Pest Rat Extermination FOR BEGINNERS

What Rats Chew and Don't Chew

2011-09-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Rats are notorious for their excessive compulsion to chew on things -- boxes, packets, wirings, clothes, documents, furniture, drapes and so much more. This behaviour often drives onlookers to assume that chewing is rat's most favourite pastime; but of course, we know better. These rodents wouldn't waste so much time trying to penetrate something out of sheer pleasure, they always have their reasons. It is very likely that they have sensed that food will become available to them after they have accomplished their feat. Well, rats don't have much time to live (an average lifespan is 8 months), thus, by virtue of common sense, it is easy to see why they would practically do anything to get food.

Steel Pipes and Concrete Walls

Nonetheless, no matter how infamous rats are for their foraging behaviour, because their teeth are not made from diamonds or infallible alloy, there are certainly a lot of things that they cannot chew on such as glass, metal and other very compact materials. It should be noted that when rats indeed try to gnaw a steel pipe or a concrete wall, the pipe or the wall is definitely already physically damaged. Thus, the most that the rat could have contributed is to widen the hole on the pipe's surface or the crack on the wall. The bottom line is that it is impossible for rats to do the damage on their own; the enamel-covered dentins of the rats are definitely no match against the solid steel pipes or the very compact concrete walls.

Aluminium Cans

Some rats are desperate enough to leave dents on the can's surface, but it is very rare for rats to be able to successfully tear-open an aluminium can with their teeth. However, the real downside here is that by the time the rats are able to come near the can, they also have every opportunity to pee on the can and thereby contaminate its extremities. If you are not careful and you do not wash the cans properly before you open them, you might just spread the contamination into the contents of the can itself, which means that you are going to contaminate your body too. Thus, one should not be complacent when it comes to rat problems; whether they are able to damage the container and get to the food, there is still a fat chance that they will be able to cause you the same troubles, no matter what.

Stucco

Stucco is the proper name given to the fine plaster that masons use to coat design-rich surfaces and mouldings. This material gives shape to the architectural designs that increases the aesthetic value of a structure. Although this material is rather soft if compared to concrete, it is still very rare for rats to chew on Stucco. This most viable explanation to this is that this material is seldom used to decorate areas where food is available, thus, the rats also do not see any reason to mess up with them.

Electrical Wirings

Rats have been known to damage electrical wirings at home; some even complain about this problem with their rat-infested cars. At first, it is quite difficult to see why rats would chew on the wires when, obviously, they might have already noticed that even after doing so, they will not get food. However, a recent study revealed that rats are only inclined to chew of wires with rubber insulations that would taste "salty". This means that the rats really assume that the wires are the food themselves. Thus, if you want to avoid such problems, the best step that you can take is to use wirings with more durable insulations or if you can afford, have these wires run though a steel pipe; that way, you are not only protecting them from the rats but from humidity and temperature too.

Different Ways to Use a Rat Hammock

2011-09-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

Every pet rat owner knows just how much rats love to hammock. This fondness has actually inspired their owners to devise various ways to give the hammock some sort of a variety. Some of the most popular varieties are:

1. The Basic

Simple and easy -- a small fabric with two edges tied up two supporting poles. You can cut off a leg from an old pair of jeans, a sleeve from a worn-out overalls or any other fabric to serve as the hammock. You can punch holes along the edges of the fabric to make the rope support even tougher. Shoe laces make an excellent alternative if you can't find the appropriate rope to use. The basic hammock is best when placed inside your rat's cage so that they can just crawl into it whenever they feel a little too bored inside their cages. If the cage is too small to contain a hammock hanged through ropes, you can just take away the rope and attach the fabric into the railings of the cage using tough curtain hooks or safety pins.

2. The Pocket

This is very similar to the basic hammock; the only difference between the two is their depth. Pocket hammocks are designed to serve as a semi-burrow in which a rat can squeeze into when the temperature gets too cold. To make a pocket hammock, prepare a piece of fabric (preferably denim or anything with similar toughness), strings, hooks, thread and needle. Fold the fabric over so that it would appear like a pocket with about 3/4 of the fabric covering the bottom part. Using your thread and needle, sew the sides of the pocket and attach the strings after. Hook up the pocket hammock up in your rat's cage. If you intend to use it for the winter season, fleece-like and other fluffy fabrics are the most ideal materials to be used.

3. The Snuggle Sack

If you can find fleece or calico fabric, then it is best if you make a snuggle sack. Just sew the fabric to take the shape of a sack that has a mouth wide enough to accommodate your rat. In order to keep the sack's entrance open, you can use a hook to hold one side of the sack up high. The snuggle sack is most ideal when coupled with ramps and ladders. Some rats even enter the sack in pairs and wrestle inside until one gives up.

There are so many other ways to customize the simple hammock into something that your pet rat will definitely love. By using your imagination, you will realize how limitless the possibilities are. If you have pieces of fabric at home, experiment of each fabric and investigate which fabric is most preferred by your rats. Remember that no matter how appealing your hammock might be, if it does not feel comfortable, your rats will not mind neglecting it.

Moreover, if you make a hammock, make sure that you make at least two pieces of each. Rats are very fond of nibbling and chewing too; there's a very high possibility that they will also end up damaging the hammock sooner than expected. If you dislike making the hammocks yourself, you always have the option to buy ready-made hammocks from pet shops and other specialty stores. If you are lucky, you will be able to scour through these shops for cheap items; but in most cases, these items are relatively expensive, most especially if you have already figured out that making them on your own is easy and inexpensive.

Bumblefoot: A Common Pet Rat Problem

2011-09-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

While the term "bumblefoot" might sound cute, it really is a disease that can make the surface of your pet [rat]'s foot (also called plantar) swell until it becomes so inflamed that your pet wouldn't be able to move around without being excruciated by pain. Its medical term is "ulcerative pododermatitis", a disease that is closely related to a medical condition that happens to birds and other rodents like rabbits and hamsters. Most people refer to this disease as "bumblefoot" because it is mainly characterized by red lumps and bumps.

How do rats contract bumblefoot?

Under normal circumstance, bumblefoot develops from a simple wound on the rats plantar that becomes infected the bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus. These microorganisms usually thrive in soiled cage flooring or bedding. Upon contraction, the wound would start to appear red, underneath would be a deposit of yellowish pus that will fill up abscesses. The severity of the infection can shoot up in a matter of hours, though other cases would take at least a couple of days. The infected area will become enlarged and painful until the rat would become lethargic because of the pain associated to the lumps.

Experts say that rats are most likely to develop bumblefoot when they are obese. One viable explanation to this is that obese rats tend to be big and heavy, thus they impose greater pressure on their feet. The other factors considered by experts are: genetic problems, chronic trauma on the wounded area, unsanitary cages and rough bedding.

How can you tell if a rat has bumblefoot?

Like what has been discussed above, the most obvious sign that a rat has bumblefoot is the appearance of lumps and bumps on the rodents' plantar. The lumps can swell so much that in some cases, they would burst out to release blood and pus; afterwards, the wound would scab and then swell back, only to burst out again. This is a very painful condition for the rats; thus, if you own a rat that happens to exhibit signs of bumblefoot, it is humane for you to act on the condition fast.

How is bumblefoot treated?

As a general advise, do not treat bumblefoot yourself, especially if you have no experience how. When you discover that your pet rat is having trouble walking and you notice that there are red lumps appearing on its plantar, the best step you can take is to call a veterinarian right away. This medical condition is treated through oral antibiotics, drugs which an "average and reasonable" person is not supposed to dispense on his/her own. Let a professional do a complete check-up of your rat's real medical condition and follow the veterinarian's prescription.

There are cases when the lesions caused by the disease do not subside even after inducing oral antibiotics to the animal. For such cases, veterinarians would often suggest a minor operation on the rat's foot. The operation is very simple and would only take a couple of minutes to complete; all that the veterinarian would do is to cut through the lesions and manually remove the pus deposited inside. The success of this treatment is still dependent of the rat's responses to the drugs given to it after the operation.

How can you protect your rats from bumblefoot?

In general, you will need to make sure that your pet rats are kept in a clean and sanitary cage or pen. As much as possible, make sure that the cages will do not have edges that can wound the rats. Be more attentive to your rats; if you notice that one of them is wounded, it is wise if you isolate this rodent first before you start treating its wound. Association to other rats might only lead to repeated disturbance of the wound as it dries up.

Methods of Rat Euthanasia

2011-09-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

The average life span of domesticated rats is anywhere between 2 and 3.5 years -- most die from age while others suffer from various illnesses; some, are intentionally killed. Euthanasia is the humane way to end up the suffering of a sick or injured rat that has chance of survival. Though it is a difficult decision to make, owners would subject their pets to euthanasia in cases when no amount of medical attention can already save them from a current medical condition.

It should be taken into consideration that euthanasia is meant to be humane, thus, the method by which it is to be administered should be as painless as possible. The guidelines published by the "American Veterinary Medical Association" (AVMA) sometime in June 2007 indicated that any "subcutaneous, intrahepatic, intramuscular, intrarenal, intrathoracic, intrathecal and intrasplenic" injection is considered to be illegal drugs for euthanasia. These drugs can actually cause severe pain to the rats that in some cases, it is the pain that kills the animal and not the drug itself. In simple words, any drug that will cause the rat's muscle, liver, kidney, skin, lungs, spleen, chest, spinal cord and brain to deteriorate is not acceptable by the law.

Intracardiac Drugs

Do not allow anyone to use intracardiac injections to your rat, it doesn't even matter if your rat is sedated or not. Such a drug can cause very acute pain to the rat even while it is unconscious. The pain may not be obvious because the rat will remain immobile - it is sedated after all!; but it does not take away the fact that the rat does feel the pain until it dies. This method of killing animals is already considered illegal in California by virtue of its brutality.

Other drugs that have the same effects as intracardiac injections can only be used on rats and other animals when they are heavily sedated and given high dosages of anaesthesia; even those which are in comatose condition should still be given enough anaesthesia to counter the pain. No animals should be injected with such drugs while they are awake as this can lead to possible accidents (like injecting the drug into the lungs instead of the heart). Sad to say, many veterinarians choose to use intracardiac injections because it can kill the rats fast. However, when it comes to euthanasia, sometimes, what is quick is not always better than the rest.

Diazepam

This drug can be given orally or through SQ injections. What's good with this drug is that the rats do not seem to realize that it is already acting in its body. Of course, this drug should not be given to un-sedated rats. Once sedated, the rat will not feel anything strange or painful; in fact, if it is administered properly, even the insertion of the needle into its body will not give the rat any pain or discomfort. This drug is extremely rat-friendly because it does not go into the animal's tissues which are the ones that will feel the pain if there is any. In a matter of 5 to 10 minutes, the rat's consciousness will slowly leave its body and in a full 15 minutes, its heart will cease to beat.

Gas Anaesthetic

Another popular method of euthanasia is through the use of gas. However, rats do not really find it "pleasant" to breathe-in gas. Thus, such a method can still be considered inhumane to some extent. Nonetheless, it is still acknowledged as a legitimate way to kill rats, thus, many veterinarians continue to use this method. Gas anaesthetic euthanasia requires that the rat be placed inside a closed chamber where the gas is released into.

Assorted Rat Toy Ideas: The Digging Box

2011-09-19T04:06:00.000-07:00

Rats, like all other pets, also need toys to self-actualize; something which most owners fail to realize. These overly active rodents will be more lively and friendly if they are involved in various rat-cantered activities which are best complemented by rat toys. Listed below are some of the most popular rat toys available in the market today; have your pick!

The Digging Box

Who would have guessed that rats also fancy having a sand digging box? We all know just how much toddlers, girls and boys alike, enjoy digging and shaping sand inside their very own play-box; rats also share the same feeling. However, a rat's digging box is not filled with sand; in order to let little plants and grasses to grow inside the box, owners would use humus to fill it up. The plants will encourage your pet rat to play more often inside the box. It will nibble through them and dig them up to chew on their roots. Some rats would even make trenches under the plants to serve like a den when the feel like having a break from the hot day. An average digging box has the following descriptions:

1. The Box

The best size would be 40 by 30 by 20 centimetres or 16 by 12 by 8 inches. It is ideal if you can find a plastic plant tub with this dimension because such tubs have drainage holes on its floor already. Cardboard boxes also make an excellent digging box, but because of its material, the box is also disposable.

2. The Fill

The easiest option is to buy sterilized soil; garden shops usually sell such in small packets. The best thing about ready-to-use soil is that it is already filtered from chemicals and bugs which can harm your pet in the long run. Such soil packets also have contents which are 100% natural -- no added fertilizers or anything else. But, of course, you can also dig some soil from your backyard. Just make sure that the soil you use is clean and free from bugs.

3. The Plants

Your pets will like the digging box better if it has plants in it. Toss in some birdseeds into the box and water the seeds lightly. Wait for a few days to see if the seeds have sprouted. In less than a week, the soil bed will be filled with greeneries which your rat will definitely love. As a reminder, do not water the plants at least 1 day before you let your rat/s in it. Otherwise, the soil will get muddy and your rat will get extremely dirty.

4. The Location

It is already expected that your rat will "mess-up", thus, in order to prevent them from "spreading the mess", might as well place a couple of plastic sheets around the box. Choose a location that is easy to clean up too; of course, you should avoid areas in the house where the rats can run into carpets, furniture or wall papers. Plan everything carefully; you can even add other toys outside the digging box and surround the area with plastic pegs to serve as a fence.

5. The Rats

Expect that your rats will get extremely excited right after you place them in the box. Do not over react when they immediately run to and fro; just enjoy the fact that your rat is having fun. To add more excitement, you can also bury some rat treats in the box; your pet will be very surprised to find a treat after digging through the soil. The box is so much more fun if your rat is not alone, so if you only have one rat, invite a friend rat-owner to come over (just make sure that your rats are also friends).

Simple Toys to Keep a Clever Rat Busy

2011-09-19T04:02:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that rats are cunning and smart. In fact, they can already outwit rat traps and even avoid rat poison by experience. However, this does not mean that they cannot and do not appreciate the simple things. Pet rats, for example, are most amused with simple toys. Some of these toys are listed below:

1. Simple Rock

Who would have guessed that rats are also interested in rocks? Being highly inquisitive animals, rats will definitely want to spend a couple of minutes sniffing through various rock collections; then, they would start climbing up and down the rocks once they get a little more comfortable with them. Of course, by virtue of being rodents, there is always the possibility that the rats would pee and leave dropping on the rocks while some would dig around them to "inquire" some more. Moreover, playing with rocks will also keep your rats claws blunt.

2. Bookshelf Paradise

Rats love to "destroy" literature, if you have some books and magazines that need shredding, might as well utilize your rats. Take out all the important books and stuff from your bookshelf, leave only those which are meant to be thrown away; add the rats and enjoy the scene LOL. You will see just how much your rats love scurrying through the shelf, nibbling old literature to pieces. Of course, after the fun, you also need to clean up the mess.

3. Sack Attack

Using an old pillow case, make a "tunnel" through which your rat can pass to and fro. You can either leave the other side closed or you can cut it open so that your rat can enter and leave the "tunnel" through each edge. Tie the upper flap of the entrance and the exit with a string to keep them open.

4. Towel Maze

This is the simplest way to keep your rats busy. Simply drop a towel, bed sheet or a wide sheet of rug over your pet rats and see how they will find their way out of the "maze". Be sure to use an old sheet because your rats will most likely chew through them if they find it too difficult to get out "naturally".

5. Long Pipe

You can be creative and make your own pipe using some rolled cardboards or a couple of plastic water bottles (with both ends removed). Tape the cardboard tubes or the water bottles together to make a long pipeline. You can also buy a good length of some flexible hose with a diameter wide enough to accommodate a rat. Your pet rats will enjoy passing through these pipelines from one end to another.

6. Tug of War

Play tug of war with your pet by letting it pull on end of a shoelace with their mouth while you hold the other end. Play with your rat a little bit but give them the win. Once your rat gets the shoelace all for itself, the best way to get it back is to trade it with some treats.

7. Ping Pong Ball

Rats love "playing" with a ping pong ball because it is light and it literally just rolls over every time they try to chew on it. Thus, rats would endlessly chase the ball. It is ideal when the ball is kept inside the rat's cage, that way, the mouse will not lose the ball.

Rat Euthanasia at Home

2011-09-19T03:56:00.000-07:00

Because of the lack of resources and equipment, the only possible way to go about humane rat euthanasia at home is through the use of carbon dioxide or CO2; the "American Veterinary Medical Association" also approved the use of this compound. Since CO2 is a natural depressant, it also has anaesthetic effects when administered to rats. To demonstrate this further, just think of the reason why you yawn when you are tired or sleepy. You get this reaction because this is your body's natural way to get rid of the excess CO2 in your body that causes you to feel down and less energetic. This is precisely the reason why yawning sort of relieves us from sleepiness or boredom (at least in a split of seconds).

The real good thing about CO2 is that it does not suffocate the rat. What will happen is that the rat will slowly fall into a deep "slumber" (while it breathes normally) until it dies. However, when not administered in the right concentration, CO2 may not work right. The known effective CO2 to Air concentration is between 30 and 40 per cent; other ratios will simply not achieve the desired results. For example, a 7.5% concentration will lead to increasing the rat's pain threshold while anything higher than 50% will already cause eye irritations and other respiratory tract problems which can be painful. At 30 to 40 per cent, the rat can become unconscious and the anaesthetic effects of the compound will happen.

There are many ways to get CO2 at home; however some of these ways may not be right at all. For example, compressed CO2 (which can be readily bought) have the severe tendency to have very high concentrations, while the CO2 produced by dry ice may cause burns. According to some experts, the best way to get CO2 is to mix baking soda and vinegar. This method is quite easy and very affordable to make. The simplest way to test whether the concentration of the CO2 is correct or not is to use a lighted candle. If the concentration is correct, it should be enough to put-out the candle.

The Right Recipe

If this is your first time to use vinegar and baking soda to produce CO2, then you better stick to the recipe that I have outlined below.

What You Need:

10-gallon container
Wire and plastic carrier (about 12x8x8 inches on each side)
Bath-sized towel (heavy duty)
4 cups of 240 ml white vinegar
5 tablespoon fresh baking soda

(The ingredients above suit a rat that weighs less than 1.5 lbs., if your rat is heavier, simply add at least 1.5 tablespoon of baking soda and a cup of vinegar).

What You Need to Do:

1. Now that you have everything ready, you can now set the container on a table (just make sure that you can still reach it and put your arm inside it).
2. Next, you will need to place the carrier inside the container, as much as possible put it in the centre.
3. To make your rat comfortable, place a piece of cloth over the carrier so that the rat can rest on it comfortably.
4. Take note that CO2 is heavier than air, thus, you no longer need to cover the container because the compound will definitely not leave its interiors. Cover the bottom of the container with about 5 tablespoons of baking soda and slowly pour-in 3 gallons of the CO2 that you have made. This amount would be enough to make the rat unconscious. Adding 2 or 3 more gallons will cause the rat's death.

Fun Activities for Rats

2011-09-19T03:49:00.000-07:00

Pet lovers around the world may have different opinions when it comes to how animals should be treated and cared for, but they all believe in one thing -- it is imperative to make them happy and comfortable. In lieu to this, owners would invest on treats and toys just to keep their pets busy and active; others even bring their pets to animal grooming parlours or enlist their pets to various fun activities. Pet rats for example, are engaged to mini social gatherings to meet fellow pet rats in the neighborhood through rat Olympics and other similar events. However, if you are the less "social" type and you'd rather keep your pet at home with you, is it still possible for your pet to have fun? Well, you are reading the right article. This post is all about the various rat games which you can initiate at home.

Fish for the Peas Game

Rats would definitely love this game especially during hot summer days. It is also very easy to prepare; simply get a shallow tray or bowl that is enough to fit a couple of rats. A large painting tray is the most perfect choice because of its angled flooring which means that the depth of the "pool" will also vary. Of course, it is up to the owner's prerogative to make sure that the water level is shallow enough to not drown the rats that would be "playing" in it. In order to make the game less messy, the owner is advised to place the tray or the bowl on water-proof flooring -- no wood or carpet. For added protection, he/she may place plastic sheeting in the area where the activity is supposed to take place (a shower curtain is an excellent alternative).

It is also wise to keep a towel nearby so that the rats can simply run into it just in case it feels a little too cold being wet. Without the towel, it is very possible for the rats to run to the nearest water-absorbing material it can bump to -- too bad if that is your antique sofa or your expensive draperies, right? Once everything is set, you can now toss in the peas; frozen packed or canned peas will work just fine, but if your rat prefers other foodstuff (i.e. corn) just give them what they would like most.

Don't worry about the different reactions you might get from your rats. All rats are comfortable in the water, though some would be nervous at first and would only nibble on the peas with their pointed mouth without actually jumping into the pool; well, others would be daring enough to dive into the "pool" without hesitations - how ever your rat likes it, it will definitely have so much fun.

Piñata for the Rats

Rats, just like little kids, also enjoy jumping again and again just to grab a couple of hanged up goodies. A for-rat-only piñata is slightly different from that which kids play with. The rat version is simply a cardboard tube with each end secured by a yarn. The tube is hung in the play area of the rats; it's height just enough to let the rat reach and shake it. Sunflower seeds, chips, peas, corn and other rat-treats are placed inside the tube. Of course, every time the rats swing the tube, the treats will fall out from the sides of the tube. After a couple of tries, the rats will get it that every time they reach out to the tube, they will get some treats.

This activity is also used by rat owners to "force" their pets to get some exercise since jumping and reaching to shake the cardboard tube will definitely require some form of effort from the rat. Because playing the Piñata does not require any human intervention, owners can use it to keep their pets busy while they go out for work or while you sleep at night.

Why do Rats Tend to Pee on Food?

2011-09-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

We do know now that rats do pee a lot and it could mean a lot of things. Rats pee in order to mark their territories and keep other rats from invading them, although arguable there instances that show that territorial markings are not necessarily being followed as some rats would bypass the urine markings of other rats on a specific area. Rats also pee in order to indicate their liking to other rat of the opposite sex. It would mean that they are attracted to the female rat and would like to engage into reproduction with her. The markings are also a marketing strategy for male rats to show how highly heated they are for reproduction. Females would like male rats that have spiking testosterone levels. On the other hand female rats would be able to tell the males its receptiveness for mating through their urine. The level of hormones being excreted through the urine would indicate the heat level of the female rat's receptiveness. There are a lot of things to consider when you assess the reasons why rats would pee on things. But one would probably still baffle why rats would often pee on their food.

Could it be to mark its ownership on that food? To make it taste better? LOL. We will answer those questions here in the following paragraphs.

Believe it or not, rats pee on their food too. But before you suddenly smear that smug on your face, first you must recall the struggle of rats when choosing what to eat. Rats are everywhere on earth and being omnivorous they have a wide variety of food menu and they could eat a lot as well. They could eat from vegetables, lean meat, and steak to twinkies and Pringles. This ability of rats sets them apart from the eating habits of other animals like koalas and pandas which only eat eucalyptus and bamboo shoots respectively.

With only the keen sense of smell but a bad vision, how on earth will a rat know what to eat and what not? We are all very aware that a mistake in food intake could possibly prove to be fatal. If a rat would eat the toxic leaf or poisoned pellets for bait a rat could rest in peace forever. Therefore, rats would have to be truly extra careful what to put inside their mouths because they know that they can really puke it out. The inability of rats to vomit would make it all the more hazardous to just randomly pick any food to eat.

Rats employ preventive strategies to ensure their safety once picking out the food to eat. For instance if the food they just ate would somehow make them feel sick afterwards, they will make it a point to avoid that food in the future. This admonition would trickle down to the other members of the family. They will also ensure that other rats won't eat that same food. And that is not where they would use their pee to indicate that the food is safe to eat. More often than not, rats pee on their food to indicate its safeness for intake, otherwise, the absence of urine marks would tell other rats that the food amidst them should probably be avoided. Rats are keen to learn from other rats examples. If other rats would find the food edible, they would eat that same food as well. This would not be made possible the urine communication of rats. Young rats would also prefer the scent of their elders on their food before they munch on them right away.

Urine Marking in Rats

2011-09-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

You should have noticed that rats like to move from one place to another when they urinate. Not only that, they urinate on almost anything from ground, walls and other objects, even other rats. It's not something they do for fun though, but it is actually a form of chemical communication between rats of the same species. Urine marking is rats' way of generating chemical odors they send as specific messages to other species; it's a form of territorial acclamation or sexual exhibition. When another rat receives the signal, it identifies, integrates, and then responds depending on the interpretation of the signal. The responses could either be behavioral or psychological.

Surprisingly, urine markings are actually a textbook of information about its maker. Information about sex, reproductive state, age, mating availability, idiosyncrasy, social identity, even the stress levels being undergone by the rat can be found in the urine markings and only other rats are able to interpret that. The urine mark could even show the indications of how long the urine has been since it was smeared on the surface.

Both sexes actually produce urine markings. However urine marking is more than half the time sexually dimorphic. One would notice that male species of rats mark more and heavier than the female species. Another disparity is that adult rats would mark more than juvenile rats and as well as intact rats than apparently neutered rats. Female rats would tend to follow their 4-5 days of reproductive period. They would mark a lot during the night before their ovulation.

In most occasions, rats would urine-mark surfaces or objects they have easy access to or something they can just immediately walk on. There are also times when they will mark their fellow rats, and they tend to mark on new odors they sense and over the urine markings of other rats.

The Urine-Marking process of rats is mostly attributed to their hormones. This is the very reason why most female rats would increasingly mark during the period before their ovulation and during it. This is phenomenon is strictly associated with the rise of estrogens and progesterone levels of a female rats during their heat periods. The male markings on the other hand are related with the rise of testosterone levels. That is why males would increasingly mark during their puberty and would steadily decline after it or even eliminated during instances of castration.

The markings can also elicit the circumstances that are taking place in the environment. The odor of the urine markings will enable the rats to know if a particular object has been moved from one location to another or show the presence of certain low objects within the area. Rats are able to distinguish those things with the use of their urine odors.

Moreover, urine marking serves many different purposes and functions. One of it is it serves as a sexual advertisement of a rat to its opposite sex. Males would begin to mark increasingly once they have perceived a female rat which happens to be in heat or receptive females. One the other hand, the receptive females would then detect which of the urine have high testosterone levels and they would choose them to have as their mate. Most intact males would regularly prefer the odor of the urine of receptive females rather than those that are not.

Urine marking may also serve as a habitat identification mechanism wherein the odor of their urine would make them feel that they belong to the place, making the environment's scent a much more familiar one.

Sneak Peak Into The World Of Rats

2011-09-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

Perhaps, the most popular rodent in history is the rat. It has been shown over hundreds of films already. In fact, there are movies that feature rats' way of living. It is given already that rats are famous in munching our food supplies, especially cheese, and destroying our walls. But aside from this, how well do we know rats?

Rats are very sneaky creatures. Some said that rats originate from Asia, others said in Europe between 11th to 13th centuries. But whoever is saying the truth, one thing is for sure, rats sneak in ships that is why they are now scattered all over the world.

In movies, we often find rats living behind walls. They gnaw on it that's why we commonly see holes on walls. This is just an example of where rats live. But generally, rats can live anywhere. They like dark places, such as basements and cellars, under houses, in drainage canals, and in thick, piled stuff.

How do rats perceive their surroundings? Our view of the world is completely not like that of rats. Remember, rats are small compared to us, so the way they look on things is entirely different. However, they still recognize their environment through their senses.

The sense of sight of rats is not as good as our vision. They cannot see all the three colors, blue, green, and red. But they are not totally colorblind. They are dichromatic; they can see the colors blue and green. Unlike humans, they have the ability to see the ultraviolet range also aside from the two mentioned colors because their blue cones are shifted towards the ultraviolet spectrum.

Rats are able to adapt to the world well through its whiskers, the long hair-like strands in their face. It is very sensitive when touched. The rats can perceive sharply and in a very detailed picture those objects that are near to them through its whiskers. Those things that are, somehow, far for them already are blurry because their whiskers have a short range only.

