It’s that time of year when your friendly neighbourhood rats are looking for a warm, dry bed and your home is surely looking pretty welcoming! The problem is, rats cause both house and health issues when they find their way into your space. Keep reading to learn about the damage they can cause and why it is so important to keep them out!
Damage to your house
Rats are rodents (just like mice and squirrels) and therefore are habitual gnawers – this means they constantly have to rasp their front teeth on objects in order to keep these teeth in check (as they never stop growing). They don’t ingest what they gnaw because it is purely to file their teeth! Because rat teeth are very hard and very sharp and they can put quite a bit of pressure behind them, this gnawing can do some serious damage.
Electrical – A main issue is the electrics. Rats love to gnaw on insulated cabling so the fixed electrical circuit may get shorted.
This can often cause rats to die as they will chew through the cables until the copper is exposed – however modern RCD consumer units often prevent the rat from being electrocuted these days (the RCD just trips instead).
But the real problem is that a fixed electrical supply with a shredded insulation sheath and exposed copper internals will represent a poorly performing electrical circuit at best and a potential fire hazard at worst, so this is not a good thing in anyone’s house.
It's recommended that you get an electrician to re-certify your fixed electrical supply once a rat infestation is remedied – your electrician can test the integrity and insulation of the circuit from the consumer unit and tell you whether it is likely to have been damaged or not.
Cables are also a preferred choice as rats like the rubber coating and copper centre.
Pipes – Any plastic pipework is next on rats’ list – all waste water pipework falls into this category. but more worrying is Pex piping which is used to replace copper pipe runs. This means the pipes are currently carrying water (as opposed to the waste pipes) and these are more often pressurized.
So what damage can happen if a rat decides your pipes are a tasty treat? All this means a big flood and some very significant damage if they get chewed.
Wood – this includes joists and studwork. It's possible for thick joists to end up with holes in them big enough for a baseball to fit through from rats’ gnawing teeth.
Interestingly, they seem to be able to detect any wood that has suffered from woodworm or decay and target these areas – which is way easier to chew through.
Finding nests – Rats will find what they can in your home, gnaw at it, and use it to make nests. This might include fabric, cardboard, packing peanuts, paper, insulation, and a wide range of other shredded scrap items. Rats nest in hidden, dark spaces. Areas typically investigated include behind appliances, attics, basements, or in empty boxes. And to top it off – rat nests typically house 5 – 10 rats!
Damage to your health
Bacteria carriers – Rats live in sewers and drains which are obviously extremely filthy and bacteria-laden environments and when they exit these places (to enter your kitchen for example) they will stamp and smear E. Coli and other forms of nasty gut bacteria over everywhere they pass.
Rat urine – Additionally, rodents will constantly dribble urine and this can carry pathogens that may transmit disease to humans. Some of these pathogens can become airborne as they break down and contaminate other dust particles. This means that you may be exposed to pathogens even if you don’t actually see a rat. This is also why you should not disturb a rodent nest if you find it. Instead, call a rodent control professional like Sentry Pest Control.
Rat droppings – Each rat will produce around 40 droppings each day so these too can contaminate foods and food preparation areas. These droppings also contain parasites, bacteria and diseases like Salmonella. Rodent droppings can also carry the hantavirus which causes flu-like symptoms and can lead to a hospital visit.
Keep those rats out!
So, while you want to keep your home as cozy, warm and dry as you can for you and your family, you certainly do not want rats to take advantage! Your house and health are too important. To tackle rats, other rodents, or other pests, call a licensed and insured pest control company like Sentry Pest Control for a professional inspection and to help keep these pests out of your way!
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