RATS A COMPLETE GUIDE

INTRODUCTION RATS: A COMPLETE GUIDE In some countries they are regarded as deity in others they are killed off as pest, but just like people rats have inhabited this earth for millions of years. The genus Rattus is a commensal creature which means they benefit from us, but rarely do they really cause us any harm aside from the fact they ruin a lot of the world s food supply. The rat often gets a bad rap as a disease carrier even being feared by some people. Many animals are labeled rats that truly aren t rats: the kangaroo rat and the North American pack rat. Truth be told rats have caused some disease but the domesticated rat is a clean and healthy creature. Many people keep them as pets. Some people are fascinated with rats and this fascination goes beyond the scientific community. In the scientific community you can thank the rat for many strides in medicine; the rat maybe the answer to ending world hunger and cancer. So why do some fear the rat while others praise it? From the Josephoartigasia that lived during prehistoric times to the common brown rat (rattus norvegicus) and the black rat (rattus rattus) we will explore the rat as food, pets, pet and researcher. SPECIES There are 64 species of rats. The brown or Norway rat and the black rat or the roof rats are common species of rat that is usually found around humans. They are resilient yet dependent on us to a degree for their survival so much so that when rats were studied in New York researchers found that their favorite food was scrambled eggs. You can tell the difference between a rat and a mouse because of their size. The rat is larger and 2

heavier. Mice are smaller and have larger ears, feet, but not tails. A young rat is still larger than a mouse. Mice droppings are also smaller than rat droppings. Rats produce up to 12 babies (pups or kittens) within 21 to 23 days after they have mated. Within 5 weeks their young reach maturity and are of full productive age. The average female rat can have up to four to six litters each year. The average life span of a rat is usually 18 months but most only live one year because of predication. Rats are omnivores. Rats decide what to eat based on foods they were exposed to while in utero, during nursing, and foods they have smelled on other rats. Rats will avoid new food and if it accepts a new food it will eat only a small amount. If the rat becomes ill, it will never eat that food again. Rat use their urine to mark where they ve been for several reasons: to tell other rats they are ready to mate and to mark where they have been but it s not necessarily territorial. Rats pee on food to tell other rats that the food is safe to eat which is beneficial to young rats while they are learning which foods are safe to eat. They will also pee on other rats to tell them that they like them. Unlike humans, rat s perception of the world is drastically different from the sights, sounds, taste, and touch of everything. Rat s vision is blurry and they probably can only see blues and greens versus humans who see green, blue, and red. Rats use their whiskers to get a feel for the world and their whiskers are more sensitive than your touch. Rats use their sense of smell to help them navigate; marking their own scent and following the scent of other rats, rats have a highly sensitive sense of smell. Their hearing is even more sensitive than ours. Rats are even able to pick up sounds that we cannot hear. 3

AS PESTS Blamed for the bubonic plague and many other disease rats are thought to be one of nature s vermin. The bubonic plague or zoonotic disease was actually circulated by fleas. The fleas normally attach themselves to rats and when they bite a human, the human then becomes infected. Although, the bubonic plague was not the fault of rats, rats do spread disease. According to the CDC there are 7 known diseases that are transmitted directly by rodents in the United States and Europe. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is spread by rat droppings urine, and saliva. There are only a small number of cases that are reported of HPS so many facts are unknown. However symptoms begin to emerge within 5 weeks of exposure and include fatigue, fever, and muscle aches in the thighs, back, and hips. Sometimes the shoulders are affected. Sometimes other symptoms are seen lie headaches, chills, dizziness, abdominal pains, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. Within 10 days an infected person begins to experience coughing and shortness of breath as the lungs fill with fluid. HPS is fatal without medical care; there is no treatment, vaccine, or cure however patients can be incubated during the period of respiratory distress. Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) can be spread by openings in the skin and through the eyes, mouth, and nose and is caused by the same virus that causes HPS. Later symptoms of HFRS include vascular leakage, low blood pressure, kidney failure, and shock. Recovery can take weeks or months. Treatment includes keeping a patient hydrated, in some cases dialysis, and maintaining blood pressure and oxygen levels. Leptospirosis can enter the body through the skin, mucous membranes (mouth, nose, and eyes) or by drinking contaminated water. Other animals such as those found on a farm can carry the disease and it is spread through the urine of these animals. Leptospirosis has a variety of symptoms including: high fever, chill, headaches and muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, and rash. Signs begin to show anywhere from 2 days 4

