Tag Archives: Rat Diseases

Rat

Rat Infestation In Car

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Rat (1)           Recently, one young Irish mother was buckling her toddler into his car seat when she noticed rat droppings all over the back seat and noticed gnaw-marks on the back seats and head rests.  Her car was infested with rats!  Of course, she immediately took her child out of the car, locked it, and called a friend for help.  She and her friend have tried to lure the rats out and poison them, but so far, they’re still a problem.

Anyone with little ones knows the car that the kids ride in the most is covered in toys, shed jackets, a few crayons or markers, and lots and lots of dropped food.  It’s a mecca for rats, mice or anything that can get inside.  There’s plenty to eat and lots of things to gnaw on.

This woman already had a phobia of rats, and now she’s terrified she’ll be driving down the road just to have one scamper over her foot.  I would be equally afraid that a rat would gnaw through a crucial wire or hose.

Ireland isn’t alone in its rat problems.  Plenty of U.S. cities are struggling right now to eradicate their rats.  New York City and Baltimore, for example, are making a concerted effort to take care of their rat infestations.  But, smaller, more rural towns which are overrun with the rodents may not have the resources yet to fully manage the problem.

Additionally, there is a great deal of controversy over cities laying out rat poison, which may cause secondary poisoning.  Secondary poisoning is when a rat has consumed rat poison and is then, in turn, consumed by a predator such as a cat, hawk, coyote or snake.  Recently, two bobcats were found dead on the East coast, after consuming rats who had not died yet from poisoning.  Bird lovers are dismayed by the deaths of hawks who had eaten poisoned rats.

But, a rat infestation is a serious danger.  We were already aware of numerous diseases that can be transmitted to humans from rats, but a recent study of New York City rats just revealed 18 additional previously unknown diseases harbored by the rodents.  That doesn’t even begin to address the structural or electrical damage rats can cause to buildings, and apparently also cars.

So, where do we draw the line between guarding against secondary poisoning to other animals and guarding the health and safety of human beings?

Rats, Rodent

Rat Infestation in Washington, D.C. Neighborhoods

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Rat (4)Rat Urine Kills Pet in D.C Neighborhood

A 13-week-old dog in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. recently died from a disease transmitted by rodent urine.  Residents have long been frustrated by the rodent problem, but this has tipped the scales for Foggy Bottom Association President Marina Streznewski.  The dog was her pet, and now the rat problem is personal.  The association has been working to get the rat problem under control for a while, but now she is reaching out to other local groups with proposals they work together.  She’s also pushing for new compactor trash cans that block rodents from getting into the garbage.  Rats can easily climb the current typical trash can models and access waste just lying at the top.  Efforts are being made to put a grant program into place for businesses so they can more easily purchase the new trash cans.  But, the rodent problem won’t be solved by new trash cans alone.  Bushes must be cleared, rat burrows must be treated, and neighborhoods must work together if they hope to get the rodent infestation under control.

Rat, Rats

Rats, Disease, and Rat Mites

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Rat Mite, courtesy of Biodisc/Visuals Unlimited, Inc.

It’s well-known that rats are responsible for spreading lots of diseases, and recently researchers have discovered 18 more unknown viruses carried by New York City’s rats.  As if they weren’t already bad enough!  But, of course, we know that rats are found all over the United States, not just in the big cities, and we should all be aware that they present a very real and serious health risk.

According to the CDC, the diseases we know of that are transmitted from rodents to humans include: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, Lassa Fever, Leptospirosis, Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis (LCM), Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever, Plague, Rat-Bite Fever, Salmonellosis, South American Arenaviruses, and Tularemia.  Awful, right?

Now, let’s add to that the fact that rats have tiny parasites called rat mites that live on rats and inside their nests and feed off rat blood.  But, rat mites are capable of living without a rat host, and are perfectly happy to feed off human blood.  If you have rat mites, you have a rat problem, and it’s time to get rid of those rats.  The advantage to having Allstate Animal Control send someone out to take care of your rat problem is you get experts who are experienced at getting rid of the rats that are breeding in your structure, as well as sanitizing and repairing the area they infested so rat mites don’t seek out new hosts (aka you, your family or your pets).  They can also inspect your home or other building to seek out and seal up all entrance points to prevent the rats from returning and keep other wild animals out.

Mice

Mice in the Pantry

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Rat (1)           Quitting my diet cola drink is hard enough.  The headaches, mood swings and general feelings of “unwell” are evidence that those little cocktails of carbonated water, caffeine and chemicals are not exactly healthy for the human body.  When I’m going through diet soda withdrawals, normal life is difficult enough, and then today I discovered mice in the pantry.

Life’s been full of big changes for me lately.  I just graduated from a masters program in business administration, I just got laid off from my job, my boyfriend and I just got engaged, and I’m putting my townhome on the market while looking for a house with my fiancé.  So, of course, I think it’s a great idea to quit drinking diet soda and start an exercise routine so I can look and feel my very best on my wedding day.  I’m stressed, on edge, even though most of my life changes are mostly for the good.  Well, except for the job loss, of course.  That’s a special kind of stress.

After a frustrating wedding planning session with my mother, I decided to clean out my kitchen in preparation for the upcoming move.  I’ll admit, I haven’t been in that pantry for a good, long while, subsisting through the last few months of the masters program on take-out and vending machine food.  I had no idea there were mice in the pantry until today.

I pulled items out, wondering what those little black things were on the shelves and the tops of the cans.  I finally realized those little black things were mice poop around and on top of my food when I saw little holes chewed into pasta and cereal boxes.  That’s really put me over the top today.    Mice in the pantry!  Right when I’m trying to sell the place.  Crap.

I easily got the pantry emptied out by throwing everything away.  I called Allstate Animal Control to get rid of the mice from the pantry.  And, I am now enjoying a heavily caffeinated diet soda.  Fine.  I can quit some other day.