Aside from the rat's strong sense of touch through its whiskers, rats can distinguish their environment by way of smell as well. In fact, they have a strong sense of smell. Rat's nose is unbelievably sensitive. It is like most of their perception is through their nose. Even ordinary, unscented things for us are smelly to rats. This is the reason why rats can detect where humans place their food supplies. Rats also know each other through their sense of smell. If you have observed, rats sniff unto floors or in anything. This is because they want to know in depth details about the odor trails left by other animals. Upon sniffing thoroughly, rats use their second organ, the vomeronasal organ. If we have our eyes as windows to our soul, rats have their urine odor to allow other rats to know them. When using their vomeronasal organ in smelling the odor of the urine, they can already know the sex, stress level, social status, reproductive status, and individual identity of the other. This is how rats start to
get to know each other and then eventually mate.

Lastly, rats perceive their environment through their hearing. Like their sense of touch and smell, rats have very good hearing too. They can hear up to five times louder than what we, humans, hear. So for rats, the world is a lot noisier than what we think.

The world is absolutely different for rats. Their senses are way odder than ours, but that's the beauty of rats. They are not rodents who are spreading diseases only. We must always bear in mind that behind the mess that a rat makes, rats are still beautiful animals.

Rats in Seconds!

2011-09-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

You might probably be wondering why rats can crowd your building in a short time. Perhaps you have thought of blocking their mating season so that they will be easily eliminated. But let me tell you this fact, rats do not have a mating season and only extreme temperatures (too hot or too cold) may decrease the chance of rats to be sexually active. A rat can reach its sexual maturity at five weeks since its birth. They don't recognize blood relations too. Incest is not in their vocabulary, so they can make out with their brothers, sisters, or even parents.

As long as a female rat heats up, mating can begin. In a year, a female rat can feel the heat of making out every 4 to 5 days. Even a pregnant rat can still feel heat during the early times of pregnancy. It is very easy to take note of a female rat's time to heat. Although sometimes it varies, but more often, a female rat heats up during early evening until the rest of the night. When a female rat is in heat, it is noticeable that her vagina will be open widely. Otherwise, it is tightly closed.

In times that a female rat heats up, she will find a way to get near a male rat. However, if she's not in the mood of mating, it is quite difficult for the male rat to seduce her because the female can fight him with all its force. A buck (male rat) can distinguish if a doe (female rate) is in heat because the latter may perform a mating dance. The said dance can be observe when the doe stretches her legs straight, spin around, move her ears, and lift her tail and head. This signals the male rat that the doe is ready to make out at this moment. Then foreplay happens because before the real mating begins, several mounting must be done by the male rat first. Although sometimes in just a single mount mating may start, but this is rare. When mounting, the male rat sniffs and licks the female rat. Then he will grasp the nape of the female rat with the use of his teeth. After this process, mating can be done in as fast as two seconds!

The pregnancy will take up to, usually, 22 days. But sometimes, it may range between 21 to 28 days. Rats, either male or female, are normally protective with their pups, unlike other animals that eat their offspring. However, if you want to minimize the rat infestation, you better separate males from females because a female rat can heat up again after 24 hours post-delivery. Therefore, she is capable of getting pregnant again after delivery!

A rat can give birth in an average of 6 to 13 pups or kittens. The delivery can be complete after 1 to 2 hours. Within this, the mother rat will have a litter every five to 10 minutes. She will be the one to pull off her pups using her hands and teeth. Then, she will eat the placenta and the umbilical cord to clean the baby. The pup wiggles after the mother has removed its sac. This is a sign that the pup is healthy and to avoid the mother from also eating the baby.

See how fast rats can reproduce? No wonder there are thousands of them in the world, in various species. And hundreds of them may be found your households. So if you are serious about getting rid of the infestation of rats in your environment, stopping their mating perhaps is a good start. Even so, the best way to prevent rats' large numbers is to maintain cleanliness so there will be no chance of the bucks and does or dams to procreate.

Rats: Beneficial or Not?

2011-09-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

When we talk about rats, what is the first thing that comes into our mind? For most that I have talked to, one thing that suddenly pops out in their minds when they hear the word rat is "pest". This is because rats have been long known as the ones responsible of destroying things in a household or building. They are fond of gnawing on walls just to pass through and have access to their food and home.

Rats have different implications in every culture. For most, rats are generally negative. Sometimes, people use the term "rat" as a vulgar expression or an insult. People who have a cruel personality are being likened to a rat because many believed that rats are unclean, nasty, and opportunistic. What rats usually do is just damage or steal food supplies and other goods. Moreover, they have been known to spread diseases like leptospirosis, Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), rat-bite fever (RBF), and many others. These are the reasons why people are very determined to eradicate rats in their surroundings.

In contrast, other cultures view rats as high and mighty. For example, in India, they look at rats as vehicles of their God, Ganesha. Rats are allowed to stay and roam around the temples. They are believed to be reincarnated as holy men. Priests feed them well, and afterwards, they also eat the rats' leftovers because they consider that foods touched by rats are blessings from their God.

In Chinese culture also, rats are famous in the sense that they are intelligent, creative, and playful. People who are born in the year of the rat are characterized as smart, gregarious, quick-witted, protective, and furtive. Due to these impressive characteristics, they are also well-liked by many. These Chinese predictions are paralleled to the typical rodents, the rats. Rats know exactly how to handle or take care of themselves. They can find solutions to their problems by using their senses. That is why we have difficulty exterminating them because they cannot easily be fooled.

In terms of science, rats have contributed much in our knowledge today about several facts. These rodents are used in experiments for a long time already. From our discovery about genetics and medicine, to understanding behaviors, all these have to do with rats. Scientists named rats used in experiments as "lab rats". For example, if experts want to know how effective their newly explored drug is, they test it to rats first, and then observe it for a period of time, before really using it to humans. Also, in psychology, rats are being used to explain behaviors of people. For this reason, we now have B.F. Skinner's theory on behaviorism. In addition, because of the rats' good sense of smell and attitude that is easy to be trained, they are also used lately in tuberculosis detection and landmines.

Not only in culture and science that rat is contributory. Due to the vast number of rats, some people consider rats in their diet also. Although this is a taboo because of the diseases that may spread and some religious factors, there are still those who are hooked to rat's meat. In some parts of Hawaii, rat's meat is an everyday dish for commoners. Other places also have commercialized rat's meat and made it as an exotic delicacy.

In this world that we live in, it is not only us who are living. Just like us, rats coexist with the ecosystem and may possess positive impact to the society. Even though we can't deny its sneaky and destructive behavior in our household and offices, we still have to consider that they have the right to be treated humanely. If you want to get rid of them in your surrounding where you find them harming, it is better to deter those rodents using natural and eco-friendly methods. In this way, you are not only preventing rats from destroying your goods, but you are helping them not to really be eliminated from this world.

Rat Control: Do It Naturally

2011-09-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

Rodents, such as rats, are very destructive to our buildings, may it be in offices or households. Even in cars, rats tend to be very vicious. No doubt, people are eager to eradicate or get rid of these pests in their surroundings. The question now is – how can we get rid of them in a humane way?

Since then, live traps are very common in eliminating rats. However, there are more convenient ways of keeping away rats from our things. First and foremost, we have to know how to rat-proof our building. By that I mean to make our environment unsuitable for rats to live. In my opinion, this the most effective way of exterminating rats. As what the saying "prevention is better than cure" implies to preclude rats' infestation is way better than letting them move away from our surrounding. So how do we do this rat-proofing? First, we must seal holes or possible entry points where rats can get access to our building. Doors and windows may be screened so it may not be rats' entrance. Then, we should take responsibility in keeping our food supplies and garbage in sturdy and tightly-sealed containers. Some foods may be placed in the refrigerator instead of storing it in the cubbyhole. If you have indoor animals, make sure to pick-up dishes after feeding them because the food remnants can be tempting to rats. Also, if you have stacked woods or any materials, better pile them tightly and away from your building or house. Through these ways, we are not only preventing the infestation of rats, but we are also keeping our environment clean and free from potential health hazards.

Some natural rat control measures can be done too. Chemical deterrents are an inhumane way of eradicating rats. Aside from that, it is also harmful to us humans, especially to children, and to our pets as well. So why not go natural?

There are various natural ways of eliminating rats. One is to use predators, like dogs and cats, to keep rats away. Predator scents can be used as natural deterrents too. If rats are introduced to smells that they don't like or that can potentially harm them, they may voluntarily leave the place rather than risk their lives. The scent of a dog's urine can be used as deterrent, or even a bit of dog's hair can already prevent rats from destroying things. For instance, you may wipe your car wires with urine to avoid rats from gnawing it.

Aside from predator and its smell, condiments like pepper, edible vegetable oils, and garlic can be a smell deterrent for rat control too. Just by the scent or taste of pepper, rats cannot tolerate it. How much more the mixture of pepper, salad oil, and garlic? Rats can be very disgusted to it. Simply mix the three mentioned condiments that are readily found in our kitchen then let it stay for 4 days. After that, strain it and put the mixture in a spray bottle. With this, it is very easy and comfortable to use over areas that cannot be rat-proofed like car wires and living room sets. All you have to do is spray it on possible areas that rats may chomp.

Moreover, rat repellent also includes those that are disgusting to their taste apart from the above mentioned smell deterrents. As a common knowledge, rats love to munch on things such as wires, shoes, etc. So the use of wasabi or hot pepper may be effective in controlling rats. Merely smear a small amount of wasabi or hot pepper to surfaces of things or stuff, and surely, when rats will take a taste of it, these rodents will stay away from it.

There, I have written it all. But then again, in my opinion, the best deterrent is cleanliness. Avoid rat infestation, throw away your garbage and food scraps, and clean every part of your house or building regularly. Enjoy a rat-free environment!

Rats Don't Vomit

2011-09-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

Did you know that rats don't vomit? Not only that, they don't actually burp as well. Therefore, they don't experience heartburn as well as humans would normally experience after vomiting or burping. There are actually several reasons why a rat isn't able to vomit. One reason is that they actually have a very powerful strong barrier that separates their stomach and esophagus. They also don't have sufficient esophageal muscle to force the barrier open, which makes vomiting possible. Second reason is that when one vomits it would require two sets of muscles in the diaphragm to contract independently. However, rats seem to be unable to dissociate the movements of these two muscles. Third reason is simply because rats' brains just aren't that complex enough to facilitate the mental process required when vomiting.

We are somehow aware that the main purpose why a living being vomits is for the body to rid itself of something toxic. Basically, vomiting is a defence mechanism of our body system to prevent anything that may damage it by purging it out. Rats are incapable of vomiting, but they still do have ways to prevent the possibilities of intoxication. One strategy is preventative in nature. With the use of their super-sensitive sense of smell, they can easily detect any possible toxic intake before they ingest it. Another way to rid themselves of the toxins particularly when the case is they have already taken the toxin in is through pica. Specifically clay, they eat some of it to get rid of the toxins that are already ingested. Clay has a special property that binds some toxins that are in the stomach which in turn dilutes the toxins in the system.

Regurgitation vs. Vomiting

While humans can vomit, rats can regurgitate. They do it quite occasionally even to rid itself from any possible toxin intakes they have done before. Regurgitation is a different process to vomiting. Vomiting requires much more complex processes in the mind and the system reflexes that respond to the process of vomiting. The powerful reflex would require a series of muscle coordination to make the forceful dispelling of toxins possible. One the other hand, regurgitation is a passive process wherein the food is effortlessly drawn back to the esophagus area. To regurgitate, one would not need to have any forceful muscle or abdominal contractions to make it possible.

Other Actions that May Resemble Vomiting

There other things that rats do that may look like they are vomiting. However, they are not actually vomiting in this case, but instead they are attempting to execute something to prevent them from being intoxicated. For example, there are times when a rat may find it difficult to swallow the food that they just ate. Their chocking patterns of behavior may resemble something like it's about to vomit. The rat in this situation may strain itself deliberately, would pull down his chin to his throat and its ears would flatten. It is possible that the rat will drool saliva, and put his paw into his mouth. Surprisingly, during this process, rats are still able to breathe normally, although chocking in rats is just very rare.

Sometimes, one could often relate the semblance of vomiting to a rat having difficulty swallowing as some parcels of food may actually come back out of the mouth. However, this is strictly not vomiting at all.

Rats may experience respiratory distress and they would be found choking at times due to their difficulty in breathing. When they do choke, they dispel a foamy substance that may look like stomach fluids. However, they are not stomach fluids but rather mucus from the lungs.

Effective Rat Guards

2011-09-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, other mechanisms that prevent rats from entering the house won't work. Even the renowned traps and baits approaches could often fail sometimes in certain situations. However, the creativity of human minds doesn't end in the convention methods of rat prevention. They continue on reinventing and innovating until it reaches to the point of zenith wherein they have already found the ultimate solution to all problems. We may not be there yet, but we have made considerable progress so far by being able to invent some of the best ways and methods to prevent rodent infestation problem. And one of this is the use of highly effective rat guards that prevent rats from entering the house.

Rat guards are very great substitutes to sealants and covers, if ever one would not have any access on the other products. But what are rat guards exactly and how do they work in deterring our pesky rodent brethrens from invading our beloved abode?

Rat guards, as what the name implies, serve as a guard that prevents rats from entering through holes into the house. They are best applied as a future preventative measure so that after you applied all sorts of rodent control techniques and gotten rid of all the present rats infesting the house, you will also deter them from entering once again in the future. Rat guards are best placed in pipelines and tube holes that can potentially become passages for rats to get inside. What's even more advantageous is that rat guards don't have to go through the hassles of having to drill holes just to install them. With the recent innovations on rat guards' technology, one could just simply place them on holes like a cap on bottle lid.

Rat guards are even not only used in residential homes as they are also being used on other establishments and structures. They are commercially popular in ships and are being used to prevent not only rats but also other hygiene threatening animals like snakes, cats, squirrels and what not. Over time the product has been proven to be quite effective in deterring such creatures from entering the ship hauls.

The guards have three plates. The initial plate is found in its surface. More like the external cover serves as the framework for the spokes of the guard. The second layer or plate is the pokes that are inserted into the framework to filter rats from getting in. The third layer is another level of spokes that are smaller and narrower. They have to be installed as well to ensure that rats will never be able to squeeze themselves in into the possible seams of the second layer. Note that in order to install the rat guard you don't need to do any drilling or wielding so that you can assemble all the parts.

Here are some advantages of having Rat Guards:

1. Like what was said earlier, they easily and conveniently installed everywhere. They come in different sizes in order to fit in to the needs of measurement depending on the size of the hole that needs covering.

2. All rat guards are alloy made in order to resist the eventuality of rusting and corrosion. When they won't rust, they could possibly last a lifetime working to deter rats.

3. Their popularity is simply preceded by its efficiency. Rat guards are not only popularly used in ships but across the entire United States as well. When everybody's using it, it could simply imply that everybody trusts its effectiveness.

Diseases Brought By Rats

2011-09-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

At present times, there are numerous diseases that can affect humans. It is undeniable that many factors within our environment have contributed from even simple colds, to the very life-threatening illnesses. Among these factors is the rodent – RATS.

Rats have been carriers of diseases that can affect humans, if not; they can directly weaken us through their urine and scratches among others. The diseases brought by rats may not be detected right away simply because it will start from minor problems only such as headache, vomiting, and muscle pains. However, we should all be aware that we cannot forsake these simple symptoms, or else it may worsen and can cause death. That is what we are trying to avoid, especially if we have children, elderly, and other persons with low immune system living with us. However, before thoroughly knowing each of the disease that is caused by rats, let me remind you one thing, preventing rat infestation is the best way to keep our family and loved ones healthy.

There are six known diseases that are caused by rats, namely, leptospirosis, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, eosinophilic meningitis, rat-bite fever (RBF), Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), and murine typhus. Each of these stems from rats' commensal to rats' waste.

Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is very common especially during wet season. This is due to high incidence of flood, wherein the urine of the rats may mix with the water. Children are very prone to acquiring this illness because of their playful nature and depressed immune system. Therefore, my advice to parents, do not let your young ones play over flooded areas because they may get the bacteria that causes leptospirosis.

The disease, leptospirosis, is caused by the bacteria that is from the genus leptospira. The person infected by the said bacteria may be asymptomatic or may not manifest the symptoms. Nevertheless, this disease can cause a wide range of symptoms. We should take note of the following symptoms because these are the primary ones: high fever, vomiting, muscle pains, severe headache, and chills. In addition, jaundice or yellowing of the skin and conjunctiva, red eyes, abdominal pain, rash, and diarrhea may result also.

Death is quite rare in this disease. Nonetheless, we should seek a professional's help when the above mentioned signs and symptoms are felt because it may worsen and can lead to problems like liver failure, respiratory distress, kidney damage, and meningitis.

Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium

S. Typhimurium is characterized by nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. This is usually treated with antibiotics. Normally, this disease is not fatal. But if left untreated, the infection may cause death to the person.

Eosinophilic Meningitis (EM)

This disease is the infection of the brain by a parasite called Angiostrongylus cantonensis, also known as the rat lungworm. It is characterized by an increase of eosinophils or white blood cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). EM can be acquired through ingestion of contaminated foods.

Rat-Bite Fever (RBF)

RBF is a systemic illness that is caused by a bacterium called Streptobacillus moniliformis. From its name, we can already tell that this condition can be acquired through rat's bite. If you are scratched by a rat, RBF may result also. Moreover, ingestion of foods that are touched or contaminated with rat's feces can also cause rat-bite fever.

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS)

HPS is first known in 1993. It can be acquired by humans through aerosolized virus. This disease can be passed on from rat's urine, saliva, or droppings. There are few who are identified to have died from Hantavirus pulmonary sysndrome, but according to experts, HPS is potentially deadly.

Murine Typhus

If you think that only dogs, buffalos, and the likes have fleas, then you are wrong. Rats have fleas too, and these rat's commensals can transmit a disease to humans known as murine typhus. This disease is caused by an infection of R. typhi. In humid, tropical countries, rats that are infested with fleas can be found whole year round. In contrast, in temperate places, flea-infested rats are common only during warm summer season. So beware of rats, especially during hot temperatures, because they may carry in them fleas.

Now that we are already acquainted with the diseases that can be transmitted to us by rats, it is very helpful to be cautious about our environment. We must make sure that we are living in a rat-free household. Do not wait for infections to occur before taking actions for the reason that it might be too late.

Another Vision on Rat Vision (Part II)

2011-09-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

Most tests on the different drugs and treatments designed for the human eye are performed using laboratory rats because of one reason; their eyes are very similar to that of a human. Both eyes have two different types of light receptors, namely, cones and rods. Cones are most sensitive to the different colors in the light spectrum while the rods are most capable of identifying the intensity of light. Although the retinas of a human's eye differ from that of a rat, in terms of the mechanisms as to how it identifies color, they are technically just the same.

Retinal Color Vision

The main difference between a human's eye and a rat's eye is the number of cones presents in their retinas -- this also sets the limitation of the kinds of colors that each of them can see. Rats are dichromatic, which means that they have two types of color cones, while humans are trichromatic implying that we have three color cones. Rats can only see the short "blue-IV" light wave and the middle-length "green" light wave; human can see long (red), middle-lengthen (green) and short (blue) light waves. Nonetheless, despite their obvious disadvantage when it comes to seeing a lot of colors, rat vision is still "more advanced" than that of human's because of one thing: they can see ultraviolet light waves and some of the other colors that the human eye can't see.

How Rats Perceive Colors?

Two facts need to be clear when studying rat color vision, that the rat's retina is extra sensitive:

1. To green light waves
2. To blue-ultraviolet rays

Having known these, we can now deduce that rats can indeed "see" colors. But how do rats distinguish between these colors? For some time in the past, people believed that rats are completely colour-blind, it was only in 2001 that scientists were able to find out that the rat's retina can distinguish between the visible light (or that which humans can see) and the ultra-violet rays (which humans can't see).

While it is almost impossible for humans to imagine how a rat's vision looks like, with the aid of computers and simulation software utilities, scientists are able to conclude that rats see from a "neutral" point area that is most sensitive to the blue-green hue; because of their visual limitations, rats will not be able to distinguish between blue and green.

Nonetheless, the limitations of a rat's vision caused by its lack of cones are heavily compensated by its rods. 99% of their retina is composed of rods; this is the reason why rats are extra sensitive to lighting intensity -- something which serves the rats interests best. The unique foraging behaviour of rats requires them to be sensitive to even the slightest change in the light intensity around them. This fact is further supported by rat trainers who can attest that training rats to identify between colors is much more difficult that teaching them to differentiate brightness.

Why Do Rats Need Ultraviolet Vision?

Since humans do not see ultraviolet light, it is not easy for us to point out how the ability to see it can help the rats. Some of the possible reasons might be:

1. Tracing of Urine Marks - Scientists are most inclined to take this possibility more seriously. Because rats are highly territorial animals, it is really of great help if they can "see" the marks that their fellows leave behind to identify their territorial boundaries. However, one thing is problematic about this possibility -- predators also see urine marks, thus, it is still questionable if rats would really intentionally leave marks which their predators can follow.

2. Identifying body parts - It was found out that some of the rat's body parts reflect more ultra-violet light than the rest. Thus, rats would be able to "see" their fellow rats better because of their ultraviolet-vision capability.

Nice To Know Facts About Rats

2011-09-16T04:50:00.000-07:00

Rats are rodents that are larger than mice, and have a long, thin tail. Commonly, rats are mistaken to be big mice, but these rodents greatly differ from each other. Just by the naked eye, they may look the same, but careful assessment of their appearance and genetics would tell that they vary from each other. As I scanned further on literature, I have known quite several fun facts about rats. I will list it all here, and for sure you'll be amazed of what you will find out.

Rats in Different Cultures

• In India, rats are believed to be the vehicle of their God, Ganesha. In the temple of the Hindu goddess, Karni Mata, there lived thousands of rats. Aside from its name, Temple of Deshnoke, this temple is also called the "temple of rats". In here, they feed the rats well, and even eat the rats' leftovers because they believe that it is a blessing from God. Also, if you happen to kill a rat, you must replace it with a golden rat statue.
• In China, rat symbolizes prosperity and astuteness. The rat is the first symbol among the 12-year cycle Chinese Zodiac.
• During the Mayan civilization and ancient Egypt, rats were being worshiped.
• In ancient Rome, Romans regarded the rat as a sign of good luck.

Rat's Physicality

• Rats have glands on the sole of their feet so they can leave a scented wet trail in their way. Through this, it will be easy for them to go back from where they come from.
• Rats have long, thin tails which made them very keen when it comes to balance. That is why, rats are very good climbers. Also, rats use their tail to regulate temperature and to communicate.
• Rats don't have thumbs, tonsils, gallbladder, and canine teeth, but they have bellybuttons.
• Rats have poor vision. They cannot see well in colors. To adjust to this, they tend to move their gaze from side to side to create motion and see better.

Rat’s Abilities

• Rats are very good swimmers. It can swim for about three days without drowning.
• Rats are among the most curious and intelligent creature on earth.
• Rats can be very social animal when trained and kept away from its kind.
• Rats can be trained easily.
• Generally, rats are nocturnal. It is active during twilight or dusk.
• If you think rats gnaw on wood and wires only, then you are wrong because rats can in fact nibble through metal and concrete according to one literature that I have read.
• Rats are very intelligent. It is very hard to trap or poison them because they don't right away get near in an unfamiliar thing, or if they find the food not good, they will not eat it again.

Fun to Know

• Rats can mate as fast as two seconds.
• A group of rats is called pack or mischief.
• Rats can eat animals that are smaller than they are.
• Rats can be very good pets. Female rats are more playful, so the most preferred pet by people is the male rat because it is more attentive and easy to be trained.
• You cannot get rabies from rats.
• Rats are very famous in television. They have appeared in movies and series for hundreds of times already.
• Parent female rats are called dams, while the female rats alone are called does.
• Male rats are called bucks.
• Baby rats are also called kittens or pups.

It is always nice to know more about the things in our environment. It increases our awareness with regards to their existence. Now, because we have known about rats more, perhaps it will be helpful if we will get away with it in a nice and humane way. There are those who find them as blessings, so if you are one of those who are disgusted by them, better think of respecting others and the rights of rats to coexist with the ecosystem.

Giving Over-the-counter Drugs to Pet Rats

2011-09-16T04:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a common practice among rat owners to give their pets over-the-counter drugs like Ibuprofen and Metacam whenever they exhibit some forms of illnesses which both drugs are known to help humans in relieving their pains. So far, there are no reports about these drugs endangering the lives of these pets; in fact, the use of these drugs to "treat" lethargy and muscle pains has already become very established that even some veterinarians use them.

Giving Pet Rats Ibuprofen

In itself, Ibuprofen is a pain killer. It is classified as a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory (NSAID) drug, which is considered to be more effective than aspirin and acetaminophen. However, this drug also has its side-effects. Repeated use of Ibuprofen can lead to bleeding and perforation of the linings inside your pet's stomach. Since this drug can interfere with blood clotting whenever it is active within the pet rat's body, it is very possible for the drug to inhibit your pet's body to "heal" its own, thus, ulceration is very likely to happen whenever your rat's stomach would experience trauma.

Apart from bleeding, the drug can also lead to poor fluid retention in the kidneys which is very dangerous for elderly rats because their organs are already very weak. The drug should be dispensed 2-4 times a day only, at 15 mg/lb. for each dose. For less severe problems like analgesia and inflammation, it is safe to give the rat lower dosages.

Of course, just like kids, rats are also picky with bitter tablets. In order to make the rat takes the drug, you can either crush it up and mix it with its food or mix it with sweetened fluid; you can also try out baby formulas of ibuprofen, as these are usually sweet to the taste. Just make sure that the baby formula does not contain Sorbitol, or at least in formulation where it is listed as an inactive ingredient. Sorbitol is an artificial sweetener which is usually very palatable to humans but is hated by rats. In general, rats like Motrin (an artificial sweetener). However, if you don't have access to baby formula Ibuprofen, you will have no other choice but to choose between Ibuprofen capsules and tablets.

If you have not consulted a veterinarian and decided to figure out how much Ibuprofen you are willing to give your rat, you might as well want to check on the bottle or package of the drug to see how much mg/lb. can be given based on the rat's weight. It is always a good idea to give your rat a treat after giving it the medication as this can cover the aftertaste of Ibuprofen inside the rat's mouth, which might "traumatize" the rat and convince it refuse the drug in the future.

Giving Pet Rats Metacam

Many veterinarians prescribe low dosages of Metacam to rats. Just like Ibuprofen, Metacam is also an NSAID. Thus, these two drugs basically have the same effects on the rat. Metacam is usually dispensed as a liquid drug, making it the best choice for veterinarians to give to dogs since these pets do not really digest NSAID drugs. For rats, the best dosage is 60 mg/lb. which should be given2 to 4 times a day. Metacam is usually given to rats experiencing severe pain problems.
Conclusion on Drug Dispensing

As much as possible, ask for a veterinarian's assistance in determining which drug is best suited for your pet rats; giving random drugs to your pet might only result to unwanted side-effects which might just harm your per more.

Rat Damages in Cars

2011-09-16T04:39:00.000-07:00

You might have heard of the many popular myths about rodents such as hamsters speeding up on an exercise wheel to power up various engines, but you should know that the presence of rodents inside car engines in not purely mythical in nature. There have been instances when rats and mice are found to forage or live inside the engine compartments of various cars. Unfortunately, this residency can be costly; some rats would end up nibbling through the electrical wiring inside the engine, others would mess up by leaving behind their droppings or by urinating into the electric components of the engine. No matter how amusing it is to know that a rat is able to find peace inside a hot and noisy engine, the owner should still be moved to get rid of the rodents before worse things happen -- break mishaps due to cut-off electrical wires and things like that.

How Do They Get In Anyway?

