienced headaches, fevers, and swollen lymph nodes. If the condition worsened, it could lead to death. In the Middle Ages, this disease killed an estimated 50 million people, and it is still present today in some areas around the world.   
  • Salmonella Infection – People who eat food or drink water contaminated by feces can contract this disease. It is an intestinal tract infection that causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fever.
  • The Rat-Bite Fever – Another infectious disease transferred to humans via urine or mucous secretion of rodents is rat-bite fever. Its symptoms include fever, muscle pain, headaches, and vomiting. It can be deadly if not treated immediately.
rat droppings

They destroy things

Rats need to continue gnawing, or their teeth will grow unmanageably long. That is why they are fond of biting things around them. They bite your food, electrical wirings, plastic bags, cardboards, wood, and anything else they can get hold of. If they stop, their teeth could grow in a spiral, making it impossible for them to close their mouth or eat and eventually lead to their death.  

You can expect this behavior to become problematic if you have an infestation in your home. After all, rats are biologically designed to gnaw on whatever they can to survive.

Conclusion

If you see a rat in your place or notice any signs of an infestation, seek help from professional pest control immediately. Diseases transmitted by rats can pose serious threats to your household, and other repercussions they bring can lead to more damage than you can imagine. 

Are you looking for a professional rat catcher in Sydney? Clean & Green Pest Managers can help you eradicate all common pests in your home or workplace, giving you the peace of mind you deserve. Contact us today at 0477 688 496.