House rats are unwelcome visitors to any household. They are damaging and destructive, creeping around and penetrating walls, electrical wiring, appliance lines, and insulations. On top of everything, these pests chew furniture items and leave behind the pesty smell of urine.
Aside from being an annoying and unpleasant sight, rats are dangerous and pose serious health concerns to humans and other household pets. Globally, house mice and rats are known for spreading and transmitting around thirty-five illnesses, including leptospirosis, plague, salmonellosis, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, through feces and urine.
Would you like to reclaim the beauty and wholeness of your home away from a house rat infestation? Well, the only option is to find an effective way to get rid of house rats all at once. But don’t worry because this blog post will give tips for you to carry out your mission of solving rat infestations safely and efficiently.
Are House Rats Dirty?
Usually, house rats are pests that are often thought of and viewed by humans as unsanitary. After all, their fleshly tails and furry bodies look filthy. However, rats are not the type of dirty sewer creatures we think of them. These beings take the time to clean and groom themselves. In fact, according to Graham, rats groom themselves more thoroughly and frequently compared to cats.
Are House Rats Nocturnal?
House rats are well-known and quite recognized as nocturnal creatures. That means these little beasts are most likely awake and active during nighttime. Research showcases that, in general, rats and mice do their playful activities around one and a half hours after the sun sets until one and a half hours before the sun rises. During this time, rats are eager and ardent, looking for possible food sources and exploring their surroundings.
Usually, at nighttime, when everything’s quiet, rats are energetic and playful, looping around and engaging in different activities such as climbing on objects and chasing each other. But as the dawn comes near, these furry little beasts will go into a slumber for their much-needed shuteye.
How Big Are House Rats?
House rats are typically medium in size to large-body rodents. In general, the bodies of these little creatures are usually longer than five inches, and they rarely have an average weight of 18 ounces or more. Brown house rats reach an overall length of 16 inches.
Compared to black house rats, brown rats are much bigger and heavier, with an average weight of 0.5 to 1 pound. On the other hand, black rats have a full-length measure of thirteen to fifteen inches, including the tail, and weigh about 0.3 to 0.6 pounds.
There’s no strict or definite measure of how big a rat can get. Different factors are involved in determining their length and weight, such as age and sex. Overall, a rat’s species is the ultimate criterion in knowing how big or heavy these creatures can reach.
Do House Rats Bite?
House rats have large teeth and usually give painful bites when feeling threatened or scared. However, many rats prefer to avoid people and lounge around quiet and peaceful surroundings instead. These creatures won’t attack anyone or anything, whether it be birds or humans, since rats often hide during the daytime. But when these animals are cornered or shocked, they will not hesitate to jump up and bite as a defense for themselves.
How Dangerous Are Rats?
One of the main reasons house rats are unwelcome in households is that they are very dangerous to human health. Around the globe, house mice and rats are well-known for spreading around thirty-five diseases infecting humans and household pets. Scratches and bites from rats can result in fevers and illnesses.
Most significantly, the urine of rats is mainly responsible for the harmful spread of leptospirosis, resulting in kidney and liver damage. Leptospirosis would be contracted once a human inhale or handles the rat’s scat. In addition, serious complications, including cardiovascular problems and liver and renal failure, may arise too.
What Diseases Do House Rats Carry?
The presence of rats in your household or place of business should raise the alarm and be a deep concern for you. The bigger the rat infestation grows, the more bacteria and pathogens lie in your home’s air. Of course, the last thing we want is a bunch of rats making their nest in the wall. Below is a list of several kinds of diseases that these house rats carry:
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
This disease is usually transmitted from direct contact with a rat’s bodily functions or a bite. The common symptoms of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome often include flu-like symptoms such as shortness of breath, fever, and fatigue. Initially, you might only feel under the weather, but once diagnosed, you may need to call an exterminator.
Rat-Bite Fever
As its name suggests, rat-bite fever results from scratches and bites. Its usual symptoms manifest in headaches, nausea, fever, and rash. This house rat-bite fever only occurs when one is in direct contact with a rodent, including a visible rash on broken skin.
Salmonellosis
One can get salmonellosis from food or drinking water polluted by rat urine. This disease has symptoms of nausea, fever, and diarrhea.
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis
This disease occurs from direct contact with the house rat’s urine or saliva. Most often than not, symptoms of this illness will last a long time, and one might end up having neurological damage. The symptoms could include nausea, aches, encephalitis, and meningitis.
How to Prevent House Rats from Entering the House?
The most effective way to avoid massive rat infestation is to keep them at bay in the first place and prevent their dramatic entry through different areas of your house. Believe me or not, once these house rats begin to nest and settle inside the home, getting rid of them proves to be quite tricky and challenging. So, here are three steps you can take efficiently to prevent house rats from entering your house for good.
Cover Up
House rats always want to find any possible points of entry into the home, like gaps, cracks, and holes. So, whenever possible, check your house for any openings and seal them with the proper materials. Make use of plaster, steel wool, hardware cloth, and cement. If there’s space around your doors or windows, weather stripping can be effective for sealing it. Covering these entry points is effective for house rats or mice control.
Improve Sanitation
Rats have the reputation of being quite resourceful. They will always find a way to seek food resources around the household, so it’s best to diligently deal with them by improving sanitation. Seek to cover trash bins or garbage bags at all times.
Also, eliminate all possible traces of food, like leftovers from your other pets. Pet food can attract house rats in the home. To keep these little beasts at bay, improve sanitation, clean, and minimize food sources and water.
Make Use of Baits and Traps
Get rid of the existing populations of house rats by setting up baits and traps. Keep the traps and bait where pets and children cannot reach them.
How to Get Rid of House Rats in Your Home Fast?
Nobody likes to live in a home with rats or mice. While they can be annoying and creepy, these creatures are dangerous to human health. Fortunately, below are tips to help you rat-proof your home.
Inspect the Whole Household
The rule of thumb dictates that before you can eliminate house rats, conduct a full-house inspection to locate possible hideouts and nests. Seek special attention to damaged cracks, appliance lines, drains, vents, and spaces for visible access points.
Use Natural Deterrent Methods
Natural deterrent methods prove to go a long way when eliminating all rats. Use home remedies like cloves, peppermint oil, black pepper, and cayenne pepper around the household’s exterior to prevent house rats from entering.
Conclusion
Indeed, house rats are frustrating and exhausting pests in your house. They harbor illnesses, contaminate food sources, and cause damage and destruction around the home. But luckily, we don’t have to suffer or endure anymore because these tips will help you keep these little beasts at bay and prevent them from dwelling and nesting around in your household in the first place.
To learn more about rats in your home, read our article – “Can Clean Houses Get Rats?”