If you’re scared of mice and rats then simply seeing one in your home is enough to have you jumping on the nearest chair. The good news is that this approach will also have you calling your nearest pest control expert to eradicate the issue.
The good news is that this is the best thing you can do, rodents are often found in houses but they bring an array of issues, making them a worse threat than you may realize.
Disease
Mice and rats carry an array of diseases, these can range from ones that make you a little ill to those that are life-threatening. Some of the most common are hantavirus, plague, and tularemia.
That’s just a few of the diseases, the list is impressively long. You can become infected by handling rodent feces or things that have they have urinated on. But, you can also catch the disease by breathing in dust that has been infected by the rodent! This can happen when the rodent urinates or leaves its feces, the bacteria get into the dust which is then disturbed and sent into the air.
In fact, the more efficient your ventilation system the bigger the risk.
Safety At Home
Rats and mice will not usually attack humans, making it unlikely that you’ll be bitten by them as you sleep. However, they will chew almost anything else they can find in your house to help make their nest. Insulation is often damaged by rodents but, ore concerning is that they will chew the protective sheath off your electrical wires. The result is exposed wires.
Of course, these are in the walls or roof space, making it unlikely you’ll be electrocuted by them. But, if they contact each other they can short a circuit and the heat this generates can actually trigger a fire.
You won’t just have to eliminate the rodent issue, you’ll have to pay for electrical testing and re-wiring.
Signs of Rodent Activity
If you suspect rodent activity then click here to find out more about your local expert. It’s important to act quickly. For example, the average mouse only lives 9-12 months. But, during this time they could have as many as 48 baby mice. Each of these mice will be sexually mature enough to have their own mice within 6 weeks of birth, they will all have up to 48 mice in a year. The result is, in a very short space of time, a lot of mice running around your home.
The common signs of this activity include:
- Scurrying noises, especially at night
- Rodent droppings everywhere, you’ll be surprised at where mice and rats can get
- Food packets chewed or even food missing
- Smell of urine/ammonia
- Visible rodents when you turn the light on in a dark room.
Don’t forget, rats are not great climbers but mice are, if you suspect a mouse infestation and have open packets of food, you should get rid of them. It’s simply not worth the risk.