Of course, it is quite difficult to imagine how the rats are able to enter the engine compartment in the first place, yet it does not mean that it's impossible. True enough, it is very rare for frequently used cars to have rat infestation problems; this means that the most susceptible cars are those which have been left unused for some time already. If these "rarely used" cars are kept in a garage where rats and mice are most likely to live, it is then very possible for the rodents to have "discovered" of the engine compartments and found it adequately warm and "secluded" -- of the main factors which rats consider in choosing the location of their nests. Thus, rat infestation has nothing to do with the "newness" of the car's model or whether it is a sport's car or not; the pivotal thing that invites rats to enter the engine compartments is opportunity; and, opportunity is at its peak when the car is left alone for a couple of days or weeks.

Nonetheless, apart from being a cozy place to live, rats also "attack" engines primarily because of the electrical wiring inside it. A research study showed that rats are more inclined to chew the plastic insulation material used in the wiring inside a car's engine over other wire insulating materials; this led to a theory that rats might have developed a sense of appetite for the material used to manufacture the insulation. Now, if this is true, then obviously, rat damage inside cars is just too costly! Unfortunately, rats have these unique inclinations to return to places where they have once foraged. Thus, if the owner of the car is not careful, the rats might simply just return after eradicating the ones being caught in action.

How Extensive Is Rat Damage In Cars?

Many car service providers across the country can attest to how much damage can rats really do inside cars. For some weird coincidence, many of these reported cases involve rats chewing one specific wire attached to the car engine -- that is despite the fact that rats are actually color blind. Some records even cited out a rat building a nest made of a broom head (the rat managed to drag the broom head inside the engine compartment and secure it in between two pipes) and a rat gnawing through two large tubes which it used to support its nest between them. Beyond the damages that rats can do to the cars themselves is the fact that any damage to one's car can be enough to cause road accidents which can scare, injure or kill people.

Road Vehicles and Rats

2011-09-16T04:34:00.000-07:00

Because of obvious reasons, road vehicles are often the most vulnerable ones when it comes to rat infestation. RVs are usually driven to woods, lakes and parks where they get to be parked for a couple of hours (some cars are even parked for days); these are not the cars that we see traversing on city streets on a daily basis, in fact, most RVs are only used during vacations and holidays -- during the other days, these vehicles are inside garages. These things make it easier for rats to get into the car and build their nests inside. Through their instinctive gnawing behaviour, they will be able to find a way to penetrate into the car. Once inside, there will most likely:

• chew on the cushions of the car seats
• gnaw the electrical wires inside the engine compartment of the car
• pee on the electronic components of the car
• damage the hoses that carry the fluids throughout the car's engine and cooling system
• build their nests under the car's hood, where the air filters are located
• use the insulation installed for the compartments under the hood as the bedding of their nest

Car owners should not, in a way, underestimate the capabilities of rats. Unlike humans, they do not require weeks to transfer residences; in fact, these rodents will be able to build a complete nest inside your car's engine compartments and move-in along with its family. Thus, leaving behind your car on the streets and in some other places where rats are most likely to be abundant is definitely one of the surest ways to invite rats in.

Common Signs of Rat Infestation in Cars

While some rats make their presence very obvious by running around (frightening the passengers and the driver) the car's floor, others are very good at making their presence covert. Sometimes, owners would only realize that an infestation is already taking place the moment one of the rats die and produce a very foul smell through. Thus, it is very helpful is the owner would find the time to inspect the compartments inside the car to make sure that it is rat-free. For example, he/she can check through the electrical wiring attached to the car's engine and see if there are any rat bite marks on them. The sooner that an infestation is discovered, the better it is for the car owner. Who knows, apart from the damages that they can make, they [rats] might also compromise the driver's life by nibbling through the wires and tubes necessary for braking.

Preventive Measures

Knowing that rat infestation in cars can be a little bit too costly when it comes to repairs; it is wise for car owners to simply do measures that will prevent an infestation in the very first place. The owners of the cars can be creative in their own ways as to how they are to go about the preventive measures, but to those who need a little inspiration, the tips below can help:

1. Do not park the car in places that can be penetrated by rats.
2. Leaving the car's hood up will discourage the rats from getting in. Contrary to what seems to be obvious (that when it is up, the more possibility it is for rats to get inside), rats do not like to be in open areas where they would feel insecure.
3. Keep the garage well-lighted. If you already understand how a rat's mind works, you will see that they do not like areas where their presence is "exposed".

First-Aid Treatments for Rats with Respiration Problems

2011-09-16T04:28:00.000-07:00

While it is not a lovely sight to see a human being resuscitating a rat through its pointed mouth, it is a fact that pet rat owners actually devote time to learn how to do first-aid treatments to their pets.

On Respiratory Distress

Who says only humans can have unstable respiratory conditions? Rats, whether they have respiration-related diseases in the past or not, are very prone to sudden respiratory distresses. Rats "tell" their owners that they are in need of air by opening up their pointy mouths up in the air -- as if they are gasping. Some rats would dash around the cage out of panic while other would produce the sound of laboured breathing. While these problems usually do not last long, pet rat owners should still pay particular attention to it because in such a short span of time, it can also suffocate the rodents to death. Thus, it is in the best interest of the pet owner to address the problem right away.

The easiest way to help the rat out is to let the rat breathe air of very high humidity; you can use a humidifier for this purpose, but if you can't find a humidifier at hand, simply escort your rat to the bathroom while you keep the shower running -- the shower (especially when it is lukewarm) will make the air inside the bathroom misty. Moreover, if these two methods do not suit you, you can always just boil some water on your stove and cradle your rat close to the steam that it produces. But remember, hot steam can burn your rat's lungs; thus, keep your rat a little bit distant from the stove (2-3 feet will definitely do).

If the above-mentioned first-aid treatments do not work, try to see if something is obstructing your rat's breathing passage; it may be mucus or some other foreign bodies. If that is the case, then your pet's condition is not really a respiratory distress, rather, it is another case of choking. To see how choking is supposed to be treated, see my other article entitled "First-aid Treatments for Choking Rats". Nonetheless, if the methods above do not work and after inspection, you figured out that nothing is obstructing your pet's breathing passage, then the problem might be something that is more serious. It's either you pet has asthma or other illnesses that restrict the respiratory system to let air in and out of the lungs. If this is the case (and if you love your rat too much that you can't just dispose of it), you might need to purchase a bronchodilator. Such products are meant to be maintenance drugs, thus, it is not wise to really keep a pet that requires as much maintenance as an asthmatic rat.

Anyway, if you are still very serious about "saving" your pet rat, you can try subjecting your rat to subcutaneous aminophylline injections. This drug is powerful enough to force your rat's air passageway to expand, thus allowing air to get in and out of the lungs once again. This drug is also used for humans experiencing the same problem. If the rat's air passageways are inflamed, the drug can also be used alongside dexamethasone. Asthma inhalers coupled with Ibuprofen (120mg) tablets can also work if both aminophylline and dexamethasone are not available.

Lastly, if none of these treatments work, the last possible resort is to force oxygen into your rat's lungs. You might need to rush to an animal clinic for the oxygen mask and tank. If the rat's condition does not improve even after giving it oxygen, as the owner, you will be left with two choices:

1. To euthanize the rat

2. To wait if the medications worked or not.

First-aid Treatments for Choking Rats

2011-09-16T04:21:00.000-07:00

The rat's anatomy is perfectly designed to suit its lifestyle needs -- even its throat is arranged in a way that will avoid choking no matter how much they nibble and chew on different item. However, this does not mean that rats would never choke; while this condition is rare, whenever this happens and the rodent is not even enough attention immediately, it can definitely lead to suffocation and death.

When rats choke, this is more likely caused by a chunk of food stuck inside its throat. It is so easy to detect if your pet rat is experiencing this problem; they would behave like all other animals (including humans) would whenever they feel that something is blocking their air passageway -- they would gag and drool excessively.

The most obvious way to help a gagging rat is to open its mouth and literally pull out whatever material it is that is stuck inside its throat. The easiest way to do this is to pull back the rodent's ears; this will force the rodents to stretch out its mouth. If you can't remove the stuck material, it is better if you rush your pet to the veterinarian immediately. Do not attempt to force your rat to drink water in the hope that it can "push" the material into its stomach. This desperate act would only drown your pet rat to death. Nonetheless, you should not worry much if your rat can still breathe despite the gagging. In most cases, your pet will be able to make the offending foodstuff down into its stomach. Sometimes, give your pet soft food can also help them force the stuck food item down. Do not do anything else beyond making your pet feel rested and comfortable.

The bigger problem occurs when you rat is really having a hard time breathing. One can tell if the rat is in a dangerous situation when its breathing would sound extra laborious. When this happens, you can try doing the Heimlich manoeuvre, that is, to press hard underneath the rodent's ribcage so as to force air in and out of the lungs. If you don't know how to do this, you can also try the method called "The Fling" which is executed through the utilization of the centrifugal force that is produced when you "fling" your rat. To do this, you will need to securely hold your pet's neck with one hand and using your other hand, hold the rat's tail and "throw" your pet in the air -- releasing your rat in a fast circular motion. Make sure that you will not hit your rat with anything around you, thus, clear out everything within arm's length. You can do this for 3 to 4 times before you will need to let your pet rat. If it still find it hard to breathe, do "The Fling" again; it is actually one of the most effective ways to dislodge objects that are stuck inside the animal's throat.

Now here is the catch, if not of these things can help you rat, your final resort is to do a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. This is extremely dangerous for the inexperienced though, since rats have this tendency to bite whenever they are stressed and anxious, which of course, can happen when they are in distress. To best way to go about this is to "suck" out the obstruction from the rat's throat. However, be extra careful that you do not block the rat's nose while you do this, as this can completely inhibit the rat from breathing. Lastly, if you can't do anything else, you can always turn to drugs. Dexamethasone is known to relieve rats from choking problems.

Summary of Norway Rat Species

2011-09-15T04:28:00.000-07:00

About 3.5 million years ago that the genus Rattus evolved from the family of Murid, and from the emergence of the rattus genus are now what we call the Norway rats or the common house rats which took place sometime around 2 million years ago. Long ago, Norway rats originally came from the present Northern China. Due to the constant influx of trade and commercialism during those times, Norway rats have found their way to ships and caravans that travel across the continents transporting themselves into many different places in the world. Initially, they were prevalently transported to Europe as the center of ancient trade and commerce, most merchant travels towards there. Eventually, as the span of trade increased its coverage all over the world, it wasn't then long until Norway rats inhabited everywhere. It was around 18th century that Norway rats have arrived in the new world, or what is now US. At present, rats are found everywhere in the world, inhabiting in human and non-human territories, but mostly dependent on human beings for resources in a relationship called commensalism.

Most wild rats would live in their own colonies. In female rats, which are more than half the time family related, would live altogether in a system of burrows of about 6-8 groups at a time. All of them would have their own nest chambers where they could breed their young. However there are instances wherein two or more female rats coming from the same familial origins would live together in one burrow raising their young. This occurrence is a common thing in female rats. It's called communal nesting. Right after the weaning period, the males of the younglings, will immediately disperse and live life independently.

There is actually an organization in social structure among rats. Would you actually believe that the mating system for male rats would contingently depend on the population density of a particular colony? If the population of a specific colony has low densities, one male would most likely monopolize a burrow of females. By saying monopolize, it simply means that the male rat would mark that particular burrow as his territory, preventing all other male rats in the colony from ever getting into that burrow and would only mate with the females on that group inside the burrow. Basically, male rats preserve a polygynous mating system wherein they could have more than one female mate at a time. Therefore, in a low density population colony, rats are most likely to become polygynous and territorial.

However, there are differences when a colony's population is of high density. If a colony is heavily populated, there is already a slim to no chance at all that a male rat would be able to defend its territory, let alone own one at all. The reason is simply because there are just too many possible intruders in a high density colony population. In this type of colony, male rats are mostly like to follow a despotic system, wherein other male rats would become subordinate to socially dominant ones. In this system, males will no longer feel the need of ever having to defend their burrows. Whenever a female comes into heat, males would immediately rush towards to mate with the female. Male rats could practically mate with multiple females and vice versa. They would feel no or less competition among themselves when mating with a female. Therefore, in a high density population colony, we can say that male rats are despotic and polygynandrous. They also work in individual level in order to search and find food resources.

Rat Burrows

2011-09-15T04:23:00.000-07:00

A scientist named Calhoun (1963) studied rats' behaviour closely in a semi-natural enclosed environment. He then discovered that most Norway rats would dig burrows and live in there the rest of the time. These underground burrows would comprise networks of tunnels each leading to specific compartments serving different purpose while other would lead through exits from the underground. Usually, the networks are complexly interconnected.

Burrows don't say the same for too long. Eventually they change through the constant activities of rats inside their burrow system. The activities by rats inside the tunnel would require the burrows to renovate according to the immediate needs of the rats in order to fully satiate the needs of their existence. Accessibility and convenience are among the primary factors to be considered in justifying the changes that take place inside the burrows. When burrows grow, they get deformed beyond repair as new tunnels and passages are created by their inhabitants. There will be certain areas and sections that will be left unattended and eventually cave in the future. However, the burrows would take a new face as an accommodation to the rats' present needs. We could even say that the structural system of the burrows has got something to do with the social relationship of rats that inhabit there. If ever comes a time that the social structure and relationship of rats would break down, the burrow will eventually fall into disarray and becomes irreparable.

Parts of the burrow

1. The entrance of a burrow is usually placed or located in areas that are sheltered or sloped. Can often be found sealed with grasses or piles of dirt.

2. The tunnels' median diameter would range from a width of 8.3 – 9 cm allowing only one rat to pass at a time. The straight tunnel segments which also serve as the rats' super highway, have a larger median diameter length of 29-30 cm. At the end of that length, the tunnel would either separate into two smaller passages or bend and ends with a cavity or a dead end.

3. The cavity are small sized areas and may differ from 18.3 x 22.1 cm, making it possible to accommodate a group of 6-7 rats at a time. This is where communal nesting would often take place especially in low density rat colony population. The smallest chamber areas could only accommodate 3-4 rats at a time and the largest on the other hand would reach as much 11 rats in a space. There are different usages to any chambers. They could either be:

a. Nesting area - would practically be consisting of a bedding and litter area for rats and its younglings to rest.

b. Resource cache - where food would be stored for future consumption.

4. The nest would most often be composed of shredded materials like grass or garbage and sometimes dirt. This area of the burrow would serve as the rats resting place. There are three different kinds of nest:

a. Pad - The simplest form of a rat nest and usually made of few trash objects like flat bond paper or leaves. This would elevate one rat from the floor.

b. Cup shaped nests - It is basically a larger sized nest taking a cup-like shape. It is usually consists of more shredded materials like paper or leaves, intermeshed to come up with a wall for the cup. The surfaces are then usually flat.

c. Hooded nest - One could practically say that this is the largest of all the nest types. They can be so high that they would virtually form a ceiling for the nest. The hollow spherical shape of the nest would become the dwelling place for rats, especially mother rats which happens to be the ones usually responsible for such nesting structures. However, such nests are quite rare.

Norway Rats Natural Habitat

2011-09-15T04:14:00.000-07:00

One would have probably asked the question: "What is the natural habitat of a Norway rat?" Actually, rats were found predominantly in the areas of Northern China. They were once wild rodents in those areas and they would not have systematic ways in find food resources or coming up with their own dwelling. It is believed that it is where they originated, however, there's less information known about their ecology and behaviors in there.

Eventually, sometime during the progress of trade and commerce between countries across the globe, rats have found their way and moved in their lots with human beings. Thus, evidences of rats cohabiting the early human settlements during the early times. Settlements, like human abodes, farms, barns, buildings to even an entire village. The massive invasions eventually lead to many dire consequences which a lot of humanity has suffered from. The coexistence between two species was far from being realized those days as the ones that mostly benefited in the commensal relationship are the rats as they are unprecedentedly fed by humans by food scraps and leftovers and are given ample dwellings. With the prevalence of garbage around human territories, Norway rats have found more than just one way to sustain their existence within human territories. Humans have housed many rats under their own rooftops, providing them warmth and protection that they need, keeping rats' natural predators away for good, and safeguarding them under human protection. Thus, we now have what we call commensalism; a human-dependent relationship being upheld by rats since time immemorial.

Each and every time that humans travel, rats would travel along with them as stowaways. At some point in time, black rats came along with us in trade routes, riding on caravans and ships during the middle ages. Several centuries later, they have conquered the entire eastern and western Europe and eventually expanded to the extents of the new world as they aboard sailing ships that travel across the globe. That is why Norway rats are now predominantly found in the American soils as well living their dreams of food heaven. Of course, wherever humans go across the world, so are the rat parasites as well.

At present, rats are just basically found in every known human dwelling, as much as they are also found in wild areas like the forests or grasslands. Therefore, rats basically are found everywhere. They are omnipresent with a population explosion the covers the entire world. So far these stowaway stratagems have worked ever so functionally throughout time for rats thus have enabled them to live through millions of years by simply just depending on their human hosts.

We now ask where exactly rats' natural habitat is. The answer would be everywhere. As at present there are no longer native or endemically existing rats in the world. There is no place on earth where Norway rats exclusively exist as they are practically normally found in every human dwelling. As long as there is food in the area, rats are most likely to be found as well. The natural habitat of rats is basically wherever humans are. In much more specific terms, the range of their habitats would be inclusive of farms, buildings, homes, garbage dumps, sewers, subway, river banks, squatters' area, all are human niches.

There are certain occasions however, that during milder climate conditions, the parasites would live independently from their human hosts. They are able to flourish with themselves alone with the help of the kinder environment brought about by the better temperament of the climate. They would thrive in grain fields on themselves during these seasons.

Naming Rats by Color

2011-09-15T04:08:00.000-07:00

Of the 2277 rodent species scattered all over the world, 64 of which are rats; but because of cross-breeding, mutation and genetic experimentation, hundreds of rats with different fur coverings have already been produced. In fact, even those rats which came from the same species have been made to appear distinct among their kin. The most common example to this is the Rex rat; originally, Rexes have curly hair coverings but because of cross-breeding, some of their children became hairless. Other rats simply developed unique hair color, one example of which is the laboratory-produced Blue rat which, of course, has Blue hair color.

By convention, rats have also been classified based on their color and the markings that they have all over their bodies. However, although these rodents may have all the varieties of colors and patterns on its body, rats are still highly distinguishable because all these hair covering have base colors which are limited to these two: agouti and black.

The Agouti Color

Also known as the color of the wild rats or the rats that roam around streets and sewers, Agouti is simply a fancier name from "brown". Thus, "Agouti rats" are simply the brown rats that we see in the sewers. These rats are also given so many different names; of course, there's "Agouti rat" and "brown rat" by virtue of its hair coverings, then there's "water rat" and "sewer rat" because of their foraging behaviour; and finally, there's Norway Rat, which is actually the proper name for such kinds of rats.

However, in essence, Agoutis are not entirely called brown rats because their fur is not really completely brown in color. These rodents have banded fur coverings. Overall, the rat would look brown, but because of the reddish brown, black or cream-colored bands that it has all over its body, they have earned the name "Agouti" instead of just the plain and simple name "brown".

In general, a regular Agouti can have a deep-red to light rust-colored fur. Nonetheless, whatever colors the Agouti will take, its underside will always have a very light color -- in most cases, it is yellow or off-white. In rare instances, the underside of an Agouti can be pure white too.

Fawn Rats - These unique Agoutis are classified as a different group because of the RED (red-eye diluted) gene that they have in their bodies. Moreover, they are not only unique because of this gene; Fawn rats also have orange fur coverings.

Amber - These rats are still considered as Agoutis, but they are distinctly classified because of the PED (pink-eyed diluted) gene that makes their eyes appear pin.

The Black Rats

Unlike Agoutis, black rats are unquestionably predominantly black. Some of them may have minor brown spots but overall, these rats would really appear as if their entire hair covering is black. However, there have been cases when rats would change fur color from black to brown in a specific period. Experts contend that this change is probably triggered by these rodents's need to adapt to their surroundings.

Beige rats - These rats are actually black rats too. They are given a distinct classification because of their eye color. These rodents have the RED (red-eye diluted) gene which actually alters the normal color of their eyes. Ordinary black rats do not have this gene.

Champagne rats - Still, these rodents are part of the whole black rat family. They have the PED (pink-eyed diluted) gene which results to the pinkish appearance of their eyes.

Other Rats

* Black-eyed White Rat - These rats are fondly called as the "Dalmatians" because of the grey spots that they have on their bodies.

* Pink-eyed White Rat - This group is reserved to rats which have purely white fur and purely pink eyes. The rat may be an albino or it is probably a victim of the genetic anomaly called "multiple colors dilute".

Fancy Rat Breeds

2011-09-15T04:02:00.000-07:00

As much as rats are disgusted, they are also loved (at least, the fancy ones). Thousands of people around the world are hooked up into collecting different breeds of fancy rats, which are expensive by the way. These rats have developed such rapport among the rich and the avid pet lovers because of their unique physical traits -- actually, most people are fond of these rodents because each one can already qualify as a rare "collection" on its own. Each breed is a sure attention-grabber and owners would definitely get a share of that attention. This is not to undermine fancy rat keepers though, as there are those who keep such rats for pure self-satisfaction and self-fulfilment.

1. Turpins

These are excessively marked rats, having wide coloured bands all throughout their bodies. Turpins are most distinguishable because of their faces (which are very similar to that of a roan) and their very pointed ears. Overall, these rats have white base coverings sprinkled with brightly coloured shades.

2. Spotted Downunder

The white blaze (which is a very rare rat covering combination) usually appears in the Spotter Downunder breed. These rats even become more desirable when they have spots on the sides and by being more in-demand, these rats also tend to be more expensive than their kin. However, if the white-coloured portion of the rat's covering has yellow staining, it also becomes less desirable among rat keepers; as a result, the price of such rats also goes down.

3. Satin

Unlike most rats with coarse coverings, satin rats have very sheen coats which would almost make the rat emit a metallic glow. Satins can appear in all kinds of species, and each time they do, one can almost expect a rat auction which will make the highest bidder the rat's new owner.

4. Russian Silver

When rats are born with pale greyish-blue coverings, they are called Russian Silvers. The more expensive ones are those with even colours all throughout their bodies (including their underside). These rats have black eyes. Another variety falling under this classification is the Russian Silver Agouti. These rats are almost very similar to the regular Russian Silvers, only that their base colour is light brown and their underside is mostly pale silver in colour. Their eyes are still black just like the other Russian Silvers.

5. Powder Blue

What is there to not like about a blue rat? The powder blues got their fame primarily because of their colour. These rats have silver base colours sprinkled with blue "dust" all throughout. Their undersides are silver and their eyes may be black of red. Powder blues become more expensive when their colour gear toward becoming solid powder blue.

6. Russian Dove

For some weird reasons, these rats are called doves. Of course, they are not bird-rats (rats with wings); rather, they are ordinary rats with level grey coverings all throughout their bodies. Some Russian Doves have red eyes while others have black; but all of them have silver undersides.

7. Merle

Not to be confused with white rats, Meles actually have pearl (off-white) coverings unlike the famous white lab rats and Albinos which have pure white ones. These rats also have a kind of pattern of markings evenly distributed throughout their bodies.

7. Platinum

Platinums became famous because of their very distinct color: ice-blue. This term is reserved for a shade of blue that is somewhat evenly mixed with grey, giving us the impression that the rat can either be blue or grey. Just like more rare breeds, the undersides of these rats also have the same coverings as their upper bodies. In general, Platinums have red eyes, but some breeds also tend to develop lighter shades of red.

Rat's Whiskers

2011-09-13T06:48:00.000-07:00

Most animals have whiskers. Though, whiskers' functions are more or less the same, they still have their differences depending on the type of animal species being referred to. The same thing goes as well with rats. A rat's whisker is not just some hair follicles protruding to make up their superficial physical structure. Their whiskers serve a higher purpose that enables them to be the kind of animal that they are. We may know less about it, but their whiskers play a vital role in their overall perception. Without their whiskers, they will be greatly impaired in their vision about the world around them.

The Whisker

Let's first talk about what exactly whiskers are. Basically, whiskers are hair, but they grow longer than any other hair parts in an animal's body. Surprisingly, whiskers are built on dead cells that grow still from the follicles of the skin. Naturally, the follicles are supplied with sufficient blood, some nerve endings, and tiny muscles which are the ones responsible for goosebumps in humans. However, that's similarities would simply end there as the whiskers in rats are far more sophisticated than the simple sensitive hairs in humans or furs in other animals.

Every whisker would root from a follicle which is encapsulated by a blood containment called "blood sinus". Each time a whisker is moved or touched, it flexes and pushes some amount of blood to the other side of the blood sinus. Then the liquid blood form amplifies the sensation by triggering the nerve endings situated on the capsule thus sending signals to the brain. The perception of each whisker movement is so sensitive that a rat can be able to detect how long or far the whisker is stretched.

You may have noticed that rats do have quite long whiskers in each side of their nose. Usually, the longer whiskers are spouting around the cheek areas and shorter ones are naturally found near their mouths.

Whisker Growth

By the time rats are conceived, they already have whiskers in them. Fine, semi mature whiskers grow during after 12 days of an embryo growth and newly born rat would be capable to whisk its whiskers by 12 days of age.

As any hair, whiskers would grow from the follicles found in the skin. During whisker growth, the follicle would undergo certain stages of growth, repetitively executed in every after rest. The active growth and rest cycle would go on and on until the hairs will grow and stays in a place for a while. Eventually the initial hairs would fall off and will be replaced by newer ones. When a rat loses one of its whiskers, it won't be until 8-11 days when a new one grows to replace the older one.

The Purpose of Whiskers in Rats

We may not know a lot, but rats greatly depend on their whiskers to fully see and grasp the world around them. They use their whiskers to gather great amounts of information from their surrounding and they use it even more than they use their eyes. In fact, rat's eye can be quite negligible compared the purposes of a rat's other perceptive functions. Rats are highly tactile animals therefore they rely mostly on their sense of touch to know their way around and their whiskers help them a lot to detect many things. A rat is actually capable of producing a 3 dimensional (3D) construct of their perception from their surroundings just by using their sense of smell and touch. Each and every time a whisker(s) would whisk, it gathers dozens and dozens of information around them to create that 3-dimensional world.

Rat Vision

2011-09-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

What is in a rat's vision?

Seeing a rat's behavior each time they are found in human territories, it begs us the question, "What exactly do they see around them?". For some time scientists have been studying how rats perceive the world through their eyes, and they now somehow have a pretty clear idea on what's on the scene. Generally, rats are actually dichromats. They perceive the world through their eyes pretty much of human beings do, but with slight red-green color blindness. However, the color saturation in their vision is severely faint, and surprisingly, the color found in their environment is of less importance compared to the value of brightness in their vision. Actually, the vision of rats is very blurry; that's the case in most rats. But in cases of albino rats, they are more than half the time blind or extremely visually degraded. The rating of their vision would be around 20/1200.

Vision in Pigmented Rats

Surprisingly, despite the difference in visual projections humans and rats have something in common in the optical structure. Both species have two light receptors: cones and rods. Cones are the ones responsible to receiving the brightness or lightness of the color being perceived, while rods are the ones responsible sensing the dimness of the light and couldn't not detect the color. However, the retinas of humans differ from rats. The density and types of the retinal cones differ, and are the source of visual implication.

Colors in the Retina

In humans, we have three types of colors seen through our retinas. Hence, we have trichromatic sense of vision. The trichromatic color perception of is comprised of shortwaved cones colored blue, mid-wavelength green and longer wavelength cones colored red.

However, since rats are dichromatic, they only have two cone types in their retinas: a short-blue wave and the middle red wave cones. The peak sensitivity of the green ones is somewhere around 510 nm. The blue cones are then shifted to shorter wavelengths and would only reach a peak of 359 nm. This would imply that rats could actually see through ultraviolet, therefore making them see certain colors invisible to a human's naked eye.

There is about 88% percent of the rat population all over the globe whose color cones are middle green type while there are only a 12% of them that are with long blue UV receptive cones. The UV receptors are seen below or bottom of the rat's retina.

Color Perception in Rats

Now that we know that a rat's retina is super sensitive to green and blue-colored ultraviolet, the question now would be are they able to discern and perceive the colors that they see and distinguish the difference between all of them?

