Pinpoint Pest Control Blog

Integrated Pest Management Serving North San Diego County for over 40 Years.

The Unknown Side Effects of Rats in the Home

Throughout history, humans and rats have coexisted together to the benefit of vermin everywhere. As people moved around the world and started colonizing different parts of the globe, rats followed suit as an easy way to get plenty of food and shelter on our behalf.

These days, rats are everywhere, and they are just as much of a nuisance today as they were hundreds of years ago. However, while having rats in your home is undoubtedly an unwelcome idea, today we want to talk about some of the hidden, unknown dangers that can come from having an infestation take hold.

Property Damage

Knowing that rats are hidden within your walls is one thing, but once you realize how much damage they are doing to those walls, it can be a nightmare.

The issue here lies with rats’ constant need to chew things. The fact is that their teeth are always growing, which means that they have to keep that growth in check by chewing on items that wear the teeth down.

Rats can gnaw and destroy almost anything. If you think that just wood or drywall is susceptible to their wrath, you’re wrong. We’ve seen rodents carve out holes and pathways in all kinds of materials, including stone and metal. Rat teeth are notoriously sharp and durable, so nothing is safe.

As you can imagine, as rats breed and take over new spaces, they chew through your home much faster and more efficiently. Unless you handle the problem immediately, you could be looking at a lot of property damage.

Health Issues

Rats are notoriously filthy creatures, being responsible for some of the worst outbreaks of disease throughout history. Although the bubonic plague can’t be blamed entirely on them (considering it was the rat flea’s fault), they certainly made it a lot easier for the disease to spread throughout Europe.

One of the most significant issues with rats is that they like to crawl around and explore. Unfortunately, male rats wind up dragging their testicles around wherever they go, meaning that you have trails of rat urine all over your home.

As you can imagine, having these kinds of unsanitary trails all over your house can pose a bit of a health problem. Also, since these lines are unseen by the naked eye, you could be exposed to all kinds of germs without even knowing about it.

Some of the disease’s rats can carry or help spread include:

  • Hantavirus
  • Rotavirus
  • Lyme Disease

Overall, you and your family can be exposed to some pretty nasty germs that could pose a potentially deadly threat to everyone in the home.

Bottom Line - Call Pinpoint Pest Control

No matter what, you need to remove a rat infestation from your property, and the sooner you do so, the better for everyone involved. Pinpoint Pest Control will identify where the outbreak has taken hold and will help eradicate the rodents from your home quickly and efficiently. Don’t wait until someone gets sick or part of your house crumbles from damage - take action and contact us, today.

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