to 4 weeks after exposure. After these onset symptoms the patient can become well only to fall ill again. The second time the patient may have liver or kidney failure or even meningitis. A course of antibiotics can treat leprospitosis. In severe cases antibiotics can be given intravenously. The plague that is caused by the Yerinia pestis is spread when a human is bitten by a rodent flea or handling an infected animal. The plagues: bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic have different symptoms however most will include fever, chills, weakness, headaches, and pains. The plague is a very serious and illness and can be treated with antibiotics. Pneumonic plague can be spread from person to person. While bubonic plague affects the lymph nodes, the septicemic plague affects the skin. The skin tissues of the nose, fingers, and toes may turn black and die. If bubonic plague is not treated it can develop into septicemic plague. Pneumonic plague affects the lungs and can develop from other forms of the plague that go untreated. It is characterized by pneumonia like symptoms so severe that it may cause shock and respiratory failure. Rat-bite fever (RBF) or Haverhill fever is caused by rats that carry either the Streptobacillary RBF or spirillary RBF or sodoku. People can contract the disease by bites and scratches from rats as well as handling rodents with the disease and contaminated water and food. RBF is not 5

transmitted from person to person. Signs include fever, muscle and joint pains, rash, vomiting, and headache. Left untreated the disease can cause infection so if the heart, brain, lungs, internal organs, and death. RBF is treatable by antibiotic treatment. Salmonella is an illness that most people are familiar with. Most people know that you can get salmonella from contaminated food that is consumed raw or under cooked and unpasteurized milk and dairy. Thoroughly cooking foods will kill the bacteria however handling an infected rat can cause humans to get infected. Anyone that has experienced salmonellosis can tell you that for four to seven days you are practically stuck in the bathroom with diarrhea severe abdominal cramping and fever. Unless you are sick for a while symptoms usually fade on their own. In rare occasions salmonella can spread to your bloodstream and you will need to be hospitalized. In severe cases IV fluids and antibiotics can be given. HOW TO DETERMINE RATE INFESTATIONS? To determine if you have a rat infestation you will need to inspect your home or building thoroughly. The first indication will be their droppings. Fresh droppings have a shine and are dark colored as they age they become grey and crumble. The second indication is urine trails. Their urine has a musty scent which is quite noticeable in small spaces. Another way to tell if you have an infestation is to look for evidence of their nibbling usually found in cupboards. Rats can chew through boxes and bags of food as well as metal, plastic containers, wood and glass. Other noticeable signs include scratching or rustling at night. Rats will usually build their nest at night since they are nocturnal creatures. Sometimes your dog or cat may give you indicators that a rat is present. Your dog or cat may spend time listening or pawing at your baseboards. Your dog may bark at the walls or sniff areas of the walls. These are all signs that your dog may hear the rats inside the walls or baseboards. 6