For a very long time, rats were believed to be color-blind (unable to distinguish the difference between color types). However recent studies indicate that rats are actually able to distinguish the difference between colors through the fact that they do perceive ultraviolet colors. They have further deduced that with proper training, they will be able to distinguish the difference between ultraviolet light and visible light as well as the disparity between the ranges of blue and green.

Having that sort of visual perception, we wonder, what would that vision look like in animals that could only distinguish between green and blue, red colors would look dark to them. They would also happen to have a neutral point in perceiving the blue and green colors. If there are grey shades, they would still find difficultly in identifying them. However, they are keen in identifying colors that can only be visible through ultraviolet.

Norway Rat's Biology and Diet

2011-09-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

It is important to know about the rats' diet and biology in order to enhance or improve your mechanisms on dealing with getting rid of them. If you know what sort of food they eat, you will also know what kind of things you will have to limit your house with so as to cut off their possible food source. In the same manner, if you are generally aware of their possible behaviors, you will be able to know the way they move around the house, hence be able to install the necessary precautions or deterrents to curb their presence within your territory.

Their Diet

Contrary to what most people would believe that rats like to eat cheese, they actually have a different preference in diet. Rats' diet is mainly based on high protein and carbohydrates. They need these minerals in order to survive. Despite the fact that they are omnivorous and that they could practically eat anything, however, if they eat at a mixing pot of all sorts of food, if ever they would find crackers or peanut butter in it, they would most likely go for those rather than cheese. Peanut butter and crackers are rats' favorite food and they are the ones most ideal to be placed in trap baits. Rest assured you will know that rats will definitely go for them. Most of the time these type of baits work granted in case the traps themselves are properly installed and located.

Norway rat's Biology

Young Norway rats would actually reach their maturity at the age of 2-3 months. Females of these species could provide 4-7 litters in every year with an 8-12 pups in every litter. Adult Norway rats could only live about a year, while living in colonies. Most Norway rats like living in underground tunnels which they themselves dug out at the first place. If they are found in farms, tunnels are dug nearby potential food sources like granaries, barns, livestock buildings, and even hay silos. They would prefer living underground knowing that there is available space in there. However, most rats are known to inhabit human dwellings where food resources are readily available. Typical rats would ferret for food outside, but at night they forage food inside and then they retreat to their burrows. If ever they would need water resources, they could just simply find it in sinks, bowels, rain puddles, or from the condensation in water pipes. Usually, the nesting areas of rats are found in the burrows that go along with the walls of one's house. Eventually, the rat family inhabiting in those areas will grow and more burrows will exist creating an extensive of tunnel networks.

Normally, Norway rats are found inside underground burrows, but in cases where the population has greatly increased they would now be found in attics and in certain ceiling areas.

Usually, the nest of Norway rats is built with soft materials. Materials like papers, grass, twigs, and hay and they will be chewed into small pieces. They can climb on extremely elevated grounds if necessary and they are also very excellent swimmers. That would practically leave out the option of drowning them just to get rid of them.

Rats are very curious animals and they immediately get suspicious whenever there is a sudden shift or change in their environment or even in their food intake. This is the reason why most traps would simply take some days before they could ever get a catch or poison baits to finally get rid of some rats in your house.

Brown Rats And Their Many Names

2011-09-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

How many times have you been tempted to count brown rats and sewer rats as two distinct rat species? This common misconception is due to the fact that brown rats do not really appear to be brown -- they are usually grey, with the brown color only appearing in spots (but in some cases, the brown color does not appear at all, instead, the spots are black). Nonetheless, brown and sewer rats actually refer to the same specie; in fact, the real name of these rodents is Norway Rats. Interesting enough? Well, these rats are not only controversial because of their names; the most appalling reason why they are popular is because of the damage that they can make. But we will not talk about these damages and the other harms can these rodents can do. This article will be all about brown rats, being animals with interesting facts.

Brown Rat Traits

If there is anything that is most remarkable about brown rats is their ability to survive in all sorts of environments. They can survive in farmlands, in towns, in cities, in the streets, inside houses or buildings -- anywhere at all! The only common denominator in all these places is human presence. But let us not be confused here, brown rats do not like to be associated with humans, in fact, they do not want to have interaction with us as much as it is possible. So, we ask, why do they live among humans? Simple. For rats, man's trash is their treasure! Throw away some peelings from yesterday's meal and that is food for them; store unused clothing then don't remember that you have these items for years and the rats would use that opportunity to use your clothes to sharpen their teeth. Cunning, right? These traits make brown rats very well adapted to their environments, no matter how "dangerous" these environments are for them.

Migratory Patterns

As we have already established, brown rats are very much dependent to humans. Having known that, it is easier for us to understand why their migratory pattern is very much co-related to the migratory patterns of humans; and just like humans, brown rats have also managed to reach different parts of the world! They are now present in Asia, in US, in Europe and even in Africa. Some of them learned to live in cold areas while the rest adapted to tropical climates. Indeed, these animals are most likely to not become extinct in the next thousand years.

Origins and History

Brown rats are given the scientific name "Rattus norvegicus"; although their real origins are quite difficult to reconcile, based on their scientific name, it can be deduced that these rats might have come from Norway and from there, started to spread all throughout Europe and then to the rest of the world. To date, no scientific evidence have been found to really establish a clear and definitive stand as to where these rats have truly originated from, although one thing is quite sure -- they originally started to breed in Asia and only managed to cross over seas through trading Asian ships which go to different places around the world.

Perhaps the best explanation why these rats are somehow named after a European country is because it is only in these places where the effects of their infestation really became apparent. Brown rats are most fond of wheat and barley which are the main farm goods in these places. The diet of brown rats is mostly starch and protein, two things which are definitely found in the farms in Norway and the rest of Europe. They are excellent foragers too, thus, they are able to scour for these things even outside the context of farms.

Brown Rat Management and Control

2011-09-10T07:58:00.000-07:00

Typically called Brown rats because of their external covering, the common rat that we see in the sewers and the streets is actually called the Norway rat. These rodents are considered as one of the most destructive pest in farms and residences because of their ability to contaminated massive amounts of farm produce and other foodstuff; they also carry in their bodies different sorts of harmful microorganisms which can spread various diseases that can threaten human life.

Recognizing a Brown Rat Infestation Situation

The most obvious giveaway that brown rats are indeed present in an area is their droppings. However, in cases when the droppings are difficult to identify, you can also look for gnawed pieces of paper, fabric or leather (or any other material that can be gnawed). Moreover, granting that these rats have short limbs, they would have to "drag" their bodies unto the surface -- this can leave mud tracks or traces on surfaces which are covered with dust. Brown rats are most likely to be found under piles of debris, along fences, in thick vegetation or under building sewers.

Controlling Brown Rats

There are different approaches which can be used to control brown rats. The most common one is through the combination of sanitation and rat-proof construction. Of course, it could be a different case if brown rats are already infesting in an area. Before these two can be applied, it is already given that you have to eradicate the current brown rat population that lives in the area in question. Once they are gone, you can proceed to sanitizing the place while simultaneously making sure that the area is no longer penetrable by brown rats.

Sanitation

Brown rats and all the other rats feel most welcomed in places with poor sanitation. Thus, garbage which is not properly kept and the presence of heaps or piles of debris are very attractive to rats. With good sanitation, rats will not feel secured to live in an area. Take note that rats want to have the least amount of interaction with humans, thus, it is always in their best interest to live in an area where they can hide in so many different places. But in a sanitized and well-kept area, this advantage is diminished, pushing the rats to leave and live someplace else.

Moreover, proper food keeping is also part of the whole sanitation thing. If you have food items scattered just here and there, rats would consider your place as a good habitat because they wouldn't have to look far to forage for food. It is important that you store you foodstuff in containers which are impenetrable by brown rats. In farms, produce and other goods should be kept in pens which are highly maintained. As much as possible, the heaps and piles should be elevated from the ground -- as this can make the rats feel insecure too.

In areas where livestock are kept, the easiest way to keep the rats away is by regularly checking through the entire place in search for possible rat nests. It is vital that these nests are destroyed before the rats become at ease living in them because once the rats become accustomed to these areas, they will most likely just build new nest in place of the old ones which you have destroyed.

The most vulnerable places to rat infestation are grain mills, grain silos and warehouses. Pay particular attention to these places in order to avoid brown rat infestation. Knowing just how much brown rats can contaminate large amounts of foodstuff, it is imperative that bulk food items be stored in completely rat-proof buildings and containers.

Brown Rat Habitats

2011-09-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

We should not be confused between the brown rats which can be seen in the wild and in the streets which are obviously dirty to the brown rats which are kept in homes as pets or laboratories as test animals. These brown rats are of the same species and breed, the only difference between the two is that the latter ones are fed by humans while the first ones depend on humans for the food that they forage. Still, the bottom line is, in whichever setup, brown rats need humans for survival. Some of us may hate brown rats for being so, but we should all not forget that the brown rats saved Europe from the Bubonic Plague spread by the black rats decades ago; because of their amazing survival skills, they have managed to outnumber the black rats and eventually pushed them out from Europe. Between the two rat species, brown rats are more preferable without any contest. These rats may be very much dependent to humans, but they are never inclined to bite of hurt humans, unlike the black ones. Because of that, humans and brown rats have managed to co-exist for decades.

However, this does not mean that the presence of brown rats is completely safe and alright. They are also very much capable of destructing properties and threatening human lives. It is still in our best interest to repel brown rats out of our properties. But in order to do so, we have to possess at least modicum knowledge on how these rodents live their lives. This article will be all about their common habitats.

Habitats

Years before brown rats became very common town and city pests, it was confirmed that they were once native to the forests. But that was many years ago. When they 'realized' that it is so much easier to depend on human wastes, they began to live with humans and it remained that way until today. They are very much well adapted to the human civilization that they have reached a point when they already considered human waste as their main source of food. Because of this, these rats are most commonly found in sewers, garbage bins, dumps and in other places where human wastes are most likely to be found. Being adaptable, these rats have learned how to become really good swimmers (because the places where human waste is mostly present are damped or flooded too). Thus, brown rats are now referred to as "water rats" too; in addition to their other names (sewer rats, Norway rats, etc.).

Range

Talking about history, these rats are originally present only in the northern part of China and in some places in the outskirts of Europe and America. But that was in the 18th and 19th centuries, beyond those years, these rats have started to go mainstream and lived even in the most populated cities in the world (N.Y., Washington D.C., Beijing, etc.). They have also reached the other parts of the world through unwise cargo shipping where they get inside ships that travel to different places across the ocean. Unfortunately, many of these "new" places were not prepared for a brown rat infestation; it was common for these places to experience severe rat problems during the first few years of the infestation.

Ecology and Conservation

Brown rats are highly territorial animals. They can have a territorial range of as wide as 150 feet in radius, with their nest being the center point. They can re-produce very rapidly too and require very little amount of food to survive. Because of this, these rodents are considered as one of the animals which are in need of "least concern" when it comes to conservation.

Most Humane Rat Control Approaches

2011-09-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

There are actually a lot of varieties of rat poisons and traps available in the market to use when applying rat control approaches. The only concern of RSPCA is that most of these approaches are inhumane, involving an extended and excruciating process of killing the rodent, making it quite cruel. The following items highlighted below in this article are tips and advices on how to approach rat control in the most humane way possible using the most humane forms of rat control and at the same preserving the essence of effective rat control.

Live Traps

Since time immemorial the use live traps have been proven to be the most efficient and convenient rat control approach. It became even more popular throughout the years because of its humane approach in dealing with rats that cause problems in the house. Since most people are a bit squeamish about killing rodents by snapping their heads off, they would most likely prefer using this type of traps rather than those that immediately exterminate their catch. However, the humanness of the trap may depend on how one would use it in itself; if it's not used to dehydrate or starve the captured rats to death, as well as to the kind of bait being used whether if it's poisoned or not. Such consequences can be eliminated if the live traps are regular checked. In times when it captures something, one would have to make it a point to immediately dispose the ensnared rat. Make sure as well that the rats are disposed in a distant location to avoid recursion. Recent research has discovered that there are minimal chances of survival for rats when they are disposed out from their natural habitats. They could either die from starvation or be preyed by their natural predators. Either ways, you are not responsible for their deaths and that their deaths are more natural per se.

It is important as well that the design of the live traps being used is not for inducing injury to what it captures. Before purchasing, closely inspect the design of the trap to ensure that it will not injure the trapped mice once it catches one. Make it a point as well to check the trap regularly to avoid rats to slowly die within the trap.

Snap Traps

If you still want a humane but definitely faster approach in dealing with rats in your house, you can have snap traps as your option. A well designed snap trap can effectively capture a live rat or mouse and will immediately deliver a fatal blow to it, making its death less painful as possible. Then again, you have to check closely the design of the snap traps you purchase to ensure that wouldn't be any flaws in the snapping process. A flawed snapping may lead to torturing the captured rat long term. Snap traps are usually in different sizes to accommodate the different sizes of rats or mice. Make it a point also to have snap traps that are totally reusable.

Guides on Setting a Snap Trap Up

1. Make sure that the bait is placed on its appropriate location within the trap. Free the trap from any food morsels in any parts of it apart from the bait spot. This will lessen the possibility of injuring the animal to death rather than instantly killing it when the trap snaps. There are a lot of baits you can probably use, from peanut butter, left over chicken, dried fruit or bread crumbs. Make sure the baits are fresh every time so changed it regularly.

2. Place the trap in the right locations so that it will surely have a catch. Ideally, place the trap in the wall corners with it lays on the rat pathways. This will increase the possibility of the rat walking right into it.

3. Seek assistance when setting and resetting it up if you are a beginner.

Rat Damage Management

2011-09-09T11:16:00.001-07:00

When you say damage control for roof rats, it’s basically the same as the approach on Norway rats. However, there may be a few differences that we can take into account.

Exclusion

Exclusion or rodent proofing would require the assessment of the roof area. You have to make sure that the roof lines have no seams that would potentially become rat passages. Through these seams and or holes, rats could gain access to getting in and out of your house. In order to cancel out these access routes, you have to ensure that you plug all the holes and seal all seam openings with sealants. Make sure that when you do apply sealants on the cracks, seams, and or holes, you extend the cover an extra measure to entirely cover the openings. Rodent proofing would definitely take a considerable amount of time, to think that you would have to initially find all the possible openings first all over the house, to make sure that you will eventually close all of them down. Another challenge would be to cancel out the other routes that adept climbing rats would use. They may not need holes to pass through and get in your house as they could just climb their way in to you. You may be able to eliminate that possibility though by applying greasing solutions on water-pipes and vents, to make it difficult for climbing rats to climb on them. You also have to take care of the vines that are already creeping into your walls, as well as overshadowing tree branches on the roof as they may as well become access routes for outsider rats.

Purchase rat guards as well and have them installed to the wiring found in your house right away. Rats could fray the insulation which in return would result to short circuits to the electrical wiring. Rat guards may not totally keep the rats from chewing their way into the wires, but it could definitely deter them at some point. Just make sure that you regularly check the guards from time to time to see if it needs replacing.

Habitat Modification

Perhaps the most effective yet indirect way of dealing with pest rats is to cut off their supply or resources. Resources like water and food should be limited in order to reduce the possibility of rodent infestation. However, that could only be done through proper maintenance and sanitation every time. You can start off with this approach by ensuring that pet food are placed in extremely sealed, airtight containers so that rats won't be able to smell their way to your pet's food. The rest would all be too easy for them eventually when they get their incisors on the container. Also, don't leave out pet food stagnate for the night. Rats will definitely feed on them while your pet is deep asleep.

If ever you have fruit crops and vegetation in your backyard, make sure that you implement rodenticide on them to keep the rats away from feeding on them. Make sure to pick up all fruit drops on the ground to discourage rats from fostering interests in entering your home. When you harvest, make sure that you swipe all those that needed to be harvested.

Scare Tactics

We do know that rats have very keen sense of hearing and that they could detect the slightest volume of sound. Rat could be intimidated at first with the use of high frequency sound producing devices but they will eventually grow accustomed and immune to those approaches. Such devices are quite popular but popular researches indicate that they are less efficient in the overall approach to rat control.

Dangers of Rat Droppings

2011-09-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

Subject: Be precautious of any rat droppings you find!

An office in Maui, a stock clerk was asked to clean up a storeroom which apparently has been neglected for quite some time already.

A while after the clerk returned and was complaining as to how filthy the storage area was and that he have noticed a lot of rodent droppings in the place. He commented on how he had to clean them all up with much effort as the dried droppings were quite difficult to remove. They seem to have attached to the surfaces as they have dried.

Some days later, he started to feel uptight feelings in his stomach as if he feels like coming down with a flu. Symptoms start to develop like headaches, achy joints, and have felt nauseous the entire time. He has been throwing up the entire time. Soon as he went to bed after feeling all the symptoms, he never ever got up anymore. And after a couple of days of feeling weak and ill, he decided to have himself confined to the hospital. He then discovered that his blood count was low, his blood sugar is down to 66 and everything about him is turning yellow. According to the doctors that examined him, he was suffering already from massive organ failure.

As soon as the doctor discovered about his illness, he immediately transferred from the ER to St. Francis hospital for better facilitation and medication of the illness he is having. Soon after that, the doctor notified his relatives as well that the man doesn't have much time anymore to live. In the ICU, the group of doctors that were closely examining and treating him were trying their best to stabilize the condition of the person. According to them, that if ever a miracle would take place and that he would make it out alive from his present condition, he would need a new liver, a new pair of kidneys, bladder and then pancreas. It didn't take long until he died from his condition. It was around midnight that he was proclaimed to be clinically dead.

Normally, it would have been improbable to establish a link between his work and his death. However, the doctors that examined him have been quite persistent in asking his relatives and people concerned, if there was a time that he came in close encounter or exposed to any presence of rat droppings form anywhere.

Soon as they were asked that question, the doctors then revealed unto them that the former patient had manifestations of what seems to be hanta virus, which has infiltrated his system and have caused all the organ failures in his body.

Hanta virus is a kind of virus that is more often found in rats. This virus has the characteristic of thriving through the harshest of conditions. They are also found thriving in rat droppings and once the droppings dry up, it will assimilate itself to the air as dust particles. Since the virus airborne as well, it can be communicated to the people around who have smelled the air. This is perhaps the reason why the person in this article was able to contract the disease.

It is imperative that we take the necessary extra precautions once dealing with rat droppings. We now know that there is a possibility of contracting dangerous diseases in them and we can't just simply pick them up right away without using any barriers that would prevent direct skin contact on the rat dropping. May we be warned of this email of the dangers of rat diseases.

Wild Rats

2011-09-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

Some Facts about Rats in the Wild

It might come as a puzzling definition to you, but by convention, when the word "wild" is used to refer to a rat, that is referred is not actually a kind of rodents that live in the great outdoors (no, not like what you see in NatGeo or Discovery Channel). Wild rats actually refer to rats that live in and around human habitats. They are the rodents that we see in garbage dumps, in sewers and in the subway. They live in farms and cities -- or just about every place where they can forage through human food leftovers and the like. The term "wild rats" was coined to distinguish these rodents from those which are kept are pets, since it is also very common for city-dwellers to have pet rats at home. For added distinction, wild rats are commonly associated to low socioeconomic status in cities and other urban places.

These rodents do not normally bite humans; in fact, these animals are scared of humans. As much as possible, they do not want any human interaction; they would hide at the very first sign of human presence. However, in cases when these animals are frightened or hurt, they would "accidently" bite instinctively. Based on medical records, not too many people have been bitten by rats in the city. This low number established the claim that wild rat bite is rare. However, we also know that a great number of cases might have been unreported because many people do not really make a big deal out of it. But in general, based on those which have been reported, most of those bitten by these rodents were "attacked" while they are asleep at night. It is then possible that the biting may have only happened by accident, perhaps the rats are ran over by sleeping victims, frightening or hurting them. Moreover, most of the bites actually occurred in the hands, fingers and feet.

About 98% of all rat bite cases reported where easily given remedy by simple washing with soap and water. Only about 2% lead to serious infections and other illnesses. Of this two per cent, the most common illness is the rat pox which is more commonly called the rat-bite fever. In general, rats (no matter how populous they are) are considered to be low-risk rabies carrier in US and in Europe.

The Statistics Associated to Wild Rat Bites

Experts believe that only 10% of all wild rat bite cases are actually reported every year. This means that the statistical data gathered and used for studies related to rat bites are probably based on only on tenth of the actual data. Nonetheless, the results can still be considered reliable because of effective sampling procedures. Thus, we can be certain that when the researchers said that about 59% of all reported incidents are not even reported to proper health facilities, rather, the victims would opt to self-medicate. In a study conducted to some of the children living in Pennsylvania (between 4 and 18 years old), it was concluded that children are most likely to be bitten by a dog 36 times before it is bitten by a rat.

Moreover, what is more surprising is that rat bites are even rarer in places where they are most common. For example, in a survey conducted in Baltimore where about 64% of all respondents said that they have seen rats in the streets and other public places, of which only 6% said that they have seen rats at home, it was found out that majority of the rat bite cases still happened at home despite the disparity in the population of the rats found in both places. As a conclusion to this, experts agree that the rats actually do not seek out humans to bite them. Most of the incidents happened at home simply because rats and humans have more chance to interact there.

Treating Rat Bites

2011-09-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

Things You Can Do on Your Own

Rodents that live in the wild or those habituating in city sewers and other dirty places have very harmful bites. For example, rats bite (deep or not) can already lead to various serious skin irritations and infections; the most common illness caused by such is the rat-bite fever. In the event that you are bitten by a rat, it is important that you immediately seek for medical attention -- while waiting for the right treatment, be sure to sanitize the affected area by washing it with soap and water; apply disinfecting cream if it is available. Read through the steps given below to learn more about treating rat bites.

1. Stay away from wild rats!

The most effective way to avoid being bitten by a rat is by staying away from them. You should not approach or touch a wild rat even if it looks tame or scared. Although it is already an established fact that rats and other rodents are generally afraid of humans, some rats can be quite aggressive and would attack whenever an opportunity comes along. Pet rats belong to a special case since these rodents are already very used to human presence. These rodents may not bite on normal circumstances, but when they are frightened and improperly handled, they might also scratch or bite their handler. If rat interaction is inevitable, it is most advised that you wear protective gloves.

2. Be alert all the time.

In case a rat has already bitten someone near you, by virtue of common sense, you should be cautious and find a way to avoid contact with the offending rat. Look for a pair of protective gloves and catch the rat before it hurts anyone else. If it is not your type to catch angry rats, better stay out of the way and let those who are willing to take charge do their task.

3. Act quickly.

If you are the victim, find a way to stop the bleeding of the affected area. As much as possible, do not use a tourniquet especially if the bleeding is not that severe. Do this while you look for soap and water. It might sting, but you need to thoroughly clean the wound -- inside and out. If you are not willing to endure the sting, you might only experience irritation afterwards. Dry the wound and cover with sanitized dressing. If you have an antibiotic cream at home, apply the cream on the wound first so that the dressing will not stick into the wound once it starts to dry out. It is almost very certain that the infected area will swell, thus, if it is your finger, you'd better remove all your rings to avoid future problems. Other signs of infection apart from swelling are reddening, pus and hot feeling around the area.

4. Consult a doctor.

You can never tell just how serious the wound is unless you go and see a doctor; stitches might be necessary for some wounds. Moreover, if the bite is deep enough, it might even cause serious infections. Thus, the opinion of a professional medical practitioner is indeed indispensible. Some people also seek for professional help in cases when they are bitten on the face, legs or hands as these wounds may lead to scarring.

Rat Trivia

While rat bites can cause serious illnesses like the famous rat-bit fever, it is extremely rare for them or other rodents to transmit rabies via their bites. Foxes, bats and skunks are some of the animals that can most likely spread rabies with their bites.

Rats for Pets

2011-09-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

Would you consider having a rat as a pet?

Well, you know that dogs are loyal and docile and cats are plush and cuddly and their purrs are just simply irresistible. But how about rats? Contrary to what most people believe that rats are miscreant villainy vermin of the house and that they cause nothing but absolute destruction to your personal properties, rats can actually be considered as a very compatible companion to have around the house. While what was initially said is quite true, tantamount to it is that they are conveniently and highly controllable pets. Plus they are also cute to have around. Given the proper time and effort and with a set of appropriate training, you make your rodent friend do lots of unbelievable stuff. Also, they are good maze solvers, indicating a high level of critter intellect that would practically impress anyone (Of course everyone wants a smart pet).

Rat Biology
Rats are not that much of a long-living animal. But relative to their size you can probably assess that they live sufficiently long enough. A lifespan of a normal rat would range from 2-3 years. Sometimes it could reach as long as 4 years but a rat of that age would probably be weak and yielding already.

Rat size may differ from species to species. More often than not their size would range from 9-11 inches in the body and their tail around 7-9 inches. They are also nocturnal creatures, meaning they are most active during night time. So if you are a nocturnal kind of person as well because of your lifestyle or work, this might just be the pet for you. Male rats are called bucks, and the females are called does. Surprisingly, their babies are commonly called as pups or kittens. They would like to feel belonged to a group therefore it would be wise to have a partner around for them to socialize with each other. Ideally, the two should be of different genders for breeding and proliferation purposes.

Rats as Pets

1. Rats are quite intelligent animals and they like to socialize with other members of the species. They can actually become amazing pets.

2. Highly docile therefore easily tamed and trained.

3. You would probably like them for their low maintenance. Considering their size, you wouldn't have to put up that much effort and investment on them.

4. They would require an ample amount of attention from you. However, they would have to be exercised, ideally about an hour in a day outside of their cage.

5. Rats are very social and would actually be very comfortable even with another one of the same gender. Some people would say that same sex pairs or groups are highly ideal as most rats would get along with each other especially that are of the same gender. It would be better if they are brought up and handled at a young age.

6. If curiosity can kill a cat, it barely happens for a rat. Although they are quite curious, they can be easily satiated in confinements.

7. A rat can be quite loyal as much of that a dog. Especially if the rat has been handled since it was still young.

8. In the most common natural conditions, males are often larger in size and are less active than females. They also have a coarser coat. Females, although smaller than the males, tend to be more active and even playful.

When you are green for fostering a pet rat, just make sure that you learn all the necessary protocols of taking care of the pet before having one. You may learn them on research through the internet or asking guidance from professionals like vets or other experienced pet rat owners.

Rat's Red Tears: Porphyrin

2011-09-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

If you have a pet rat in the house, or have seen one up close in whatever situation, you may have noticed that they seem to have red pigments at the bottom corner of their eyes, as if tears of blood. Of course, they're not actually tears of blood; that would've been quite distressing to look at. What they are actually is a chemical compound called porphyrin which is abundantly being produced in a rat's system. The reason as to why it is so and what they are for will be discussed further in this article. But before we start the discussions on what it is for let us first have a brief background study on what Porphyrin is in itself.

What is Porphyrin?

Porphyrin is actually a well known organic compound comprised of four pyrrole rings. A pyrrole is basically a pentagonal shaped compound comprised of four carbon atoms and a nitrogen atom situated in a corner. The chemical formulation for pyrrole would be C4H5N.

Porphyrin happens to be a very enormous grouping of organic compounds and is actually quite prevalent all over the globe. The most special property of porphyrin is that they are actually found to bind metals. The four nitrogen atoms around at the center would work as the teeth of the bind, which adhesively bonds metal ions like Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, and even Silver. In some enhanced conditions, they are also used to strongly bind Gold into any other metals to produce an alloy.

Once Porphyrin binds with another metallic element, it acquires a whole new different set of properties as well as a different identity, thus, it will not have a different name. For example, if porphyrin would be bound to Iron, it will now be called ferroporphyrin. Ferroporphyrin or heme is actually the haemoglobin molecule naturally found prevalent in the human bloodstream. The sole molecule responsible for carrying out Oxygen (O2) for the entire body system's respiration functions.

But Porphyrin is not only found in the human body. It is also found in plants in their Chlorophylls; the most important molecule in an organic plant's system, responsible for the capturing of sun's nourishments and the green color of a plant. Porphyrin binds itself to Magnesium which in turn produces the necessary vitamin of B12 to the plants.

