I believe in treating all creatures with respect. My mission is to ensure everyone understands how to protect their home from rodents without using cruel methods.
Here are the 8 main reasons. First, you may already know some reasons, such as the potential to spread hantavirus, which is contracted through rat droppings. But do you know all of them?
1. Damage to your home
Rats are well known for being able to chew through just about anything! That means they can damage a lot of things in your home.
They have teeth that can bite through furniture, wires and cables, some parts of your home and even your clothes.
As rats can chew through quite a few items, there is a possibility that they will chew through structural items in your home. I am talking about wooden beams, footings, and even concrete. You don’t need me to tell you how costly that can be!
It may start as a small gnaw mark, but it will get bigger. The weather will make it worse too. Eventually, it will become weak enough to crumble apart.
How dangerous are rats? When you consider the structural and electrical damage they can do to your property, rats can be very hazardous!
2. They bring diseases
When considering why rats are dangerous, it is prudent to remember that rats can carry diseases with them, and some of them can be lethal to humans and other animals (your pets, for instance).
These diseases are lethal to humans, for example, salmonellosis and bubonic plague (spread by the fleas that rats carry).
Rats can transmit a disease to a human through rat droppings (feces), urine (through the water supply, too), and some bugs that a rat can carry.
The plague is so savage that it killed about 60 percent of the population in Europe during the 14th century. How hazardous are rats? Considering this info, I would say they are extremely hazardous!
3. Pre-poisoned rat spells danger
Imagine this: Your neighbor has identified a rat problem in your area. They want to eliminate the rats to clear up your neighborhood and make the streets just that little bit cleaner.
What does he do?
He sets up a few rat traps and fills them with poison. He certainly wants to end the reign of this rodent!
Next thing you know, that rat is getting close to your house, and your pet is chomping at the bit to grab hold of it. So if your pet takes a chunk out of the rat, they could be affected by the poison and may need emergency veterinary treatment or maybe die.
It is not just a danger to a human that we need to consider; this rodent will even harm your pet through secondary poisoning.
They also contaminate your food and run around the kitchen where you prepare it. Ingesting the contaminated food and preparing meals the rat has trodden on can be hazardous to your health.
7. Ticks and associated diseases
Rats carry fleas; we have discussed that and the bubonic plague above. So what else do rats carry that makes them threatening to humans?
The answer is that they can also carry ticks. Ticks are annoying little critters that hook into you by burying their head under your skin to live off your blood supply. But, as if that wasn’t bad enough, they also have the potential to carry diseases too!
Ticks can carry Lyme disease, which, if left, can cause some severe health complications. Check out this guide on tick prevention.
The tick can carry a disease; the rat has the tick, which is dangerous.
Removing a tick from a human is relatively simple. You can use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers. Then, grab the tick close to the skin and pull it up with steady, even pressure.
Be careful not to leave any tick behind, and treat the area with rubbing alcohol or water and soap.
8. A dirty house means other health hazards
Rats make your house dirty and a breeding ground for other pests like cockroaches.
Having a dirty house also encourages other critters, like bed bugs! Bed bugs are speedy and aggressive breeders and will quickly take over an environment.
When other bugs begin to infest your home, you need to step up and take back control before your health, and your loved ones are affected.
Always clean up rat droppings, urine, and other evidence of rat activity in your home. Do this to reduce the risk of disease.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a rat bites you?
First things first, it will hurt, but only a bit. If a rat bit me, I would be more concerned about the potential diseases it may transmit rather than the pain of the bite.
Under usual circumstances, a rat will avoid human contact as much as possible. Rats and humans have been living closer together in recent times.
That means rats are becoming braver, especially those in big cities. So rats can become aggressive, especially if food is involved or you are cornering the rat.
Another huge reason a rat could be aggressive is if you get too close to a rat’s nest filled with baby rats. The mother is likely to see you as a threat which may invoke aggressive behavior in the rat.
Conclusion
Are rats dangerous? The 8 reasons in this post indicate that they are.
If you have rats near your home or in your yard, you must get rid of them ASAP.
Rats are a danger to you, your health, and your family’s health. Rats can spread disease through the bugs they carry, their droppings (hantavirus), and urine (especially if the urine enters your water supply).
One of the best ways to stop rats from getting into your home is to seal up any rat entry points that you may notice around the perimeter of your home.
Rats can use even holes as big as a quarter to gain entry.
Once these are sealed up, the rats cannot get into your home to cause damage. Therefore, prevention is better than cure.
If you do not like the idea of DIY pest control (it takes time and patients but will work), you should consider bringing in a professional pest control expert to get rid of these rodents.
Oh, and if you have had rats in your home, then make sure to clean up all the droppings and rat urine! The rodents may have left, but the disease risk remains a danger to humans. Plus, having rat droppings and urine around your home will eventually stink.
I’m an expert in do-it-yourself rodent control. For more than 20 years, I’ve dedicated my life to helping people live harmoniously alongside these critters by sharing rodent control solutions that are effective and kind.
I believe in treating all creatures with respect. My mission is to ensure everyone understands how to protect their home from rodents without using cruel methods.
1 thought on “8 Reasons Why Rats Are Dangerous”
You made a great point about rats and how they can eventually chew on electric cables and cause a fire hazard. That thought alone is very terrifying for me since I live in a house with a family full of people reliant on electronic gadgets like TVs and computers. Since I remember seeing a rat scurry through my kitchen the other day, I’m not going to take any chances, so I’ll look for a rodent control expert immediately and have them drop by.
You made a great point about rats and how they can eventually chew on electric cables and cause a fire hazard. That thought alone is very terrifying for me since I live in a house with a family full of people reliant on electronic gadgets like TVs and computers. Since I remember seeing a rat scurry through my kitchen the other day, I’m not going to take any chances, so I’ll look for a rodent control expert immediately and have them drop by.