HOW TO GET RID OF RATS? You can hire a professional pest control company to help you fight off an infestation but you can do some things to prevent a rat attack on your own. There are several methods you can employ to get rid of a rat infestation and prevent further infestations that includes: rat proofing your home, home maintenance extra cleaning measures, and a method to rid your home of rats. RAT PROOFING YOUR HOME Rats can enter you home in a space that is the size of a quarter. If you have small spaces that rats can enter from you will need to seal those areas. Even areas that are designed for ventilation should be closed off with some wire meshing. The materials you need to seal these holes can include caulking, scraps of wood, wire meshing, a hammer, and nails. HOME MAINTENANCE Getting rid of any standing water or leaky faucets, pipes, and sprinklers will help you get prevent rats by cutting off their water supply. Cutting back shrubs and pans that are close to your home will also help further infestations. It will expose potential entry points that need repair as well as remove necessary limb that rat can use as ladders to climb into the home. If you store pet food or bird see in your shed, garage, or inside the house and have frequent spills make sure that you clean it right away. Make sure that your pet food remains sealed and whether you feed your pets inside or outside make sure you throw away any leftover food. Use trash cans that have a lid and make sure you keep the lid on. 7

EXTRA CLEANING MEASURES You want to make sure to keep you home free from food spills as soon as they happen. Make sure to sanitize countertops and other areas where food is handled. In areas where you might spill grease and food like on your stove use a bleach solution to degrease and get rid of the smell. Store food in containers that a rat is less likely to chew through; when possible refrigerate food versus storing it in the cabinet. De-clutter you home. Rats tend to nest, especially female rats, in areas with high populations of paper and garbage. Get rid of stacks of newspapers and old papers right away. RID YOUR HOME OF RATS The last step is to rid your home of that rats that inhabit your home right now. If you choose to go with a local New Jersey exterminator, he may employ several different methods. If you are doing the job yourself it is recommended that you use traps versus poison. If you use a poison a rat may die inside the baseboards or walls causing a stench or flies. Once you collect the traps make sure you clean and disinfect the areas where the bait was located. Locating and getting rid of the nest is a sure fire way to make sure that you rid your home of rat infestation. Again, you will want to clean and disinfect this area really well since rats tend to urinate so they can find their way back to this area. 8

RATS: A COMPLETE GUIDE The reason rats move their head from side to side is because they have poor vision; it helps them see better. Rats cause about $19 billion worth of food damage each year. The United States Food and Drug Administration allows a certain amount of rat droppings in commercial food products. A rat s bite can penetrate through a toenail. Rats can actually squeeze themselves through a hole that is the size of a quarter. The largest rat, the mallomys rat of New Guinea, can weigh up to 6 pounds and is five times the size of the brown rat. In India Karni Mata the Hindu rat goddess is worshiped and the Temple of the same name houses more than 20,000 rats. People visit in hopes of getting a blessing from the rats. Rats become fertile at 5 weeks of age and can have 5 litters of 7 to 15 rats (pups) per year. 9

RATS: A COMPLETE GUIDE Rats don t have thumbs or canine teeth. edar and pine oils are toxic to rats. A mischief is a group of rats. Rats have bellybuttons but don t have gallbladders or tonsils. You can train a rat to do simple tricks. Rats are resilient they can fall 50 feet without being injured. Rats regulate their body temperature through their tails. They also use their tails to communicate. Rats are intelligent and have good memories. Rats are highly social and prefer to have a cage-mate. Rats are clean pets. Rats are extremely good swimmers and can withstand being flushed down the toilet and can navigate back from the sewers. More than 400 films have been made that star rats and at least one hundred television shows. 10

CONCLUSION The royal rat-catcher Jack Black was responsible for getting rid of all of Queen Victoria s rats in the middle of the 19th century. He bred some of the rarer rats he found and even sold them, Queen Victoria herself had one as a pet. People have been around rats for centuries and whether friend or foe the presence of rats will be around well past most people s lifetimes. Rats are resilient, they bred quickly, and the can find food almost anywhere. It s predicted that by the year 2050 that all humans will need to look for alternative sources of protein and the first choices will be bugs and rodents. Rats have the potential to change their course in history from the world s vermin to a delicacy. In many countries they already are from Zimbabwe, Togo, Vietnam, Polynesia and people were tricked into eating rats in China. 1. Hire a Professional 2. Close Small Spaces 3. Remove Standing Water 4. Sanitize Countertops 5. Clean Spilled Food 11