We can say therefore that porphyrin is a universally important compound to all organic things in this world.

Porphyrin in Rats

For a lot of rat enthusiasts, porphyrin may prove to be a quite interesting topic to discuss of as they are normally noticeable in the rat's existence. They are actually being secreted from a gland called Harderian gland found around a rat's eyes. This would actually look like tears of blood of rats and could potentially startle anyone who is apparently unfamiliar with it. However, they're just completely natural if they are just occasionally seen. It's a different story if the rat would produce great amounts of porphyrin in their eyes. This would usually indicate poor diet, stress and or ailment on the rat's part.

Overproduction of Porphyrin in Rats

Among any other species of animals in the planet, rats are among the ones that profusely produce and secret porphyrin in their body. Because of profuse porphyrin production, they are usually left to harden around a rat's eyes. The condition is then called chromodacryorrhea, which can be quite harmful to rats if left unattended. The thickening dark red crust would eventually accumulate around the eyes making difficult for the rats to see around them. Despite a rat's less visual importance, irritation could take place in those areas. It would eventually lead to a rat scratching its eyes and wound itself. Infection follows after and could direly endanger your rat's wellbeing.

Male Rats Play-Fighting Behaviors

2011-09-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

Most animal species have a habit of playing around a lot, especially the young ones. There are probably only a few species that don't have play-fighting behaviors and usually these are the ones that are also less intellectual in terms of mental functionality. Wild animals such as monkeys, lions and tigers as well as domesticated ones such as rats, dogs and cats have this sort of behavior. That's why it is of no surprise if you see couple of rats chasing each other all over the house, biting napes, and or boxing each other. These are all part of their natural behaviors. However, it's not all the time that they do this just for fun. Often play-fighting have deeper reasons mainly based on their growth and maturity.

Though there is a downside to this behavior in rats. They can get all too carried away in this act that they sometimes end up truly hurting each other and worse, could potentially result to fatality. This can be a bad thing to pet rat owners as they might end up having dead rats in their cage.

In this article we will be discussing about the more in depth understanding of this particular rat behavior. The importance of this topic is for pet owners to know how to precaution themselves in case their pet rats would reach this stage of growth in behavior; ultimately to prevent any possible fatalities between their beloved pet rats.

Perhaps the most distinguishing question that has to be answered in this discussion is how one will be able to recognize the difference between just play-fighting and real fighting.

There are other questions as well such as: Is play fighting just an immature behavior among rats and are not really serious matters to take into consideration? Or is it really a part of their growing patterns of behaviors and the act in itself symbolizes mature roles being portrayed by the male rats?

Commencement Age

Panksepp (1891) conducted a study on the play-fighting behaviors in rats and have unveiled that they do start to play around the age of 18 days and then, the behavior intensifies during past 30-36 days of age. But then after those ages, the intensity of their play-fighting will steadily decrease.

Therefore, the research deduced that the intensity of the behavior is on the rat's juvenile period. They have also found out that although male and female rats are responsible for such behaviors, the male of the species are the ones most active in play-fighting.

Portrayal of Male Rat Dominance

The study also exhibits findings that indicate the possibility of the male dominance showcasing. In male rats, starting from the weaning stage to their 50-56 days of age, play fighting behaviors are becoming more noticeable. Even, it has been observed that 70% of the time during these ages, male rats are pinning each other down on the ground. Scientists have deduced that the rat on top of the pinned one becomes the alpha male sort of rat between the two. Initially that is what they believed. However, the eventual uncovering of other facts has lead them to more complicated deductions.

They have eventually found out that during the rats' sexual maturity, there is a reversal in the scenario. The former apparently "alpha male" rat becomes the one more frequently subdued by the other. It now begs you to ask the question, why the sudden reversal?

And then believe it or not, the research have finally inferred that male rats do have a certain learning curve as the former handicapped rat between the pair progressively learns to adapt and modifies its strategies to win over the form alpha rat the next time around. This finding was then related to the picture of sexual maturity in rats.

How to Dispose of Dead Rats

2011-09-06T03:50:00.000-07:00

Dead rats are as dangerous as they are when they are still alive. Though you may not worry anymore about any potential property damage that might take place, but you have a lot to worry about the safety of you and your family's health when there's a dead rat around. It would have been okay if the setup was a dead rat on the soil grounds, but if it is inside your house, the risk of aerial contamination and inhalation of harmful bacteria and diseases is possible. Therefore, there is an imperative need for you to take care of the dead carcasses of rats around the house. You can't just impose a rat control method, kill the pest rats you have been so annoyed of, and stop there. You have to take care of as well of the post mortem scenario wherein you implement the necessary sanitary precautions and measures to make sure that there will be no dangerous diseases whiffing all around the place with the air that you and your family breaths.

The question now is how would you exactly take care of the dead rat carcass problem? One may think that you can just probably dispose them on the trash bin or any nearby trash landfill. However, that is an absolutely wrong mindset. There are certain rules and regulations, guidelines and protocols and general precautionary measures to consider first when dealing with dead rats. In this article, I will guide you through a series of steps on how to properly dispose of dead rats. It is important that you follow the steps provided below carefully so that you won't have to worry about anything at all after the cleanup. Any flaw in following the procedure may lead to unwanted consequences and you really don't want that around.

Working on It

Perhaps the most crucial consideration when dealing with rat carcasses is to use rubber gloves in every step of the way. Your rubber gloves the only barrier, thus your sole protection against contracting a disease from the carcass. You have to use the gloves not only when taking out the carcass, but also when disinfecting the places or the items that were contact with the dead body. They may be contaminated and disinfecting them without the use of rubber gloves may lead to serious consequences.

When disinfecting, you have soak or spray the rat carcass first with a commercial disinfectant or an improvised disinfectant solution before removing it from its location. After soaking the dead body, place it in an airtight plastic bag or container. You may also opt to use cellophane in place of a plastic container. After that, proceed to disinfecting the area where the rat has been found dead and or any other contaminated items. Phenol or bleach may work quite well as a disinfectant in this case. Just make sure that the solutions you make are still concentrated enough to remove germs from the contaminated areas.

Then you can now dispose the plastic bags containing the disinfected rodent to the garbage bins. Just make sure as well that the bins are air tight so that the dead rat stench will not leak. To make sure that the dead body is totally sealed, you may enclose the first plastic bag or container with another layer of plastic container. After the disinfecting process, take off the gloves and then immediately disinfect it. However, don't stop there. After taking off the gloves, make sure to wash your hands as well with a germicidal soap. Apply a disinfectant to it as well if possible.

Infanticide in Rats

2011-09-06T03:43:00.000-07:00

Humans may find this ultimately morally wrong but with rat species, this incident is just a way of nature contributing to population control. If you have a pet rat at home, you would find this occasional disturbing and distressing scenario when they conceive their offspring. Mother rats, would kill their infants and would often eat them to death. Noticing such an event taking place is just plain appalling to the morally grounded perception of human beings. If this would ever take place in human terms, this kind of thing will be condemned by the entire society.

It then begs the question why would animals do such things, and why do rats would more often than not have this kind of complex to their younglings. Is it really just a way of nature taking control of population inflation? Or there are other factors that a feeble mind of a rat would unconsciously undertake? Does their instinct drive them to commit such a heinous act? In this article, we will try our best to answer these questions for human comprehension to the better understanding of our pet rat species. Certainly, there is a substantial grounding to these occurrences and we'll find that out.

In General

Infanticide, or the killing of younglings, is very common in many different animal species. Even humans are often guilty of such crimes of morality, however, the only difference is that we are strictly governed by moral rulings and a precedence of fear through severe sanctions implemented once there will be an infringement. To rats, infanticide is very common. Not only the real mothers, but other rats around can also be the one responsible for such a thing to happen. And what's more surprising is that they could all have different reasons for it. That would therefore mean that it's not just really about population control. While it is true that we can say infanticide is the killing of youngling, however more than half the time the act is mainly directed on the newborn ones.

Natural Selection

The theory of natural selection simply states "the survival of the fittest". This ideology best describes that scenario of the wild, wherein the weak perishes and the strong ones remain. This is also befitting to describe that event of rats committing infanticides. Mother rats, after giving birth would closely check their younglings and look for some weaklings in the litter. If they find one that has physical deformities and defects, or even just wounded ones, they would go for the kill. You may call it mercy killing as it can be a process of salvaging the poor weakling from the harsh eventualities of a world grounded in the ideologies of the natural selection theory, but to rats, this is just pure instincts. They don't give that much thought to their actions and they just do what they ought to do. Another reason to this is the allocation of resources. Mother rats instinctively are aware that the resources should be distributed to those that deserve to live or in other words, those that will really live. Unconsciously or instinctively, they know that it would be a waste of time to feed younglings that will die eventually.

Abnormal Behaviors

It can also be a reason why a certain rat would commit infanticide when the rat happens to be infected with an animal illness, worse enough to derange the mother's behavior. Sickness like this would trigger unusual wild behaviors to an animal that is infected and infanticide can be just one of the symptoms of such a disease. In this case, not only one offspring is in danger.

Genetic Anomalies in Rats (II)

2011-09-06T03:34:00.000-07:00

Before you proceed any further please take your time and go through my previous post, actually the first part of these series about "Genetic Anomalies in Rats (Part I)". Thanks

Hairless Dumbo and Rex Rats

Rats are given the credit for being the most useful animal in the laboratory -- most of the medical and scientific breakthroughs that mankind have, relative to genetics, might have been impossible without the help of the laboratory rats. Many of these rats have been breed for the sole purpose of being used in laboratory testing; a lot of breeds actually sprout out from these experiments. Two of the most controversial laboratory-produced rats are the Hairless Dumbo and the Rex Rats. The Dumbo, because famous by virtue of them having no hair and the Rex Rats gained their popularity because of their curly hair.

Rex Rats

These rats have very dominant genes that we can almost be certain that every time a Rex is bred with a regular rat, the offspring will definitely become a Rex. For this reason, scientists have actually deduced that Rex Rats no longer need to interbreed (or breed with other Rex Rats) just to preserve their kind. Whenever they breed with other rats, they would generally produce their kind. This characteristic causes both fear and awe among scientist. Awe because not all rats have such strong genetic characteristic; and yet, this is fearsome because it can also cause the extinction of the other rat specie.

Nevertheless, scientists have already tried to breed Rex Rats with weaker genetic traits. They did this in order to see how the traits of a Rex rat (most especially the curly hair) would mix well with the traits of other rats. Without weakening the genetic traits of the Rex, it will be impossible to see the traits of the other rat interplay.

Double Rexes

There are cases when a "genetically weak" Rex is born with curly whiskers and covering, only to lose them after a few weeks. The rat will be "naked" within those days while it is waiting for its hair to grow back. Most of the time, the new covering would be completely different from the previous one, either it will have more patches (of black, grey and brown) or it will lose most of its patches and appear almost completely white. These rats are called the Double Rexes; the name evolved from the fact that the most possible reason why these anomalies happen is because even after the gene of the Rex Rat is weakened, it still resulted to over-rexing.

Over-rexing which occurred for many generations can lead to hairless Rexes or Rex Dumbo. Majority of the hairless Rats that we see in movies and even in pet shops are actually Rex Dumbo. Nonetheless, because the disappearance of the hair is only caused by a genetic anomaly, this Dumbo can still give birth to hairy and curly Rexes in the future.

Hairless Dumbo

Rats without furs do not exist in the wild. Of course, animals have furs because they need to be protected from the temperature outside and by normal evolution; it is but natural for rats and other animals to grow furs. However, in the laboratory setup, rats and other laboratory animals do not develop their traits based on environmental and survival needs. Because of the genetic anomalies caused by scientists, many animals, especially the rats, became extremely unique that it would be impossible for them to survive in the wild. One example of which is the Hairless Dumbo.

These rats are very fragile and they are very susceptible to many diseases because of their very weak immune system. They are used to test chemicals, radiations and gases which many other animals may be strong enough to resist. Bottom line is, because they are weak (but still exhibit the same DNA and other traits as other strong rats have); they are very effective as test animals for applications which use poisons and other harmful toxins in very small dosages.

Genetic Anomalies in Rats (I)

2011-09-06T03:21:00.000-07:00

Over-spotted, White-pawed Rats and Albino Rats

Looking back at history, we can only give Jack Black the credit of breeding albino rats (as per historical accounts). Black's Albino rats became even more popular after the famous children's book author, Beatrix Potter, cast a white rat in one of her books. To some extent, this fondness to Albino rats is probably the reason why kids even started to keep rat pets. Ironically, the common white rat which we see in most pet stores nowadays are not actually Albino rats, rather, they are members of a specific specie of rats which have white coverings. But to most of us, it would be hard to tell which one is an Albino and which is not.

White and Albino Rats

However, this confusion does not extend to the other species of rats; as what we might have noticed, common wild rats have brown or grey coverings. It should be noted that Albino rats are not naturally occurring, that is, Jack Black only altered the genes of the wild rats and generations after generation, he finally bred a true blood Albino. Thus, the parents of the first Albino rats are actually brownish and their eyes are black. Albino rats are highly characterized by the absence of any black pigmentation in their bodies, their eyes included. These rats have red eyes, almost translucent hair and pink paws.

Spotted Rats

Eventually, the Albinos are again bred back to their ancestors, the brown and grey rats. Generations of breeding led to the birth of spotter rats. These rodents either have grey or brown facial coverings with white bodies, or they can have spots all over their bodies. Some of them have developed excessive spotting, most especially in cases where the Albino gene perfectly matched that of the brown or grey rat gene added to it. There are even cases where the rats developed other colors which are entirely distinct from the color of their parents.

White-pawed Black Rats

Although some rat species are naturally black, it was historically verified that the first jet-black (pure, dark black) rats came from agouti parents. Because of their unique health prowess and color, many researchers and scientist have also used these rats in laboratory experiments along with the Albino and Spotted rats. Eventually, these rats have developed white paws (which they got from their Albino parent), which made the rats adorable even to kids. Because of their unique appearance, these rats became very popular pets especially to those who do not want to have the conventional white rat which have become very common. Moreover, through selective gene mutation, scientists are able to produce other breeds of rats which are not gaining popularity to pet owners worldwide.

Domesticated Rats

After years of research and gene mutation, scientists started to establish and set the basic requirements of what a domesticated rat should look like. To date, the approved types of genetically mutated rats which can be kept as pets are the Albinos, the black-eyed white rats, the white-pawed black rats and the Agouti. These rats can be cross-bred by their owners if they want -- this actually produced rats that have very different appearances. One of the most popular ones are the Siamese rats which are also known as the pointed rats. These rats have white underside with pink paws and tail; their bodies are spotted and their heads are white. There are so many other rat breeds now, some have furry tails; some have developed hairy paws (which is very uncommon), while many of these rats actually do not have hair!

Well, of course, the fancier the color of the rat, the more expensive and valuable it becomes. This is probably the reason why cross-breeders never stopped experimenting.

You may also check "Genetic Anomalies in Rats (Part II)" ;-)

Diseases Caused by Rats

2011-09-06T02:53:00.000-07:00

Rat-bite Fever

Rat-bite Fever or RBF is a febrile illness that is caused by two types of bacteria -- "Streptobacillus moniliformis" and "Spirillum minus". Although this disease is rare and only a number of people have suffered from this by far, it is still always mentioned in Rat campaigns primarily because of its fatality once it hits a victim.

RBF is not only caused by rats, it can also be caused by other rodents like squirrels and mice. In fact, other domesticated animals like dogs and cats can also cause RBF. In some cases, even those who do not exhibit any signs of being bitten or scratched by any of these animals still because sick with RBF. There are cases too when the disease lead to an epidemic illness called Haverhill fever, which can make an entire population sick because of food and water ingestion.

Occurrence

Between the two bacteria mentioned in the beginning of this article, the "Streptobacillus moniformis" bacteria is pointed to be the real major culprit, especially in the outbreak that happened in Europe sometime ago. Nonetheless, the other bacteria, "Spiralled minus" caused some of the attacks in Japan and in some other parts of Asia. For some weird coincidence, Japanese also call this disease "Sudoku" which is also the name of a famous numbers game that originated in Japan.

However, since the occurrences in Japan and in some portions of Asia are relative insignificant relative to that in Europe and other western countries, this article is more focused on "Streptobacillus moniliformis". This bacteria is actually present in the nasopharynx of at least 50% of all the rats in the wild (and in laboratories, too). Some rats become susceptible to infections caused by the same bacteria and would develop otitis media, or worse, to epizootic infection, the same infection that has killed many koalas in the wild.

The Rat Bite

The bacteria that caused the infection will not be active within 10 days (on average). This means that after being bitten, the victim may not feel or experience anything unusual within the 10-day incubation period. This period can even last for up to 22 days, making the victim assume that he/she is not at all infected. However, once the bacteria is ready to attack, the victim will automatically experience sudden temperature rise -- high fever, vomiting, headache and nausea. Within 2-4 days, the victim will experience severe skin rashes most especially on the palms and on the feet. After these areas, the elbows, knees, hips and shoulders would start to rash too. These symptoms can last up to 14 days. Although some people may not experience anything else apart from these symptoms, some would suffer from increase blood pressure due to the irritation caused by the rashes.

Treatment

The bacteria that cause this illness is very susceptible to penicillin. In some uncomplicated situations, the bacteria can even be killed using ordinary amoxicillin. However, it should be noted that the intake of antibiotics should not be done without a prescription from a physician. The physician might even recommend other antibiotics like ceftriaxone, clindamycin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol and clindamycin. In most cases, even the most severe attack can be treated in four weeks using penicillin.

Avoiding RBF

Of course, the most obvious thing to do is to keep rats away from your home. As much as possible, routinely check your house for any entry points which these rodents can use. You also need to store your foodstuff somewhere it is safe from any interaction with these rodents. In the event that your house has already been infested by rats, the best thing to do is to contact a rat exterminator.

UPDATE: I've recently written a more comprehensive post on this topic entitled "Diseases Brought By Rats", so go check it out ;-)

A Rat's Sense of Smell

2011-09-06T02:44:00.000-07:00

Well, practically there's just almost no end to the amazing things rats posses when you talk about it. Even its olfactory senses are a thing of beauty when you come to think of it and we're going to talk about it now in this article.

You may have already asked from reading on a previous article, the question of "how do rats exactly see the things around them?" and you may also have already a vague idea how things work for them when sensing their environment. While it is true that they mainly base their perception on their sense of touch, the role of their sense of smell also happens to be a very crucial one. In fact, the sense of touch in rats may not even be made possible without their sense of smell. In other words, they will become partly blind without their noses. If a person, with an impaired would see things blurrily, a rat may also experience the same relative situation in perceiving their surroundings. So how does a rat's nose exactly work? This is perhaps one of the main questions that we will answer first in this article when we are to understand the nature of rats' sense of smell fully.

The Function of their Noses

When the air passes through the nostrils of a rat, it reaches a point where it flows on a patch of skin, mostly comprised of highly sensitive smell receptors. These receptors are called olfactory epithelium. This is where olfactory neurons are hurdled up in a big bunch to provide the rats a keener sense of smell. The neurons have tip of hair-like cilia, which projects itself from a bath of mucus around the cell exterior. Odor molecules or particles that are whiffed along with the air bind themselves into the specialized receptors of rats and receptors will then quickly serve as a trigger for a consequential brain response. Odor particles are actually called odorants.

Amazingly, there are actually about 500 to 1000 kinds of odor or olfactory receptors in rats. These are then encoded to 500 to 1000 genes. Come to think of it, this is already a very staggering amount of olfactory receptors to one creature. Their sensory receptors virtually comprise 1% of the total rat DNA. That would simply mean, that in every 100 genes, there's one gene that's allocated to the sensory reception of rats. This, gargantuan number of genes would only go to prove how crucially important the sense of smell is to rats.

Secondary Odor Detecting Organ

Besides a rat's nose, there is also another organ responsible for detecting scent from the surrounding. This organ is called the vomeronasal organ, abbreviated as VNO. This organ is normally situated in a pouch out of the nasal area. The VNO in rats are situated in their nasal cavity, inside a cigar shaped entrance located right next to their septum. The VNO has a narrow opening just right about within the rat's nostril. The dead end of this organ simply implies that air can't flow through it.

The organ actually mainly detects pheromones. Pheromones are more or less signals transmitted through a scent coming from a member of the same species. Therefore, the organ is used for a higher form of communication in rats. In rats, since urine secretion is a way of marking its territories, the scent of their urine signals the other rats to keep away from their turfs. And this is made possible through their vomeronasal organs. Unlike their main organ used for smelling, the VNO is only comprised of very few scent receptors. About 30-100 kinds of receptors are encoded and interpreted.

Making A Rat Spare Cage on Your Own

2011-09-03T03:11:00.000-07:00

One may never know what may happen to their beloved pet rats and therefore, it may prove to be quite convenient to have one spare cage around in case necessary situations arise. Say for example, one of your pet rats has gone sick and it can't be placed anywhere your other pet rats for the fear of communicating the disease to the other rats that were not infected. Of course, in situations like this, you would have to prepare another shelter for your sick rat, to isolate the possible disease and to monitor its condition closely. Another instance would be if you just happen to have purchased a very new pet rat and you just can't peat it along with your previous pets. To quarantine the new rat, you also need to have a separate cage. Also, when traveling, a spare cage would be needed.

Naturally, you can buy a cage right off a vet or pet store if you really want to. But of course, that can be quite expensive and you ought to be prepared of the amount of expenses you would have to come by when purchasing for one. However, if you are not, it's not yet the end of the world for you. There are still ways on how you can come up with a spare cage yourself, without having considerable amount of monetary investment. Of course you would have to spend money in order to purchase the materials needed or at least some of the materials, but it won't be close to buying a new spare cage per se from pet shop.

This DIY cage will only cost you more or less $6 USD, and you will then have enough spare to buy your rat some pet food.

1. Go to some local department store that is putting their items on sale discounts.

2. When you get to the department store, go to the plastic wares section and look for a plastic tub about the size of a hamper, or anything large enough for your pet rodent to move around. It would also be advisable to purchase those that are with clip-on lids or covers. Make sure that the container doesn't have sharp edges as well.

3. Cut the flat bit out of the lid of the container. You may be able to do this by drilling through the corners of the container lid and then inserting a saw to cut through the entire seams. Make sure to smooth all rough edges with a file afterwards.

4. After doing the previous step, cut a wire mesh just enough to cover the opening you just made. Make it an allowance on the cut, probably around 1/2 inches, just so it would overlap the area of the hole. This is for sealing purposes. A wire mesh would probably cost less than a dollar to some store. But just make sure though you carry more than enough just in case the price would be far from what you expected.

5. After that, drill a couple of holes on each corner of the containers lid. Use these holes to insert and tie a wire that will hold the mesh.

6. You then have to place a water container on the improvised cage. A water bottle would do the trick. Just insert or poke the nozzle through a separate hole. Attach the bottle with a powerful adhesive such that it won't fall off in any given conditions.

7. Make sure then that the interiors of your improvised spare cage are homey and comfortable for the convenience of your pet rat.

Letting Your Rats Go Free Range

2011-09-03T03:07:00.000-07:00

Nothing comforts a pet rat any more than being able to move around in a space of a much larger scale. After all, they are not ultimately innately domestic animals. They would love to run around wild and free more than half the time. Also, nothing can be more comfortable of a sight than to see your beloved pets roaming around chasing with each other, and scurrying around your house, as healthy and as lively as they could be. It somehow makes you realize that all the time and effort you have devoted unto them is all worthwhile.

However, you should also understand that since they are rats, unless they are trained, they will always find it really egging to gnaw on anything they find "gnawable". Therefore, letting them scat free, can be quite consequential for you. In order to avoid any possible damages that your pet rats may cause to your properties by letting them scat free, you have to make sure that you also take the necessary precautions before just letting them go at large. Actually, it's not only that you are protecting the welfare of your properties inside the house, but you are also safeguarding the welfare of your pet rats as they may be endangered if they chew on something they're not suppose to chew, i.e., electrical cables, poisonous materials.

Here are some ideas on how to prevent the catastrophes from happening:

Electrical Cords

1. Check and remove any unnecessary electrical cords in the house.

2. Try to remove cords away from the pathway of your pet rats. As you have noticed, rats would like to run along the wall corners and lurk in some areas. They will chew whatever they fill like chewing along their way. You can probably tape the chords on a higher ground or redirect the cables to another direction.

3. You may use a garden hose to conceal any exposed cords.

4. If there's an area within the room that has a lot of electrical cords around, make sure that you block this area to prevent your pet rats from entering them. A cardboard barrier may do something about that problem.

5. Install a main switch for all the house electricity circuits if ever worst case scenarios would happen.

Sealing Escape Routes

1. It would be ideal to seal all cracks, seams, or any possible openings for your rats to enter and get out of the house. But if you can't cover all of them as of the moment, you may use some improvised means to block the openings. Placing bricks or wood furniture to block the passages may help. You may also do the same approach when block certain places in the house from your pet's entry.

2. Place an improvised, probably a cardboard gate on your lower door threshold if you want to leave your door open from time to time.

Preventing Other Harms

1. If there are houseplants that are valuable to you or toxic to your pet rats, make sure that you remove them around.

2. Make sure to check on the places where you sit first, every time to make sure you're not already sitting on your pet rats. Rats like run and hide along secluded areas, even particularly on sofa seams.

3. Make it a point that your other pets, i.e., dogs and cats, are locked up of in some other safe place in the house to ensure your pet rats safety. They may end up becoming dinner to your other pets.

4. Place cardboard platforms on ever edge of the bookshelf or cabinet you have. This will prevent rats from climbing any higher.

Rat Inspection

2011-09-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

A very important factor to consider one you are coming up with a pest rat control approach is to make sure that you are able to identify first the presence of rats in your place. However, since most rats are active the entire year, you would have to make sure that you schedule routine infestation check-ups (inspections) in periodical basis to make sure that you're not missing out something. If you start noticing that there are already presence of rats in your landscape, lawn and or garden, unless your house is truly a hundred percent rat resistant, it won't be long until they would have invaded your doorsteps and messing up things around. You have to make sure therefore, that not only will you periodically check the indoors of your house, you would also have to make it a point to check the outdoors for signs of rodent infestations. This way, you are ensuring both parts of your from the possibilities of rodent destruction. As experience would have probably told you, rats are better controlled if their numbers aren't too high yet. In this state, it would require you less time and effort to get them all; few traps, few baits, and less are coverage to concern yourself about.

Perform the rat inspection both indoors and outdoors of the house. Try asking these questions and answer them based on your observations. If most would come out with a "yes" answer, then there may be a rodent infestation going on inside your house.

1. As you check through the indoor and outdoor areas in the house, particularly crevices, dark secluded corners and holes, did you find some rat droppings on them?

2. If you happen to have a pet dog or cat in the house, have you noticed rat droppings on their food containers as well?

3. Do you happen to hear some scurrying and scratching noises in the ceilings or in the attic during dusk?

4. As you dismantle your beloved firewood stack, have you unearthed some remnants of rat nests in them, hidden just right beneath the logs?

5. Does your pet cat carry dead rat carcasses from time to time after ferreting out of your line of sight?

6. Do you find evidences of rodent feeding on the nuts, fruits, and seeds that fall of to your garden? Bite and gnaw marks on the nut's or fruit's surface?

7. Is your garden beginning to deteriorate in their condition as you can evidently see huge burrows in the ground everywhere? And new ones are coming up from time to time as well?

8. Do your plants and vegetation suffer from torn leaf, worn stems and other damages due to rodent feeding or gnawing?

9. Have you noticed of rats scurrying or chasing each other on the house pipelines and utility lines on dusk or the time soon after it?

10. Have you noticed rats, running along the seams and corners of your house every other time?

11. Have you noticed rats climbing at your home's fences from time to time?

12. Did you find multiple rat nests or dens at the back of your wardrobe, cabinet, or the refrigerator?

13. Have you noticed smudges of fur contacts on the smooth surfaces of your refrigerator, walls, glasses, beams, pipes, and rafters?

14. Are you noticing that your garbage bins seem to be open from time to time?

15. Are the garbage bins often found messy, as if someone or something just scavenged through the piles of trash?

16. After you have cleaned up your garbage bins from time to time, have you noticed rat droppings at the bottom?

Best Rat Baits

2011-09-02T01:58:00.000-07:00

Two factors determine the effectiveness of the food bait:

1. The type of bait used, and
2. The location where the bait is placed

Of course, the latter one is already very obvious. It is stupid to put the bait in a place where the rats will not find it, right? So, through common sense, we can already deduce that the baits should be place in the corners of the house, in the garage, in the ceiling (attic) and in the other places in the house where rat activity is most apparent.

The real big deal is actually on the type of bait used. For so long, people are made to think that rats really like cheese, thanks to "Tom and Jerry". But in reality, rats do not like cheese that much; they prefer the sweet stuff like pastries, spreads and cereals. However, it will not be advantageous for the trap setter to put food bait that can be easily carried away by the rat and escape the trap in time. As much as possible, it is better if the rat is made to stay in the trap for as long as possible, so that when it snaps, the rat is definitely swatted. Thus, the best baits are those which are sticky and spreadable. These types of baits can be brushed on the surface of the trap's trigger, ensuring a sure kill.

Since rats fall for sweet foodstuff and it is in the best interest of the trap-setter to use food bait that is sticky and spreadable, it can be said that the best rat bait is the peanut butter. Many rat exterminators use peanut butter for the same reasons. Do-it-yourself fanatics also use peanut butter baits because these are readily available in the kitchen. Of course, other sweet and sticky food items can still be used. In fact, any kind of food item can be used; all that you need to do to make it sticky is to mix it with white glue.

You need to understand that rats are wise rodents. They will eventually realize that the food you intentionally place in some of the corners of you house are meant to lure them into a trap. If you do not use sticky baits, they will just snatch the bait away from the trap and escape death. But if you use sticky baits, then you will "force" the rats to lick the food from the trap itself.

However, if you are not convinced about the efficacy of peanut butter, you can still resort to the expensive rat bait products sold in some fancy pest control shops. Of course, this measure is highly impractical granting that other alternatives are already available.

Poisoned Baits

In terms of being the deadliest, poisoned baits are still the most effective. However, one problem with such baits is that they can also harm non-target animals like your beloved pets or even the children that live with you in your house. Thus, although these baits are very efficient in eradicating rats, many professionals still do not recommend these products because of the harms associated to it.

If you really want to play safe and avoid as much problems as possible, I suggest that you simply use rat traps and improve their efficiency by the use of the homemade baits mentioned in this article. You can also read through some blogs and participate in some forums to get the best ideas as to how you are going to solve your problems with the rat infestation in your place. There are so many materials online too which you can use as reference.

Rats and Mazes

2011-09-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

You do now that rats have been used as laboratory test subjects since time immemorial. You should have also paid notice to those mazes built for rats to run and test on. These mazes are actually built to measure certain physical and mental aspects of rats depending on what type of test are being run on them. Naturally of course, there is more than just one type of maze in order to fully test these aspects and reach maximum outputs and results.

Since the early 20th century, rats have been examined how they respond and behave as they run in different types of maze, from T-shaped mazes, water mazes, to radial arms mazes. Generally, these different types of maze are used to measure the spatial learning capacity and memory in rats. Mazes actually help scientists unearth the general principles of a creature's learning capacity and hopefully would be utilized in human applications in the future. At present, mazes are being used to identify or determine the effects of certain conditions or treatments to the learning capacity and memory of rats.

You would be surprised to know that rats are actually amazing maze runners. Their ability to run and solve mazes is actually a by-product of their evolution. Rats have always been critters that burrow through tunnels and find their way out. It's of no surprise at all why they are such gifted maze running creatures.

The Classic Maze

This type of maze is the one that first pops into a person's mind. The maze is basically comprised of simple horizontal and vertical walls and a transparent ceiling. The platform can be with narrow passages or with wide ones depending on the level of test being performed on the rat. The rat would begin on one location (starting point), runs across the maze, and solve it as it reaches the other end where a reward awaits.

Often the questions raised every after run of this maze would be: "How many tries did it take for the hungry mouse until it finished the maze?" Or how long did it take for the mouse to get to the other end without any mistake? Over time the results are recorded and are statistically graphed and interpreted. This will then become important data for the research in order to gain a study output.

The T-Maze

The T-Maze, as its name implies is actually a maze shaped like a letter "T". Often a reward is placed in the other side of the T or on both sides. The rat is then tasked to make a choice between the two sides or the T arm.

Often, T-mazes are used to determine the side preferences on rats. Whether there is no reward on the other side of the arm, what will the rat choose?

The Multiple T-Maze

A multiple T-maze is actually a T-maze in essence only that there are several T-Junctions that branch off from each T-zone. This is basically a much more complicated T-maze for rats to run on, therefore making it as well much more challenging. Such a maze is designed to accommodate much more complicated test programs would often extract much more specific information on the rat's behavioral aspects.

The Y-Maze

This maze is actually quite similar to the T-maze. The only significant difference is that the Y-Maze has three identical arms therefore three choices for the rat to choose from. The Y-Maze is actually a much simpler version of the T-maze as the rat could easily through the end of the arms at the middle point.

Rats' Aggression

2011-09-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

Rats aggressive behavior is actually quite an interesting and at the same time distressing discussion for any pet rat owner. We are even often bewildered and fond of seeing our pet rats run around chasing and sliding with each other but it's a different story when they begin to attack and hurt each other. Males who were originally dormant and docile in the first few months may become berserk and begin attacking other pet rats that are new to the environment. This often happens during their 6th month. Former peaceful rats may suddenly assault newly introduced ones thus making acquaintances between old and new rats apparently difficult or even impossible to some. Also, originally tame female rats may suddenly become wild and aggressive if their litters are still young.

The discussion on rat aggression has a lot of topics to cover about. There are even many publications and written accounts on rat aggressions, covering many different varieties of aggression literature. However, we do not hope to cover all of them in this article but we do hope to cite out the closely relevant points in the rat aggression topics. At least to those that are relevant to the two important stakeholders of this topic: a. the owner of the pet rat and b. any interested individuals concerning rat aggressions both natural and unnatural conditions.

Definition

Rat Aggression is more accurately known as the agonistic behavior. This behavior refers to the complex of most animals to turn aggressive on the other members of the same species. However, the term agonistic behavior has a much broader sense than aggression which simply means a behavioral pattern that indicates intimidation and harming another.

Social Aggression

Also known as social agonistic behaviors, this is actually a group of several behaviors which includes motor patterns such as chasing, sliding, biting, boxing, scratching and as well as vocalization patterns both audible and inaudible. Agonistic behaviors may occur in different occasions depending on the given situation.

Sequences and Strategies in Aggression

Such behaviors are actually hinged with each other by different varieties of duration and intensity. The lowest degree or intensity of aggression can be classified under a common motor behavior, which is chasing. When the point of increased intensity comes, you may be able to notice the dramatic build up as chases would turn into stand-offs and eventually harsh physical contacts like fighting and boxing. However, such escalations may be quite rare in some instances and they are most unlikely to occur during simple chases.

Aggressive neck grooming is another behavior that indicates aggression in the species of rats. However, this is just a low intensity aggressive behavior. Grooming often leads to the rapid little nibbles that during such cases that nibbler would often seize folds in the neck skin of the one being groomed using their incisors. The rat being groomed may become stationery and would sometimes squeal or squeak softly. If there will be any sudden movement from the rat being groomed, it may trigger some anti-behaviors from the groomer.

Rat Prevention

2011-09-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

Common sense folks, in order to know how to prevent rats, you need to realize why exactly do they infest your property in the first place. Here we go.

3 FAQs on Rat Infestation

Rats are amongst the most destructive pests to lurk in areas where humans live and make a living. They can destroy properties and at the same time, threaten human life. These rodents are able to do this much damage because of their ability to adapt to virtually any kind of environment -- no matter how crowded or busy these environments are. They are also very comfortable with living in houses, gardens, sewers, streets and all the other places where they would find food. Moreover, they are not picky eaters and they can live even with very little amount of food. All these characteristics increased their fame as a notorious pest not only in agricultural areas but also in the metropolis.

Why Bother with Rat Infestation?

Since these pests are very inquisitive and curious, they would end up sniffing and nibbling all sorts of things. They would harbor harmful bacteria in their bodies and become infected themselves. Now, the biggest problem with rats is that they can easily contaminate food items which humans store and keep in their pantries and even on table tops. Their urine and droppings can bring different kinds of diseases. Rats also have a stinky odor. Some animals (like the little mice) even scurry away once they smell that a rat is coming. Moreover, because these rodents are "dirty" by nature, it is very common for rats to have fleas and ticks which can migrate from their bodies to the bodies of the pets in the house, or worse, to the unsuspecting sleeping human dwellers.

Apart from health reasons, rat infestations should also be addressed because they are very destructive. They would gnaw and chew on anything and everything that comes their way. You can almost expect that food items kept in plastic packages and carton boxes would have at least one nibbled hole through it if rats are present in a house. There have been fire emergencies in the past too which have been caused by faulty electrical wiring (which, of course, happened because a rat nibbled the insulation of the electrical wires).

Which Rats Usually Infest Properties?

There are so many rat species all around the world, but only two of them can be considered as "common" city rats. These are:

The Roof Rat

These rats are also called the black rats, although many of them have grey and brown coverings. Their underside is usually white, no matter what their fur color is and they have small bodies which make their long tails more pronounced. These rats are expert climbers.

The Norway Rat

Norway rats are also called brown rats because of their predominant color. While roof rats may have brown coverings, the real factor that really distinguishes a Norway Rat to that of a brown roof rat is the hue of their brown color. The later have deep and dark brown fur coverings while the first one would definitely have lighter shades of brown. These rats have large bodies too and their tails also appear "fat". They can swim and they love to dig burrows to serve as their homes.

What Do Rats Eat?

Rats and mice do not really stick to any kind of diet; they would eat whatever food it is that they can come across with. They would eat garbage, left-over food, decomposing biodegradables, fresh and rotten fruits, deeds, pet food, animal wastes and all sorts of things. This means that any un-kept and un-cleaned surrounding can be an inviting place to live for rats already. Having known this, it becomes obvious that regular clean-ups can greatly decrease the propensity of a rat infestation in your area.

Rat Infestation Fact Sheet

2011-09-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

Knowing just how dangerous a rat infestation can be, it becomes obvious why it is important to address it as soon as it is discovered. However, there are some cases when the owner of the property just couldn't afford to simply wait until their existence becomes obvious. In most cases, property owners need to be pro-active and really look for these rodents in areas where they usually make their nests and shelters. This way, there is a high chance for the owner of the property to stop their nesting immediately after they move-in into the property. The most common places where they nest are:

1. Rats like dark places where there is less or no human activities. Examples of these areas are the ceilings, roof void, in between walls and under floor tiles.

2. For some reasons, rats which commonly infest homes and other properties like to be cupboards and pantries. Perhaps they like the fact that there are so many items in these areas which can be nibbled and chewed every now and then.

3. These rodents also like to be near water heaters. In places where the temperature of the surrounding can drop to freezing points, it becomes imperative for rats to find a nest wherein they can stay and nurture their litters.

4. Almost every time, it can be expected that rats have been nesting behind large boxes, furniture and even working utility machines. If these items cannot be removed, the best way to keep rats from them is to move or shake them on a regular basis. This way, the rats will get the signal that the place is not actually free from human activities.

5. Rats also like to build nests or forage in heaps of garbage and other forms of rubbish materials. They would do the same to pile of wood or vegetation which has gone too thick.

How to Stop the Rats?

Rats, by nature, are nocturnal animals. They are most active at night and probably, the reason behind this is because they want to have as little human interaction as possible. This primal need to be away from humans (which is oxymoronic knowing that they actually depend on humans for food) is what pushes other rats to become diurnal (active by day) in areas wherein most of the activities happen at night, i.e. bars, clubs, theatres, etc. Thus, it can be said that rats are really very adaptable animals and they do so in order to survive in an environment that varies from time to time.

To spot rats despite their ever changing adaptions, it is good if we know the signs that imply that they are in fact present in an area. Some of these signs are:

a. droppings near walls, corners and around a nibbled food item (rat droppings measures about 12-18 mm and are usually black, grain-like and moist)

b. debris of gnawed items (could be paper, carton, fabric, shells, bones, etc.)

c. missing pet food

d. tracks of tiny rat paws scattered all over the area (well, most rats have their underside rubbed to the floor as they scurry here and there, in this case, what can be seem are not tracks but greasy "rub marks")

e. items with gnawed holes

How to Protect Yourself From Rats?

Now, it is imperative that you protect yourself and your family from the harms that rat infestation can bring. Apart from eradicating them, you also need to do the following while your entire place is totally clear:

1. You need to keep all you food items in impenetrable containers, that is, use plastic or glass containers which rats cannot chew.

2. Do not recycle foodstuff which have been contaminated by rats, throw these items right away.

3. It is also possible that the utensils and cookware that you have at home might have been "touched" by rats, so it is good if you can find a way to sanitize them and keep them in storage where rats will never get the chance to find them.

Professional or Do-It-Yourself Rat Extermination?

2011-09-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

The two things that come into mind when choosing between hiring a professional exterminator and doing the task of eradicating rats on our own are: money and time. It is already a given fact that the services of professional exterminators can be really costly (or even if we did find an affordable exterminator, it would still entail us spending money on rats), and of course, doing the extermination on our own can be really time consuming, not to mention that it can be ineffective too, granting that most of us do not really have enough hands-on experience yet to be able to deal with the rats with precision.

These two values have continued to collide even in today's generation; now, most people like to do it on their own not just because they want to spend money (because in reality, do-it-yourself tools can also be expensive), but rather, they do it because it's almost the "in" thing to do. For some vague reason, more and more people are driven to depend on their own and become their own "experts" in so many fields. If you have noticed it, there are so many do-it-yourself kits available in the market already and many people are beginning to patronize these products. Nonetheless, professional exterminators are still doing some really good business. Most of them are hired to control rodents in large-scale level like infestations in buildings or rail roads and the like. Some households still hire professional exterminators too; thus, it is safe to say that the people of today's generation both depend do-it-yourself products and on professionals to take care of their rat problems.

Professional Rat Extermination

One thing that you need to understand about professional services it that you are paying not just for the actual work that the exterminators do, but also for the kind of experience and credibility that they have. Just like when you buy consumer electronic products, some of which may have the same quality and features as the other which are a couple of dollars cheaper than them. In the context of rat extermination, you also need to consider the background of the service provider – how they deal with recurring rat problems, contracts, feedback from previous clients and the like. In some cases, the cost of their services is also determined by the kinds of tools that they use to do their job. Some clients do not want exterminators who do not use organic products, some would demand for humane methods and some do not mind having rat blood splattering everywhere – all these different demands from their clients determine just how much money they have to demand from them.

Of course, if you plan to hire a professional exterminator, it is a good idea to use the concept of competition in order to get the best deals. You can always call a service provider and ask for a quote of the total money that you might spend if you hire them; you can even add a little thrill into the "bidding" by telling them how much discount the other company is willing to give you.

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Rat Extermination

Now, this one is hard because: 1. You need to really allocate enough time to do it effectively, 2. You still need to buy products which you can use to go about the task on your own and 3. It is not a job for the faint-hearted. Nonetheless, it has become a trend everywhere around the country for people to have this as their first option and only resort to professional help when all else fail. For do-it-yourself fanatics, the best way to learn rat extermination is by doing an online research.

What Food Do Rats Eat?

2011-09-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

You may notice that rats are quite voracious eaters. They eat almost everything including the clothes inside your wardrobe. However, would you believe that this very fact is the reason of their foraging conflicts? Because rats are omnivorous (eats both meat and vegetation) and are also prevalently distributed all around the globe, finding the appropriate food to eat may prove to be quite difficult for them.

If a creature is an omnivore, it simply means it would have to exploit many different varieties of food sources. And that would also mean, rats would have to go through many different environments to explore new food resources and this ability have made them one of the most successful species of animals on the planet since time immemorial. But because their omnivores, making the right choices of food may prove to be a difficult debacle, and considering that they don't have the rationality to discern their choices, they may end up making the wrong choices, even the most fatal ones.

Rats are widely spread animal species on earth and yet this occurrence is just a quite recent phenomenon. Norway rats, one of the most common rat species were originally from Northern China. At some point they hitched on travel rides with humans and have eventually proliferated along the regular trade routes in the globe and eventually colonized on the locations along the route in past few centuries. We can say therefore that the rats' evolution and their dramatic increase in population are quite extraordinary in the evolutionary perspective. Come to think of it, within that short span of time, they would no longer have the sufficient time to adapt to their environment as all species would normally undergo when they go through the stages of evolution. That's why it is quite a surprise and at the same time amazing that their evolution has survived all throughout the years of nomadic transference.

Choosing What and What Not

Of course, any rat environment has reserves of many different food resources ready for their disposal. And of course, along with the edible aspects of the food resources are also the non-edible counterparts (Poisonous - natural and synthesized). Then we may also include those that are particularly inanimate. We wonder therefore, as to how are rats able to figure out which to eat and what are those that should not be eaten.

Actually, there are certain stages that rats would have to go through to assess their choices of food. However, the idea conforms to a basic principle of "if everyone else ate it, therefore I can it eat".

First Stage (Pre-Birth)

In rat's womb, the fetal rats develop a sense of odor detection on what their mother eats and across the barrier in the placenta. Eventually, when the rat is conceived, they would have reinforced memories on these intakes and would then respond positively upon encounter. We can say therefore, that rats are able to develop the awareness of what to eat and what not to eat way even before they were born.

Second Stage (Nursing)

Nursing rats are somehow able to detect the food intake of their mothers through the milk being lactated. They would then begin to prefer those foods that their mother ate during the lactating stage.

Third Stage (Weaning)

When the younglings are departed from nursing, they would begin to intake solid food. When they begin to have solid food intake, they would have adult rats as their reference. They would forage for food that adult rats forage as well. Or they would detect the leftover scent of adults on certain places and would forage on those areas.

Final Stage (Adulthood)

During the adult stages of a rat's life, its foraging habits would also evolve and it would be greatly affected by the influences of other adult rats in their surroundings. Social interactions between adult rats would take their foraging coverage to another level and would even reach great distances just to find food resources.

Norway Rats Infestation

2011-09-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

The most common pest in the suburban and urban setting is the Norway Rat. This specific specie gnaw and nibble as much as their cousins; what spells that difference is their ability to adapt to various environmental conditions, enabling them to survive even in the dirtiest and busiest streets anywhere around the world. Because of their nature, these rodents can carry millions of harmful microbes in their bodies and cause serious infections and diseases to unsuspecting humans who eat, drink or touch food items which they have already contaminated with their urine and droppings.

How to Recognize an Infestation

The two most obvious sign that such rats have already nested in an area are: the presence of their droppings and the traces of different kinds of "shredded" items. Just like mice, rats also scurry here and there, nibbling on different items all at the same time. This behavior causes them to drag along with them bit and pieces of the items which they have previously gnawed. Moreover, this hyped up mobility also leads to leaving mud tracks on the floor, as well as along fences and tracks. When any of these signs appear, it is wise for the owner of the property to immediately call for help so that the possible infestation can be addressed right away.

Some Facts About the Norway Rat

Norway rats are relatively large rodents, weighing at least 11 ounces each. They have husky bodies and their coverings usually appear brownish, although some of them have black and grey coverings. Their underside is usually yellowish or grey in color. Their fur is not soft to the touch and their tails alone can measure up to 8.5 inches; from the tip of their noses to the tip of their tails, they can measure up to 26.5 inches in length.

These rats are not picky with the food that they eat; they can virtually eat anything they will come across with (some of which even lead to ingestion and to death). These rats do not mind nibbling through a plastic container or an electrical insulation; so much more if they are in the presence of "real" food. Well, each rat can only consume up to an ounce of food a day. This may not be much, but knowing that all the food items which they have nibbled through will become contaminated, then it can be considered that all the contents of the box of package have been consumed too.

Rats and all other rodents in the cities have very acute smelling, tasting and hearing senses. They use these senses to find food needed for their survival. Since these animals rely on humans to thrive in an urbanized area, they have also developed real good skills in climbing and fitting through small opening -- they can slip-through hole with diameters half as wide as their bodies.

Reproduction

Female Norway rats can give birth to baby rats in a span of 21 to 23 days after they have mated with male rats; and they can have up to 12 litters all at the same time. At this rate, it is perfectly understandable why rat infestation can happen so fast and why it is important to act on an infestation as soon as any signs that it is already happening would start to appear. It is best if the control operation is done before Spring because rats tend to be more sexually active during this period.

Rat Prevention and Control

Knowing the extent of the damage that these rats can do, it is obvious that property owners need to act fast whenever a rat infestation is discovered. There are many methods which can be used to control and exterminate rats, some of which can be performed even by those who do not really have an experience in rat control. However, it is still best if the owner of the property would hire professional rat exterminators in order to make sure that the problem is properly addressed.

Major Rat Management Tips

2011-09-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

Most people may not be aware that the most helpful tip in controlling the pest rat presence is through common sense. Out of it comes a plentiful form of ideas and initiatives that may fully control the troubles brought about by pest rats. There are three main factors that ought to be considered once going through rat management programs. One is to implement effective sanitation measures, two is to build systems and constructions on rodent prevention, and whenever necessary, rat population control. These three factors go hand in hand in making sure that rats don't go out of hand whenever they start infesting your territories.

Sanitation

Perhaps the most essential and at the same time the most fundamental factor in rat control is sanitation. Sanitation would also have to continuous and sustaining; stopping the routine along the way may prove to be a setback as rats would see this as an opportunity for them, and seizes the possibility of subduing your house. If sanitation procedures are not maintained, the outputs of all the other measures will be in vain, and rats will then immediately return as well no matter how effective your repelling mechanisms were. Good sanitation and maintenance inside the house would also help in reducing food resources inside the establishment which invites rats in to exploit, as well it will also keep the possibilities of forming shelters for rats to reside on. The presence of tidy and off the ground pipelines, firewood, lumbers, boxes, and crates will also discourage rats to find suitable passages around the house and will also make rat detection tasks for you a lot easier since they wouldn't have any place to conceal themselves anymore. Other pets like dogs or cats, should be fed outside of the house as these pests often don't finish their food. Whenever there are leftovers, rats can immediately detect these as food resources and would then right on jump on it as they see it readily available.

Constructions and Rodent Proofing the House

Perhaps the most institutionalized form/method of rodent proofing is to build them out of the house. This simply means you fashion your house in a way that rats will never be able to get in no matter what they do. You can start of that idea of proofing your house from pest rats by sealing off cracks and seams that are present in certain areas of the house. You should be aware that cracks and seams are the most ideal passage ways for rats to get inside your house. You shouldn't underestimate rats' resourcefulness as they could always find ways to get inside your house even utilizing the tightest spots. Windows and doors should be closed tightly in a way that they won't permit any rat intrusion in the near future. Screens should be fitted tightly as well to not allow rats to squeeze their way through. Make sure that they are regularly checked as well so that you can detect seams early on and deal with them right away.

Population Control

Whenever there is food resources, water, and shelter readily available, rats can conveniently reproduce and their population would increase very quickly. Therefore, the most effective and perhaps even permanent ways to limit the inflation of rat population is to limit these resources as well. Of course, the need for direct population control (the use of pesticides and etc.) are also very useful whenever deemed necessary. Traps and rat poisons are occasionally employed in this form of approach towards pest rat control. They too are very effective means to controlling the population growth among rats.

Cost of Rat Extermination

2011-09-01T06:10:00.000-07:00

Just so you know, it is very unreasonable to not do anything about a rat problem especially if you are already sure that rats have indeed made your home their home too. Rats carry with them harmful pathogens and other bacteria that can cause serious health problems to humans and even to our little pets at home. These rodents can destroy our properties too; they would nibble through all sorts of stuff (no matter what material that thing is made from) and once they make a small tear or hole in a food item's packaging, the entire stuff becomes garbage. That's how severe rat contamination can be. Moreover, there have been cases in the past wherein rats have nibbled through electrical wiring and caused fire problems. All these and more could have been avoided if we have made our houses rat-proof in the very first place. But, it does not mean that once they have indeed gained entry into our homes, we can just give-in and let them be. We need to exterminate them and get rid of them for good by killing the current population that is already nesting inside our homes and by making our homes rat-proof from that time on.

The price of the extermination should not bother you; in fact, it should not be an issue at all. Of course, some extermination products are really costly (like the Victor M260 which can kill multiple rats at a time -- costs $100 actually) but some are really very affordable like the very effective glue traps which are sold at $2.50/pack, each pack containing at least five sheets. Thus, when it comes to rat extermination, the only thing that matters is the homeowner's determination to really get rid of the problem, all else will simply follow suit.

Do-it-yourself Rat Extermination Cost:

If you are interested to do the job on your own despite your lack of experience, you can resort to either of these two options: 1. Enrol in a rat extermination cost or 2. Learn rat extermination on your own by reading though blogs and webpages dedicated to this topic (you can also participate in forums and discuss matters with those who already have enough experience). Between these two, of course, the latter one does not entail spending money. Thus, if you want to cut-down on costs, your best option is to learn the task on your own.

After you have learned how to do the extermination on your own, the next things that you are going to prepare are your tools. The most common "tools" which you can use at home are rat poisons, mechanical rat traps, electronic rat traps and glue traps. Of all these options, glue traps and mechanical rat traps are the most used "tools" because they are very affordable and are very easy to use. Traditional mechanical rat traps only cost a dollar each, some cost about $3 but these are the traps which can handle three to five rats at a time. These can be re-used if you like, you just have to clean it up because it is already expected that rats snapped by these traps are going to have splattered bodies (well, blood will definitely ooze out).

Electronic traps are more expensive primarily because of the technology used in them. These products are either battery operated or are directly plugged to an outlet. Each electronic trap can cost anywhere between $50 and $100 or even more, excluding the cost of the power it can consume. However, many homeowners prefer such gadgets because they can kill rats without having the need to be messy.

Communal Nesting in Rats

2011-09-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that rats do have a complex to share litters in a single nest? The females are often the ones involved in this kind of behavior, wherein some mother rats share their care with other youngling of another mother's rats. They call such occurrences as communal nesting. Both mother rats will then share the responsibility of raising their young together. The question now is why do rats have this sort of complex and how do they deal with such situations wherein they get to share the responsibility of raising their young with other mother rats. We do not wish to cover the entire literature and understanding of this rat behavior but we hope to pinpoint the relevant matters to the readers of this article.

In General

In simple terms, communal nesting is simply the sharing of two mothers of their younglings, in terms of care and rearing. In such instances, mothers may also share their milk with the younglings not their own.

But, not all mother rats are likely to cohabit in a communal nest. There are only certain members of the species that undergo such process. Usually, there are particular preconditions and factors that have to be fulfilled and herein, familiarity and affinity plays a vital role in the possibility of the commensalism. If a pair of sister rats have lived together for the entire time of their existence until they have produced litters, they are most likely to share their younglings in the future in a communal nest. However, if two female rats have only known each other for only a couple of weeks, communal nesting is most unlikely to take place due to the aloofness of the two female species. Often even, such forced interactions would most likely result to aggression to both females and even infanticide. This happens because when stranger females decide to pool their litters together, one female may eventually rise as the dominant female and would most likely monopolize the entire litter.

Infanticide is perhaps one of the most common problems between rat mothers, especially those that are unfamiliar with each other but live in a communal nest. Infanticide occurs because litters are often unsynchronized, therefore younglings arrive in different time frames. 44% percent of unfamiliar mother females, cohabiting in a communal nest, the second mother which is still pregnant, will most likely kill all or some of the litters of the first mother. On the other hand, only 11% of sister rat mothers undergo through infanticide.

Sister pairs of rats have another complex of inequality. The second batches of litters borne from the sister pairs are most likely to suffer more mortality than the first batch of litters. This happens simply because young ones are forced to compete with the older ones in terms of care from their mothers, especially in terms of milk nursing. Another conflict would also arise when first born litters would suck milk from their aunt's mammary glands which could often damage the gland making it incapable already of nursing its own litters when the time come they will be conceived.

Basic Ideas for Rat Control: A Beginner's Guide

2011-09-01T05:47:00.000-07:00

You may say that a rodent control approach is truly effective if it grasps the very essence of dealing with rats at the first place. The basic groundings for an effective rat control approach is on the fact that it is quite difficult to handle rat infestations inside a community setting if one would utilize extermination efforts alone. This simply means, you would have to take into consideration of some basic factors, such as food and water sources, as well shelters. These things ought to be limited through human effort in order to fully optimize any extermination and control methods to be used on rats.

These following steps and considerations will enable you to provide basis for a truly effective rodent/ rat control method:

1. Know your opponent.

In this case are rats. You may never know how to effectively deal and combat rats in the long run if you don't know how their biology works. If you want to know more about rats, you must read on some fact sheets about rats as creatures and then as pests. Get into the mind of your opponent to know how they work their way in. If you know how they work their way in, you will know how to work to keep them out.

2. Awareness

Ignorance is more than half the time a setback. If you are ignorant and unaware of their presence, they may have been already proliferating beyond your control without you being even conscious about it. Make it a point to regularly check on their presence. Detect early on if there are indeed any rodent activities inside your house.

3. Sanitation

Sanitation is always the king of all rat control factors to consider. If you're house is a hundred percent neat and clean at the first place, then you wouldn't even have to bother yourself with a single rat at all. Unless of course if you happen to be domesticating ones. Sanitation is the most effective way to control rats' food and water resources as well as their shelter areas.

4. Don't Feed Your Opponent

You know that they will bite your hands back in return when you feed them, so why feed them? You may not immediately realize, but your pet dog's leftover food, manure, as well as open garbage cans have been inviting rats all over the house to party. Make sure that such instances don't happen. Always clean up after you feed your pets or just feed your pets outside of your house, but still clean up afterward. And remember to always keep your garbage bins and cans tightly closed to prevent open invitations to rats. As much as possible always clean up trash bins every day to ensure that no garbage will stay for too long inside the house to become a welcoming card for rats.

5. Cut off their Water Supply

There are certain containers or items that may hold and accumulate water over time. These things may also serve as water sources for rats and they would never pass on that chance. Make sure to dump the water deposits away so that they will never accumulate at all.

6. Think About What You are Doing

So okay, pets may leave leftover food as the often don't finish up their meals. But it's not only animals that do that. Even we, humans would often do such things and we sometimes carelessly leave them around just like that. What we are less aware of, that during these sometimes, are the only opportunity rats would ever need to infest your house. So make sure you clean up afterwards every time and everywhere there might be food leftovers around. Particularly after meals, or when grilling BBQs outside the house, greases from oil and sauces, you have to make sure you do cleaning up afterwards.

Avoiding Rat Problems

2011-09-01T05:28:00.000-07:00

Rats are very well adapted to various environmental conditions. Because of this adaptation capability, rats can survive in cities as much as they can survive in farms. Unfortunately, this also means that rats will be able to thrive in areas where humans would have wanted to be free from their presence. They will be able to breed incessantly and continue to increase their population until an outbreak happens. Of course, that is a scenario that all property owners should avoid. There are ways to avoid such problems from happening, some of which are:

1. By ensuring that all garbage bins and trash cans are tightly-closed and covered with lids which rats cannot easily remove, the owner of the property will be able to lessen the attractiveness of his/her property to rats because of the "lack" of food (which rats basically get from trash). As much as possible, the owner should keep his/her property free from un-kept rubbish, as well as different piles of items such as wood, boxes and the like. Stacked materials like bricks and wood should not kept elevated from the ground (about 30 centimetres) so that the rats will not use it as a nesting site.

2. One thing that rats love the most is clutter. They would find dirty and cluttered sheds or storage areas very attractive for nesting. If you do not want to invite rats into your place, you must keep these places clean all the time. Schedule a regular clean-up session for these areas so that you will be able to keep them uninviting to rats. Habitually disposing unwanted items can greatly help in making future clean-up operations easier.

3. Rats can also use thick vegetation as their nesting ground. Like what has been said about rats, they like to "conceal" themselves from humans and overgrown grasses, plants and trees are very ideal locations.

4. If you are making compost heaps, avoid using open areas. If possible, use big barrels to keep the compost safe from rats.

5. Routinely inspect and check your property for cracks and crevices which might have come up so that you can immediately repair them and keep rats from using these openings as entry points to your house/building. Make sure that the water tanks that you use at home are tightly covered too.

Chemical-based Rat Control

Sometimes, the measures stated above are insufficient to completely exterminate the rats in one's property. It is during these instances when the use of chemical products is somewhat justifiable. No other method of rat control has been found out to be more effective that the use of chemical products, thus, despite the fact that these things might harm the environment, many people still opt to use them on grounds of effectiveness. The few things which have to be considered when using such products are:

1. The use of chemical products is a short term solution. This means that it can exterminate the current rat population but it cannot stop other rats from coming it. Thus, these products are meant to be used in the onset of the control operation and them immediately followed by the application of the things stated in the early part of this article.

2. Rodenticides or rat poisons can also endanger pets and children. It is important for someone who uses such products to be extra careful in storing the using the product so as not to harm non-target animals and humans.

3. Because such poisons can also harm other animals, food baits mixed with them should be placed in locations where other animals or children will not be able to reach them. For this reason, it is best if the owner of the property would hire a professional exterminator who knows how to handle the task properly.

Rat Elimination

2010-09-04T04:29:00.000-07:00

How to Eliminate Rats from Your House

Some people buy rats and put them in their cage safely and neatly but most of the people don’t want to see a single rat in their house. Even they forget to sleep when they get to know that there is a rat, running in his house. Sometime it happens that rats came from the outside and ran here and there in your house and then go back to their home. So when you become assure that rat make his home in your home then its time for rat elimination. Probably you may wonder why rat choose your home for their new locus.

There may be so many reason behind this such as they easily get food from your home without your notice, may be it from animal droppings, garbage cans, dropped fruits or berries at your lawn. So they think to establish in your house so that it may possible that they may got some other new tasty foods too and they make their nest in their most favorite areas such as: basements, behind cabinets, attics, or some other crawl spaces, they use these places for breeding too.

Now rat has entered your house and to get rid of them there are so many ways and it totally depends upon your humanity that which way you choose for it. The safest and human choice is to set a trap and it will be the best choice if you have pets or kids in your house. Because using poison may harm your pets and kids both. So using trap is good option, wooden snap trap is score very low in humanity scale because this will kill the rat.

Second option is glue boards which are full of adhesives and once rat try to cross it get stuck there and starve to death. It works but again if we talk about humanity then it grade is very low. Now if you want to catch more than one rat in a time then you have to choose multi catch traps which are designed as such. This trap is humane and will also filled with live rats to leave them free so while leaving them be careful. Single catch traps are also available in the market and they are also humane but they catch one pest in a time. These are the simple steps for effective and accurately rat elimination, but follow these steps with precautions.

These are some of the traps which you may choose but be sure that the trap is anchored tightly so that rat may not drag it away. Before placing the trap assure yourself that the entire family member know that where the traps are placed so that they may not let there finger in trap instead of a rat. When the rat is being trapped then its time to leave it far from the house so before letting the rat go wear the gloves and make as much distance as possible between you and rat. After handling the rat either it is live or dead you have to wash your hand properly even if you use gloves.

Once your house is free from the rats make your house less friendly for rats by clearing their source of food. Buy a canister for the food of your pets and if the pet leaves the food then dispose it off. Remove all the fruits from your garden which are fallen from the trees. Keep your garden clean and meow the grass of your garden so that rats can’t find the space to live or to breed. Use plastic or metal canister for your cereals and grains. Use dustbins which should be well sealed so that rat may not jump into it, they like these type of places because there they find lot of food for them, they are fond of chewing and they find lot of things to chew there and even they can breed there too.

Don’t put any such product as cheese, eggs, butter, meat etc. in open because they smell these things and will try to find the way to enter in your home to taste them. By taking these simple and effective precautions your home will always stay rat free.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Rat Smell

2010-09-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

Removal of Rat Odors

While talking about rat smells, there are normally two types of smell in rats, such as: Rat urine smell, and dead rat smell. To remove pet rat’s urine smell is to provide them healthy and safe environment to live. Normally this is not a difficult task to accomplish if you are doing it thoroughly and consistently. By cleaning rats body is not sufficient to remove urine smells for this you have to regularly to keep urine odor away and save rats from illness.

There are some so easy steps to keep the urine odor of rats. It is easy to find shampoo for small animals in market and you may use it while bathing your rat. Always place rats in safe and clean location except their cage. Don’t leave dishes, toys or bedding in rate cage for long time. It is good to replace it time to time. Use warm water with peroxides to clean rate cage, and even use it outside of the cage too. Wash all the food dishes, water bottles and toys with cleanser. Before placing rate into its cage assure yourself that the rat cage are properly clean and dried, then place the bedding and toys for rat.

The dead rat smell is very awful. Starting smell of dead rat is small but as the time goes on it become stronger and stronger. So as soon as you got to know that there is some dead rat smell then immediate try to find out the place where the dead body is, it may be in sheds or in decks, it may also be at the back of furniture or it may be under the switch board. There are lots places where the rats may die you have to find it through their carcass smell. But before looking about the source of the smell take some precautions such as use rubber gloves, wear old cloth, if available then use filter face mask and also use goggles to protect your eyes.

Reasons behind the precautions are it may happen that the flies ants and worms are present on the rat’s carcass. If you find the source of the smell then your half work has been completed then what you have to do is to dispose the carcass (don’t throw it in open). Then spray a deodorant or room freshener where the carcass was so that the smell of deodorant or room freshener replaces the rat odor. Epoleon Corporation is one of the best company which are manufacturing number of deodorant you may get the details from the website http://www.epoleon.com.

If rats are normally disturb you by dying here and there then it is much better for you to prevent your house from the entering of rats. For this what you have to do is find those wholes, spaces or openings from where the rats may enter your house and then repair those gaps or cracks. Fill all those areas which are around pipes or drains. Never throw foods to your lawns or just outside of your house and never provide them shelter in trash. Remove those trashes on regular basis. Mowed weeds and grass, keep your assets less accommodating for rats. When rats are not able to make their house in your house then they will not die in your house and then you have not to suffer from the odor of rats.

But still if they are entering your house then it means that there are some place near to your house where rats may get shelter and food, and as per the rat’s nature they like to run out of their place and so they enter to your house for playing. And for this there are several types of traps such as spring loaded traps to use it what you have to do is just place rat’s favorite food such as raisins or peanut butter etc., for continue three to four nights and when rats become comfortable to reach there then adjust bait as directed and set them carefully. But remember rats are very intelligent so while placing traps please ensure that your hands are properly washed or it is better to wear gloves before placing trap because rats can easily recognize the human smell.

UPDATE: I've been getting reports from people willing to know more about the actual ability of rats related to their smell, so I've written an article on this topic, entitled "A Rat's Sense of Smell". Enjoy ;-)

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Rat Proofing

2010-09-04T04:10:00.000-07:00

Attention: This post is not about rat extermination, but caring for your home pet rat (yes, there are people out there that have such pets like hamsters, rats, mice, etc, lol) and this is a guest post written by one of my good friends Lary who runs a pest control guide website.

All rats love to roam and run outside from their holes or cages. What you have to do is to assign the area for them to run and play and make sure that your home is rat proofed. The rat proofing is same as child proofing, so that rats can not chew those items which are very expensive and even some of them risky for them too.

For rat proofing it is important to remove traps or poisons from your house. You have to cover all the wires because rats love to chew wires, television wires, compact disk player wires, telephone wires, speaker wires, and keyboard or mouse wires, actually any wire where they can reach. To prevent wire from the rats you may duck tape around wires because duck take is sticky and rats don’t like to touch duck tapes stick to rat’s teeth. Electrical tape are not effective here because they are not enough sticky to prevent it from rats. Even PVC tubes or vacuum tube may also use to prevent wire from the rats. Use screen to your which has no holes so that when you open your window then rat may not be able to get out.

Rats love to make hole or hide themselves in blanket which hang on the floor so take care and push that part of the blanket which spread on the floor so that you may not accidentally put your leg over your rat. Put all your medicines, pills, perfumes, lotions, soap, glue, and all other such type of material far from the reach of rats because they are curious and they each and everything where they may reach and specially those items which have some sort of smells. Always keep the toilet seat cover so that your rats didn’t jump in. Cover up all the gaps and wholes of your house so that a rat may not able to go outside of the house. To train a rat you may use spray bottle. Suppose if your rat is chewing something which you don’t want then hold him in your hand gently and push to the opposite direction and spray the water on them and said NO. By regularly doing this they get to know that when you said no then it means not to chew that thing.

Using plexi glass or cardboard blocked off those areas where you think that your rat should not go. Make specific area for rats and try to train them to move in that area only. For this training you may take use of spray bottle. By making specific area it become easy for you to clean that area and your rat will also safe from accident. Doors which are opening outside shut them immediately after using it so that no rats will run away. You may also use pepper in spray bottle water and spray that water on the curtain, carpet and also on furniture to prevent it from rat chewing. Always put your clothes out of reach from rats because rats love to make there nest and chewing up the piles of clothes. Don’t leave those items on floor which rats love to chew such as paper items, stuffed animals, clothes and toys.

Other animals such as cats and dogs may hurt your rats and your rat may also hurt hamsters and mice too. Try to put towels or small rugs under all the rat areas so rats don’t urinate on carpet. You may wash and change it whenever it is needed. Plants which you have in your home make sure that they should anti toxic, because rats love to chew plant’s leaf and even never use toxic fertilizers or plant chemicals. Never put garbage can in reach of rats because they love to jump over there and it may be possible that they hide themselves in bottom of the can and you just don’t know that they are in there. If wood trim is used in your house them it may be possible that the rats may chew them also. Remote buttons and mobile buttons are there favorite place to urinate and even to chew so always keep these things out of reach from the rats. So these are the simple steps of rat proofing.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Rat Eradication

2010-09-04T03:58:00.000-07:00

Mainly there are three types of rats; Brown rats, House rats and Roof rats. These rats are equally harmful and carry different types of diseases. These rats carry germs and spread these germs in food. Even they can destroy the property and pollute foods too. When you look rats at your home don’t get panic, even there is no need to call pest control professional. There are too many methods for pest control and by using these methods besides rat you may prevent some extra uninvited guests too. It is easy to get rid of them without investing too much amount. Normally people think that they have problem with mice but the fact is that they should worry about rats.

Normally baby rats look like mice while they are running. So before choosing the method of eradication it is necessary to get to know that what are they, mice or rats. To assure yourself that the pest you’ve seen is rat there are some general methods through which you can easily get to know what they are actually. Try to find their droppings where they are like to cover themselves such as behind boxes, furniture and stored items as well. Length of the droppings of an adult rat can be nearly three - forth part of an inch and adult mice droppings can be only one – forth part of an inch. It may possible that the droppings you find are not recent so just check the droppings if their color are grey then it is old droppings and if their color are dark and if the droppings are pliable then it means that these droppings are new and it is time to take the eradication steps immediately.

There are different types of traps which you can use for the rat eradication, but it is only then safe if you keep those traps out of reach of kids and pets. Some spring loaded traps are available where you have to place rat’s favorite food such as raisins or peanut butter etc. for continue three to four nights and when rats become comfortable to reach there then adjust bait as directed and set them carefully. Wooden spring loaded traps are also available and these traps are baited with some sticky foods which takes effort to remove. But remember rats are very intelligent while placing traps please ensure that your hands are properly washed or it is better to wear gloves before placing trap because rats can easily recognize the human smell.

Glue traps are also available in the market where there is no bait and they are very easy to use. What you have to do is just peeled away the cover and let the adhesive to expose. The rats once come in contact with that adhesive will die normally in two to three days. But this trap is brutal method of eradication, but is the safest method too for kids and pets. Poisons are also one of the instantaneous methods same as the glue trap because poison brutally killed rats due to regular internal bleeding, and they died while searching water outside from their nest. Poison is one of the dangerous method of trapping too because if it is not placed properly and they are in reach of kids and pets then the poison may also harm them, and the person who is placing poison should make sure that he wear gloves or should wash hand with the soap properly after placing the poison.

If you are so kind hearted and you don’t want to kill rats then it is better to control rats from their first place that is let them not entering to your house. For this what you have to do is find those wholes, spaces or openings from where the rats may enter your house and then repair those gaps or cracks. Fill all those areas which are around pipes or drains. Never throw foods to your lawns or just outside of your house and never provide them shelter in trash. Remove those trashes on regular basis. Mowed weeds and grass, keep your assets less accommodating for rats, if you do all these precautions then rats may never make their home in your home.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Rat Deterrent

2010-09-04T03:51:00.000-07:00

Popular and Effective Rat Deterrents

There is a wide array of rat deterrent items that can be used to drive away rats and mice from commercial as well as residential places. There are numerous toxic and other lethal methods to meet this objective.

Non-toxic deterrents against rats and mice are mostly developed from natural organic matters. An example of such a deterrent that is in popular use is the pepper mint oil repellent. When placed in a corner of the house or office or sprayed, it creates the smell of a cat’s body. Rats and mice flee away from the house or office when they smell this scent. This deterrent is non-toxic for humans as well as pets and it causes no side effects. Pepper mint oil can be used in another form to keep rats away from specific places like kitchen tables and drawers. Cotton balls wetted with pepper mint oil can be placed in such locations. Rats cannot tolerate the smell of pepper mint even from a far distance. It can also be sprayed in places regularly frequented by rats and also in their nest or den. The effectiveness of pepper mint oil can be enhanced further by adding other oils as well. Even rat catchers make use of pepper mint oil to clear complete buildings from rat infestations. They place pepper mint oil doused rugs at different entry and exit holes and drive rats to nets and bags.

Ultrasonic rat repellent is another effective and non-toxic rat deterrent that is gaining regular use. It is either battery operated or it can be plugged in to electricity board and placed in an area infested with rats or mice. It emits ultrasonic sound waves with very high frequency of nearly twenty thousand hertz which causes extreme stress to rodents. The use of this device causes rodents to immediately leave the premises of your home or office. It is safe for humans because the frequency of waves emitted by these devices can be heard only by rodents and not humans or their pets. The ultrasonic rat repellent is an environment friendly way to remove rats. It does not involve the need to handle chemicals or the body of dead rodents. Since, an ultrasonic rat repellent does not need to be replenished with any ingredient, so it is a one time purchase for the user.

Toilet cakes are also used to act as strong rat repellents. These cakes release a strongly pungent odor which is hated by rats. These can be placed in toilet bowls and used for de-odorizing and sanitizing purpose also. These cakes can be broken into tiny pieces and thrown into rat nests, holes and dens. Cedar shavings can be added to further strengthen their effectiveness and also to repel other pests.

Other ways to deter rats from coming near homes are mentioned in the following lines. One must take care to get rid of food crumbs on floor, seal food containers and keeping garbage always tightly covered. The left-over pet’s food is also a source for attracting rats and mice. One must ensure that their pets clear-off their plates and if any left-over is there then it should be cleaned-off. Once in a while running warm water mixed with a cup of bleaching powder down the pipes also keeps rats away from their source of water.

The rat repellents mentioned above are safe to use for humans, pets and even for rats. They do not cause any loitering of rat’s dead body in the house or office. These deterrents can also be placed anywhere in the house because they do not contain any toxic elements. Other rat traps like snap traps, glue traps and poisons involve loads of risk for children and pets. Accidental contact with those traps can cause harm to anyone. With snap traps and glue traps, the users needed to dispose off with rat’s bodies, which could lead to harmful infections. But, organic and eco-friendly rat deterrents relieve users from any such harm. More and more users are now switching to these effective and long-term solutions to eradicate rat infestation problems. These methods are economical and simple and there is no need to spend money regularly on replenishing or disposing the ingredient materials.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Rat Glue

2010-09-04T03:18:00.000-07:00

Rat Glue Trap is An Environment Friendly and Safe Way to Trap Rats

Use of rat glue trap is an ideal way for controlling rats and mice in home, restaurants, hospitals and other environments where food is handled. In fact, it is one of the safest and easiest ways to trap rats. This non-toxic trap is also suitable from the safety point-of- view for children and pets. It is completely harmless to human beings and their pets. Schools and day care centers can positively switch to glue traps. Other places where rat glue can be used are food processing plants, bakeries, kitchens and zoos.

Glue traps consists an adhesive material applied on a card-board or plastic board. The adhesive can be a natural one or a synthetic paste. Bait is generally placed in the centre of the board. Basically there are two types of rat glue traps. They are giant glue boards and rat glue trays. The giant glue boards are meant to capture non-conventional pests like snakes, reptiles, small birds or big rats. But, rat glue trays are more suitable and compact for catching indoor rats. When rats attracted by the scent of the bait reach the board and step upon them, the sticky glue traps them to the board, rendering them immovable. Although it is argued that the trapped animal dies very slowly due to starvation, dehydration and exhaustion, but it is possible to do away with the trapped rodent by disposing them after removal with help of vegetable oil, soap water or benzene. This should be done wearing a protective glove. It is important to regularly check glue traps, so that it does not become a gruesome and prolonged death for the trapped rodent. Hence, the user must always remember the locations at which one has placed the traps.

REMEMBER: Glue traps are effective mostly for indoor use, because outdoor environment affects the adhesive material.

Glue traps have an advantage in that the rat sticks to the trap and unlike other toxic traps it does not retreat to its nest and smell after dying. Generally it happens with toxic traps that the rodent hides and dies in some in-accessible location in the house or office. Hence, using a glue trap, users don’t have to search for the stinking dead body of the rodent. Glue traps can also be cut and placed in places where it is not possible to place other traps. Due to their high effectiveness, their small cut size does not affect their performance. But, glue traps are prone to becoming ineffective due to dust and cold weather, hence it requires regular examination.

An effective way to keep these glue traps is to place them in an artificial plastic tunnel. Rats consider tunnels as good places to hide. In addition to this advantage, such a tunnel prolongs the effectiveness of the glue on the board. It also acts as a safety cover for individuals and pets from stepping on to the glue surface. The glue traps are more suitable for places which experience repeated infestation by rats and mice. The trap is most effective when placed perpendicularly near walls which are close to high rat activity areas. Other suitable places where rodents are prone to frequent are near burrows, gnawed openings or runways.

When glue boards are placed on places like pipes, ledges or poles, they should be secured tightly, so that rodents cannot move the traps. Care should be taken that rat glue traps are not placed in places accessible to birds, because there is a high chance of birds being attracted by the bait. Other advantages of glue traps are that they are clean, easy to use, and disposable. They are also silent because no springs or snaps are involved and another advantage is that they are non-lethal in nature.

Most manufacturers pre-bait the glue traps with the scent of peanut butter or molasses. The glue surface can also be pasted with chocolate, oats, bacon, cereals, meats, fruits or rat nesting material like cotton. Rats need to get used to the presence of glue traps for a few days. They will step on the traps once they get accustomed to its presence in a particular location. Rat glue traps are is an effective and environmental friendly solution to getting rid of rat infestation. Since, most of the glue traps are disposable, so they are very cheap and hence economical for regular use. The user can make rat glue trap a safe and sound solution to rat infestation by regularly monitoring the glue board for any trappings.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Kill Rats

2010-09-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

How to Kill Rats Permanently

Rats are in various sizes, black and brown rats are normally found in houses. To kill rats permanently is not a difficult task but it may be stressful or little messy. Killing is not a permanent solution to be free from rats, because you may kill all the rats present in your house but what about the rats which are outside. If one rat gets and entry to your house, then it means that there is any hole or space from where other rats may also get its entry easily. Permanent solution to get rid of rats is to stop them from getting entry to your house by sealing all the holes and possible areas from where rats may get in. If you have any trees whose branches reach above to your roof top, then make sure to trim them timely, because rats may use these branches to enter in your house. Once you seal your house, then it is time to kill those rats that are in your house. There are several possible ways to kill rats and it is up to you which one suits you most.

Poison

Poison is not a very human or good way for rat control because if you want to kill rats permanently then it never works because poison will kill only some of them. It is also found that rat may die by drinking pepsi or coca cola. Since these soft drink forms gas, the rats can’t eructate for a while and go dead. After taking a small bit of food, rats wait for a while and if they feel sick they’ll stay away from eating it. If you are using poison to kill the rats, then use a poison which reacts slowly. Metal phosphide is one of them when they eat the bait which is mixed with metal phosphide a toxic phosphine gas is generated in their digestive system and rats will die after some time. But using poison is not a good way because humans are exposed to the place where rats where dead inside the home. The bad smelling odor will even cause disease to the human! The flies and insects may also sit on their carcass and it may generate a new problem for you.

Traps

While placing poison you should also take care that your kids and pets can't reach to them because poison may harm them also. So mostly people suggest using traps and consider it as a better option rather than using poison. There are some deadly traps available these days. Glue traps are one among them. These glue traps are made by synthetic or natural adhesives which could be spread on a cardboard or on plastic trays. These traps are not effective in outdoors because dust and moisture sits on the glue and thus it becomes ineffective. This should be always placed indoor where rats usually come in search for their droppings. If you find droppings, then it means that rats come to that place regularly. After placing the glue traps, set the bait in the center of the board or you may also buy scented glue trap so that rats get the smell and come to the place.

Glue traps are effective and non toxic for humans. But it is always difficult to remove rats from glue, where you have to use cooking or baby oil to remove them from it. Glue traps could never be re-used, but it may stick 2 to 3 rats in a time. You may use Snap traps also, because they are one of the best and effective traps available. It is efficient and kills the rat immediately and it can be re used as well. The only draw back it has is, if you are using it for the first time then it may hurt you also and even if it is in reach of kids and pets, then it may harm them as well.

Simple Solutions

By using these simple methods you may kill rats permanently. But don’t forget to clean the place where you find rat carcass and after removing them wash your hands properly. It might cause infection and various other problems, if you didn't clean your hands properly.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Rat Removal

2010-09-04T02:50:00.000-07:00

Solutions on How to Remove Rats

Rats are found everywhere and the problem it creates is just hectic. Rats are very dangerous creatures, since they cause the deadly disease “plague”. Mostly rats move in a building for food and shelter! If they easily find the foods in your abode, they feel it comfortable to live in your house forever. Commonly rats intake grains but to survive they chew and eat anything. Rats nip regularly to keep its teeth sharper. Normally they eat 25-30 gm of food and drink 60 ml water per day. If rats have entered your house, then you should remove them as quickly as possible. This is because, a couple of rats will produce more than 40 babies in a year and a three months old rat will start to breed and in a year there would be more than 500 rats in your house.

Rat removal can be done in two ways possibly! One is by using chemicals, whereas the other one is by using traps. Before using the traps or chemical, you must first identify and find out the way it uses to move in your house. Rat removal situation is different for each person, and it depends upon the person humanity. If you only want to get rid of rats without killing, then use human traps and if killing rat is not an issue for you then you can use killer traps or even chemicals also. But remember, using chemical for rat removal may harm your pets and kids, since these chemicals are toxic. So while placing chemicals be sure that they are out of reach from your kids and pets. Normally after inhaling those chemicals, rats die in few minutes. It may move around anywhere inside your home and die. This makes it hard for you to find, where it is and in the meantime you will start suffering from rat’s smell which is not tolerable for any human. Still if you use chemicals and have found a dead rat, then don’t throw it in an open area rather just put their carcass in a closed dustbin and clean that place properly.

There are some deadly rat removal traps available in the market such as glue traps, snap traps etc. Glue traps are a cruel method of catching rats because once rat are trapped in, it starts struggling to free itself from those traps. While struggling, its hair and skins will be pulled out hardly and even some times they broke their own legs. In case, if the rat’s face sticks in the glue they’ll die because of suffocation. If you didn’t remove the trapped rat from the glue trap, then the rat will die in 4 to 5 days due to starvation. This is why it is important and necessary to check the glue traps regularly. If you are using glue traps and rat is stuck in glue, then drop small amount of baby or cooking oil and set the rat free far from your house. After doing this wash your hands properly with soap, even if you have used gloves.

Snap traps are also available to remove rats from your house but they will also injure the children and large pets if they are caught. Snap Trap can kill rats quickly, but if the rat is only injured then you have to kill the rat by yourself. Removing the dead rat from the trap is quiet tedious and also it is a messy job to do. It is also difficult to set the trap, because it injures the user’s finger too. Cage traps are human traps which are pretty easy to use and also they are easy to release the rat from the trap. It is also safe for children and pets, but these traps have to be checked regularly. Using these traps are stressful too, because rats are very shy animals and if they get something new to their surrounding then they will never go to that place until they get familiar of that. So it may take 2 or 3 days for the rats to be caught and this is also true that sometimes this trap is ineffective and rats may eat the bait without getting caught. Electrical traps are also available, but it is true that it also difficult to clean them.

Protections from rats are always better than the removal of rats. Clear all those things from your house which rats love to eat or chew. Doing so, you can stay away from those mischievous rats.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Rat Repellent

2010-09-04T02:39:00.000-07:00

The REAL Role of a Rodent Repellent

Not a long time ago, I have read in a local newspaper an article in which the author claimed that if on the earth human kind was not dominant one that with high certainty it would be rats. Or simpler, if the earth was not overpopulated with the humans it would be over populated with the rats. They would rule with everything on this planet. Why? Because there are not other animal species on this planet, except mice and rats have ability to carry out the experience to their children.

The same is done by the humans with their children.

So, this tells us that we have respectful opponent against us when we want get rid of these pests. They are ruining our perfect picture of nice familiar life. They are interrupting our peaceful afternoon with the constant and at the same time annoying noise that they are making while they are stilling our food. Oh, can you imagine how your child will react when he or she will see a mouse near the bed. And also how loud will scream. And finally when a mother rat has just bear out exactly in your house mice will appear everywhere. All in all, these creatures are not so dangerous i.e. they can not physically hurt you but they can harm you by exposing you on an enormous psychological pain.

This is War

This means that we are in a war with these little smart enemies. In a war we can use numerous techniques in order to become the winners and finally to have calm and peaceful moments in our own house.

Yes, today on the market there are a lot of assets which will help us to get rid of the rats in the home. And production, distribution and selling of these products are multimillion businesses nowadays. But wait a second, when talking about rat repellent we are talking primarily about not-poisonous and preferably home made chemicals that will not in any way harm to our health and/or life. Also we should be aware that the aim is not to kill these animals – because with killing them we have another big problem. Namely, we do not have rats in the house but we have a lot of corps which are spreading intolerable odor in some rooms. And also every poison for one animal is a poison for other living being. So, my advice is to avoid poisonous products because they can easily harm on the health of your pets and even your little children.

To get rid of the rats, there is a little secret.

Rats can not endure certain odors, and these odors are totally harmless for the humans and often hardly noticeable. One of the most used and at the same time entirely harmless rat repellent is the peppermint odor. Everything that you should do is to go in a supermarket and buy peppermint oil. Next you will need some small pieces of thread or cotton balls. Put the peppermint oil on the thread and place it on places where you have previously noticed mice and rats. They can not stand this odor and will immediately abandon this place and your house probably.

Another aroma not tolerable for the rats is the aroma of the liquid placed for aromatizing toilet bowl. It has never been this easy – just apply this liquid as the previous method and the rats will run forever from your house or apartment.

Also the last mentioned but as effective as previous ones is placing the cat litter on the location where the rats are. This has double effect: First, the rats can not stand the ammonia odor and thus will immediately leave that place and second, mice and rats are scared by the cats and other similar predators and the smell of its litter will lead them to the conclusion that danger is near and it is very clever to abandon the place.

In order to have full effect of these home made products it is very important to regularly change or in other words refresh the odors. This has to be done every second or maximum third day. It is also very important to place these on locations where the rats and mice were previously noticed. And also spread them across whole apartment or house.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Roof Rats

2010-09-04T02:19:00.000-07:00

Introducing "Rattus"

The Genus species of roof rat is Rattus. Roof rats are also known as ship rat or black rat. The kingdom of the roof rats is Animalia and their color are black and they have long tail of nearly 6 to 8 inches. Roof rats like to eat vegetables, pet food, grain, nuts, berries, fruits, grains, rotten food and snails. Roof rats are known as roof rats because they are tremendous climbers and they use to live on top of the buildings such as in attic or on roof. They also used to live in garages, unused boxes, under floors, sheds, or in thick grass. Roof rat normally lives 90 percent of their life above the ground. Roof rat’s vision is very poor and even they are color blind too, but their sense of smell, taste, touch and hearing is very strong. Roof rats entered from ground level of any building. These rats produce 6 to 12 babies in one time and 4 to 6 times in a year. Pregnancy period of these rats are only for 21 to 23 days and they start breeding when they are three months older. Total age of these rats is 12-18 months only.

Breeding

Roof rats produce their baby in their nests such as in attic or in some sheds which they feel the safest place of the house. Their babies are hairless and tiny, their eyes are sealed closed which open within two weeks of nursing. When they became three months old then they start their reproduction. Rats life cycle is too short but they produce more than 40 babies are born by one female roof rat. Roof rats are actually very shy whenever they found something new in their area they avoid to be in contact with them for days until they become familiar with them that it will not make them any harm. Rats never change their path because when they come to know that the path on which he is moving is safe. Although their eyesight are not good but they leave strong odor which tells them where they have to run. They also leave urine marks and they follow the scents which are known to them.

Diseases

Roof rat carries several diseases from years such as: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome which is also known as HPS. It is a dangerous disease which transmits from rat’s droppings, saliva and urine. Murine Typhus is transmitted to human from rat fleas. Travelers who visit to humid tropical countries can be infected by this disease because these rats can be found their always. Rat bite fever which is also called RBF is a bacterial illness which is sourced by Streptobacillus moniliformis that can be entered through bite or scratch in human from rat. Or it may also harm by eating or drinking food or water which is been tasted by some rats. Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium causes diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and abdominal cramps which may affect them for 7 to 8 days. Leptospirosis disease affects humans and animals through bacteria. Symptoms of this disease are severe headache, vomiting, jaundice, red eyes, diarrhea, abdominal pain, muscle aches and chills. If disease stays long then the infected one may die due to liver failure, meningitis or by kidney damage. Eosinophilic Meningitis infected the brain in which the number of eosinophilis is increase and the white blood cells are infected by this worm.

Prevention

To get rid of these rats, the first step what you have to do is make sure they can't get in your house. They may enter from any where if you leave a single hole in your house then it means that you are inviting a rat to be your guest. If there are any gapping or holes then fill it with steel plating and mesh because rats can’t chew the steel. Now if you want to remove rats then use trap in attic or where you found that rats are normally move. It is also important to remove rat from the trap safely if it is alive. The keyword to save your house from rats are clean your house from rat foods, because if they don’t have food in your house then they won’t like to live with you.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Rat Bait

2010-09-04T02:05:00.000-07:00

Rat Bait Tips & Techniques

Rats and mice are very clever animals. If you want to get rid of them, you should use some techniques that will lure the rat into the trap. But, this is never so easy because the rats have extraordinary memory and they communicate among them about possible danger in their surrounding. Namely, the trap can be placed on a certain location with days or weeks without any success although the house is full of rats. Because of this some of basic principles about the traps and bait should be followed.

First of all is to determine where the rats are and where they are going. So, take a little examination about that where the trap should be located. Now, in order to catch a rat in your trap all you need to have is a trap and bait. The bait can be everything that will be tasty and will smell nice for the rats. As a bait can be used a lot of products used by the people and is placed in the fridge.

In order to lure the rat into the trap you should minimize all the food available to the rats. So, put the food on the save location and suddenly the rats will start to starve. This will lead in two possible incomes: the rats will abandon the location i.e. your home because they will realize that there is not enough food or will dare to enter the trap in order to take the food from inside. And you have a solution for your problem. You finally get rid of all these pests.

Now we have come to the point to ask ourselves what is the best bait that can be used for this purposes? Well, the answer is simple. The best bait that can be used will be fresh food, the food with strong odor that the rats can smell it from solid distance. The peanut butter is always a good option, but I will say again if you previously minimize the food abundance to the rats and if the trap is placed near the rats anything can be good. Also, you can go on the market or to browse over the Internet in order to find some artificial bait for rats and other rodents. But, be aware before buying some of these you should be informed if these baits are poisonous or not.

If you have decided to use non-toxic bait in your trap for the rats it will be easier because with this you actually are avoiding some unwanted consequences. Using a poison as bait should be handled with highest possible measures of caution. Why? Because the poison is not killing only the rats, mice and other rodent but they can be dangerous for your pets. So, be sure that the trap is located on a safe position away from the reach of your pets or children. Also, when using a poison as bait for the rats you should know that rat should not leave the trap after eating the poison. Because, if we assume that the rat was lured into the trap and ate the bait which contains some toxic materials in it, then the rat somehow succeeds to escape from the trap. The result will be dead rat somewhere in your house which spreads intolerable odor. And more it contains a poison in it. So, please take great care about this when using poison as bait for rats.

And finally, we should also mention that it is strongly recommended to change the baits from time to a time. As we mentioned above, rats and mice communicate between themselves about the possible danger. So let assume that we have placed poisoned peanut butter as bait.

The scenario will be as follows: they will send the oldest rat to assess if the new food is safe or not. If nothing happens in couple of hours after tasting the food they all go there and share the food. But, if the rat is captured or dies in these couple of hours they know that it is a trap and will not repeat the same mistake. So, all that remains to us is to change the bait or to change the location of the trap or both.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Rat Zapper

2010-09-04T01:52:00.000-07:00

A Modern Way to Kill the Rodents

These days the technology is an essential thing of human life as it is changing rapidly with the every passing day with our needs. There is nothing that remained unaffected from the technology. The way of rodent control has also changed with the changing time. Now one can see and admire this change into the improvement of technology that has made life easier and convenient. These days the rat zapper has emerged as a new and effective technology in rodent control. The latest mechanism of rodent control has made it possible a human to eliminate mice and rats from the houses.

As these rodents are the cause of several infectious diseases it is very harmful for human lives. One can ask to a person who is suffering from such severe infestation about how the problem begins with a nagging pain that leads to the total eradication of whole body. A rat zapper is now the best way to skip from these rodents as it has emerged as a powerful tool against these rodents. Though there is a harmless method is available in the market even then there is a large expectance of the various ordinary mouse traps that includes poisoned bait, snap traps and glue traps.

There are various other electronic traps that are more popular. The Rat Zapper is a discovery of Mr. Robert Noe that is now manufacturing by his own company. There are twelve countries who have accepted this new technology of Rat Zapper. The rat zapper has supplemented with the technology to make it modern and more effective. There are two models of this rat zapper are available in the market both have electronic technology that is used to deliver an electric shock to the fatal that use to kill the rodents on being in contact immediately.

The Rat zapper is especially modified and extended for the commercial establishments and larger homes for the rodent control the extended system of it is known as the rat zapper battle station. It is very easy to use as one can placed it in the remote position. It can also track the rat tale that is cord attachment.

There are various other modern methods of pest control are also available in the market. Both of these are based on the electronic method on pest control. The both ultra magnetic and ultra sonic method have been appreciated by its users. These two modern pest control devices use to create a high frequency of magnetic waves and sound waves respectively to get rid off from the rodents but after switching these devices off the rodents always return though these two devices are not able to solve this problem permanently.

The sound create by ultrasonic waves can also put some bad effect on human and pets both so it is not a profitable way to make your house or organization free from rats and mice. The rat zapper is very safe, effective and natural instead of other devices as it does not interfere with the other thing present where the rat zapper use to placed to kill the rodents.

The rat zapper has made in a way that as anything comes in the contact to complete the circuit a current generate so as a rat or mice come to contact with the rat zapper it will complete the circuit and generate a current to kill the rodent. Various kind of baits are also used to placed with the rat zapper to let the rat or mice come to eat it and as they come to eat the current generated by the completion of circuit make them to die. After killing the rat or mice one can easily through those out by not letting the body of the killed rodent to generate any kind of infection in the environment.

One can use cheese, bread, grains, peanuts and various other things as bait to attract the rat or mice towards the rat zapper. This electronic device works more efficiently in the nights as the rodents like rats and mice are more effective at nights. One can search the pictures and varieties of several rat zappers online, the costs of these rat zappers are also variable. If you already have a rat zapper then you can contact to the rat zapper customer care for any kind of problem of this equipment.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Rat Pest Control

2009-12-15T02:25:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I’ve recently moved from one place to another with my entire family and did not have any free time to update my rat extermination blog. Anyway, just want to let you guys know that I receive a lot of emails from you and the problem is that I don’t manage to respond to all your questions regarding those rat pest control issues that most of you are dealing with. That’s why I decided that writing a post and letting you know what is up is going to be much better than a superficial individual approach to each of you. All is fine here; I’ve done plenty of rat removal jobs and waiting for some new orders to come soon. Our country is full of rats and they are messing around in people’s houses.

As a rat exterminator, I often hear people asking me if I like this kind of work and why won’t I stop doing it because it looks and feels and smells so bad; well, this is what I usually do and I don’t plan to change my way of earning for a living in the next several years – I’ll wait till retirement. In other words, I’ll just keep removing rats and helping people getting rid of these beings until I have no other options left than just leave and let those who are much more prepared to continue the fight to do it. Rats are pests and they need to be eliminated otherwise you might get with a pretty serious infestation and this is not what you want, right? You either kill those using traps or stuff your house walls with poison; you still need to do it. Rats are dirty for us humans and we need to be very attentive because they are often carriers of various diseases.

Using Poison to Control Rats

A good friend of mine called me the other day and complained about the fact that he noticed some weird rat activity in his basement were he runs a training hall. He trains young people martial arts. Anyway, he said that this is getting pretty serious and he thinks there is a serious infestation that they are dealing with. As always, asked for advice, but when I started to tell him that I should take a look around in order to let him know what can be done, he said that he already took care of it by applying a lot of deadly poison in the walls and already killed a few big rats. I immediately told him that being attentive is extremely important in such a case because a poison infected rat might die somewhere inside a wall and it is going to be a lot of hassle and brain damage to try and get him out; and besides that just imagine the smell and what are you going to do when there is no possible access to the dead body of the rat except just getting that wall down. Using poison is fine, but when you don’t know how to properly set it, some serious problems might occur. He already said that there is quite a bad smell in that basement because of a few dead rats that the managed to kill using poison, but he is afraid that it might be necessary to get rat traps and to use those too.

Maximum Attention when Trying to Control Rats

Being attentive is a must, when you do try to control rats on your own. Anyway can go to any hardware local store and to the pest control department and ask for some really toxic rat poison. It is going to work, but take into consideration if you have pets or small kids around. Rat pest control of such kind is possible when you are dealing with rats in an old house somewhere outside of the town and there are plenty of them, otherwise it might be too dangerous and in such case I highly recommend rat traps. There is basically no use to apply poison if you realize that it is going to bring much harm than results. Anyway, rats are getting more and more lately in this region and I’ve tried to run some statistics lately that I’ll definitely publish in the next article here on my blog about how to exterminate rats. Remember ladies and gentlemen, if anyone of you are trying to solve the rat problem on your own, just be extremely attentive and call a professional and ask for advice in case you experience something that you don’t know how to deal with.

Getting rid of rats is not as easy as most of you think it is and it might need some supervising in certain cases. This rat pest control post was dedicated to all those that consider rat poison the only good solution to manage a rat infestation.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Pest Rat Electronic Control

2009-05-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

In order to control pest rats, besides knowledge, experience and commitment to do it, one needs different kind of tools and home improvement devices. Nowadays, the electronic rat zapper is a famous for its efficiency when trying to do our rat extermination routine from time to time on our property, in our house, barn, attic and basement. While some people prefer calling and contracting their local pest exterminators, others like to try some “do it yourself” methods when looking to get rid of those rodents that tend to visit them from time to time. Those uninvited guests usually provoke quite a big damage in the fields and to the grains or other cereals in your barn or house basement. That is why we recommend everyone to take immediate action when spotting rat droppings or the well known rat smell somewhere near their property and figure out how to eliminate them.

Electronic pest rat removal is one of those ways to exterminate rats that most people prefer because it is quiet and efficient. You don’t have to deal with brutally killing or damaging any being or even worse – using rat poison to feed it till it dies. There are people who simply cannot handle these methods and search for other rat elimination tactics that some people might consider less brutal and more humane. We support those that don’t want to directly interfere into the wildlife. Nevertheless, dealing with at least some kind of pests is inevitably when you live in the rural areas, especially in the countryside near a forest, lake or field. Pest rodents are the premier beings that are going to visit you, especially when winter (also known as the cold season) comes into play. So the idea is to try and find those electronic pest rat removal zappers that produce a sound on a low frequency that only rodents can perceive.

Pest rodent control with old traditional methods like traps, poisoning and any other well known tricks and tips that your grandparents where using are not only less efficient these days but can also bring to more damage, harm and unpleasant issues then using modern devices like electronic pest rat zappers or anything else that you guys know about. When trying to eradicate rats with traps there is the danger that the trap won’t work or the rat might be harmed and escape. Similarly, when applying poison to some of those rat holes in your walls or basement the great minus is represented by the fact that those poison ingredients won’t work as fast as most people think and the effect of death will be quite slow. Rats and any other rodents can be found dead in places where they are extremely hard to get and their rotten smell can stay there for hours, days and sometimes even weeks if you can’t realize where it is coming from. In the end you are going to need to call your local pest rat exterminators to do and inspection and remove that dead rat.

So you probably understand that you have to consult a professional pest exterminator of rats before trying something in your house. If you are not directly dealing with a rat or pest rodent infestation aspect you might find the necessary answers from the person that is selling those electronic zap devices in your city’s local hardware store. In this article we don’t speak about using strong rat repellents from getting rid of these rodents but we are going to do that in our future posts. Today we wanted to mention that it is useful to use clean and fast methods to control pest rats like the electronic rat zapper. It works extremely simple and easy and we don’t think that it is necessary to explain it in a complicated manner. This device emits a low frequency sound that only rodents can hear and it makes them stay away at a certain distance from your property. Humans don’t hear it and they don’t react to it all. However, for rats the sound is basically unbearable and they can’t stand it more then a second.

Rat electronic control works and is effective! Scientific experiments have proven that most electronic rat removal zappers perform pretty well and those that are afraid of using more cruel and brutal methods to exterminate this pest are invited to test these machines. We are not promoting any particular brands of electronic rat zappers here. We just want to let you know that this is a humane method to control pest in your house and on your property.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners

Pest Rat Exterminators

2009-03-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

Rat Exterminators Can Easily Help You Exterminate Rodents

Rat Exterminators are those who know what rat extermination is and manage to get rid of rats in your house, apartment, barn, attic, roof, or anywhere on your property without wasting too much time on finding the main cause of the problem. It is well known that most rat exterminators, while also being professional pest exterminators do not pay close attention to things that are pretty important for the home owner. In some cases, they will tend to use anti coagulant poison that is pretty dangerous both for rats but also for your pets (in case you have some in your home) or for your entire family. Sometimes they don’t even consider necessary to tell people their rat exterminating methods because they are pretty sure that no matter what they use is good and is going to bring in decent results in the long run. We, however, have quite a different opinion on this and would like to tell people that as a matter of fact the approach, attitude and method used to help people get rid of rats and other type of rodents in their houses, in their fields or on their properties is one of the most important aspects that one should closely take into considering when willing to give such an attempt a try. You might want to seek help from professional rat extermination but be careful and make sure you carefully analyze with all of them their rat pest control methods and techniques before letting them do the whole work in your house. You have to act fast and you have to be ready to offer protection to your family in case of need. This is how it works and this is what people should know about when doing this type of stuff.

No matter what happens, rat exterminators are also a reliable solution when you are definitely lacking new ideas in your rat fighting system, methods and approach. You need something new, but what most new people and beginners that started to experience a field rat invasion don’t understand is the fact that they actually don’t lack methods and techniques but what they really need to acquire is experience. It is not possible to take one rat extermination methods and trick and try to multiply it each time someone is having some trouble with rats. There are totally different cases out there and each time something related to rodent attack is taking place something new and something particular needs to be implemented. This is how it works and this is how it always was, no matter what others say or so called expert pest rat exterminators are trying to prove on their websites. There are plenty of other things that people who seek information about ways to fight with rat presence in one’s house need to know and we are going to make everything possible to reveal that kind of knowledge for free to the entire world. It is what it is and today we shall come to a good part of the whole exterminating and pest controlling option.

Those who think that taking care of rats is easy without any previous experience, attempts, failures or stuff are strongly misunderstanding what is really going on and the true value of things. Those who seek advice, suggestions and help about how to treat a rat invasion in someone’s house are sometimes wrong because they tend to have things done extremely cheap and they always ignore the basic rules of stuff that simply is universal. Without proper knowledge, access to information and therefore experience you are not going to possible have the same results in speed, timing, efficiency and other characteristics like professional rat exterminators do because they are only doing it for years and years for such a long time. You people have to realize that as a matter of fact there are different opportunities for all those that are trying to figure out different methods to deal with rats and tricks to keep them away from entering your house. Rats need to be controlled if possible and without proper knowledge and experience you are not going to succeed. That is well known and all those that are going to try and do the same things without even trying to accept that they are wrong are going to fail. It is what it is. So let’s repeat the main few ideas that we started with this post here at our rat extermination website. First of all, be ready to expect exterminators that used dangerous rat repellents in order to get rid of them and secondly never expect to have the same results as they do.

Rat exterminators are professionals. They know how to exterminate rats. They have been doing this for their entire life. They know how to do it properly because they have been doing it for so long (like we just said). They have the possibility to check and see and notice like several thousand and maybe millions of various rat infestation and rat invasion cases. They know how things work and they are always ready to apply their knowledge plus their experience plus their tactics and of course their tools and repellents, their traps and their toxic substances in order to help a family, a home owner a simple citizen to get rid of rats, to leave free from any kind of pest and to have the best possible results in a short period of time. There are different methods that they use. However, while people are constantly seeking their true methods of how exactly do rat exterminators do this and that in order to control pest rats and what particular substance they are purchasing from the local hardware store and how exactly is it done and so on and so forth. We noticed that some of our readers constantly think that there are actually some secrets that stand behind their activities and those that think that rat extermination is quite easy actually have no idea what they are talking about. There are no such things and today we are going to explain why. Plenty of you should have some kind of profession at least in your life and you can’t possible manage to have golden hands in everything you do. That is well known, that is cool, but in case someone of you is really interested how professionals do it we are going to have some time and explain that because we believe that people have the right to find out information for free. This is their right and this is what most of you should be paying attention to when trying to achieve at least something.

In the first paragraph of this post we started to talk about the fact that some rat exterminators use dangerous repellents and chemicals and toxic food for rat traps and other things and techniques that are being used in methods that might in the long run have some dangerous health issues on your pets, family, and relatives and so on. Well, we are not talking about some kind of Chernobyl here but there is definitely something to worry about. If they are being ignorant when treating the house when proofing it with different dangerous ingredients for rat poison and doing all those step by step tricks to kill the rats with traps and they insert other new live traps with infected food in order to smell good and attract them – we are going to be quite honest here. This is a dangerous way to do these things. Yes, rats can give you a big time headache when you wake up in the morning, do your usual things, take a shower and so on and then, when you open your basement door to head to the underground garage and leave for work you see something that is going to change your whole day, something is going to keep you thinking about it the whole day, something that look like – rat droppings. You become overwhelmed by what you have just seen because from another point of view you actually realize that the house you are living in have been purchased like a week ago and the one who sold it to you had no idea about what is really going on and those things are basically unbelievable.

What are going to tell your wife? What is going to happen? You are already twenty five minutes late for work. You are confused and only know you realize that you haven’t got the necessary knowledge to stay calm and find out what should be done when you see rat droppings on the steps from your basement to your underground garage. Well, the next thing that a normal person would do (and only mainly because the lack of time – remember you are already late for work) is call those rat exterminators. While heading to your car you are thinking. I have no time left. I can’t handle this on my own and so on and so forth. You are already looking exhausted even though it is only nine o’clock in the morning. Yes, the best option for me is not to call a professional rat exterminator that is going to handle this easy and without hassle. I’m going to leave his the keys to the house and let him do the rat inspection till I come back from work. The next think that you realize that you are actually doing is calling your first met in the yellow pages local pest extermination group or company asking for an expert rat exterminator that could handle the rat droppings problem in your great house. You are being offered a few solutions and being told that the best one (as usual) is the most expensive one. Because you are terrible lacking time you decide to give it a try and order the most expensive package of rat proofing system that they have, give them their address and just sit and wait for what is going to happen. Well that was quite a story.

However, it is well known that usually rat exterminators get their work from people with such a background. They know how to get rid of rats. These people have a totally different daily job and are probably working as lawyers or accountants. They don’t have the time to dedicate in developing new ways to get rid of rats or browse on the internet new rat extermination do it yourself rat extermination tricks and tips for others to try out. There are simple issues that need to be solved here and you simply (meaning the person that is seeking for help from professional rat extermination service companies) cannot afford to do it on your won. You are lacking time and you want it to be done fast easy and without much hassle. However, with that being told, it is time to start explaining what are people don’t understand in most of the cases when dealing with such a thing. They don’t want to believe that it might happen that some of these rat exterminators are actually going to use dangerous poison for you, your pets, your dog, your cat, your parrot, your bird, your hamster and the rest of the family that is living in the same house, home, apartment or property. You cannot afford to let something like this happen. There are different things that need to be stopped and today we are going to try and make something clear before you just go to your favorite pest extermination company and ask help for the first thing that you encounter and spend another two or three thousand dollars for stuff that isn’t even so valuable.

Now the first thing to do before calling any rat exterminators to take care of the rat presence (we are saying presence because you cannot be sure if you are infested or not by only spotting a few rat droppings on your basement stairways) is to become informed about certain things. Even if you can afford the most expensive pest control service in the world where they work with golden and platinum tools there is still no excuse for what you are about to do. Things are things and you need to make it as clear as possible. Get rid of that kind of stuff before it is too late. Try to view things on a larger scale. If you have computer and you have access to the internet you can actually start revealing some information that is going to save you a lot of time, money and even something related to your and your family’s health in the near future. If you have pets and you love them you need to take care of them too. There are basically so many things involved when someone is willing to just call a local rat extermination service company and ask for help. It seems easy, it seems that there is nothing complicated about that but there are plenty of things that need to be calculated in order to avoid unpleasant rat issues.

This post was written because we felt that urge and the need to expose our feelings and thoughts regarding one of the most important things and especially concerning those individuals who are having a totally different specialty and don’t want to get involved with mess like rat droppings and so on and so forth. There are plenty of things that need to be done here. First of all you need to find all possible home remedies for rats. A lot of them have already been solved. Others are just coming by. Anyway, what is clear has already been told. People need to start getting the necessary knowledge, start to learn and study everything one needs to understand when seeking advice from all those that are currently looking for help because they know, feel or just have some kind of feeling that their house might be infested with rodents or even rats. This is it; this is what people must be very attentive about. When trying to get rid of rats you have to know what you are doing. When calling rat exterminators you have to make sure that they don’t use dangerous methods and poison to exterminate rats. Even though they are going to tell you not to worry and that everything is alright there are still many important things to be taken into consideration. It is what it is guys you have to give ignorance the possibility to stay away and you definitely need to be in your house or basement or garage or barn when they are going to perform the rat inspection and rat proofing afterward. There are some things that you need to understanding. Rat exterminators don’t want to harm anyone or to put you or your family in danger. They just need to earn their living and they do what they have to do, kill rats. However, what is even more interesting is the fact that they are actually quite lazy lately and do it fast without paying to much attention to what is going to happen later.

You need the help of professional rat exterminators to get rid of your rodent problem. However, be careful how you use and take advantage of it.

Regards,
Peter Gryzunichu
Rat Extermination for Beginners