• The Dangers of Rodents

the dangers of rodents in Portland OR- Vancouver - Longview - Kelso WARats or mice in your home can come with a lot of dangers. They can spread diseases, damage your home, and contaminate your food and surfaces.

Rodents Can Spread Diseases

A big concern rats and mice pose is the fact that they can spread diseases to you and your family including:

  • Hantavirus
  • Bubonic plague
  • Salmonella
  • Rat-Bite Fever
  • And more!

What’s also important is that you don’t have to be bitten by a rat or mouse to suffer these harmful diseases. Transmission can occur after being exposed to droppings, waste, nesting materials, and saliva. You can also become exposed by handling a dead rodent or by coming in contact with a contaminated surface or food.

Also, rodents can exacerbate asthma symptoms or cause asthma attacks because they produce allergens that affect some people.

Rodents Carry Parasites

Rats and mice are known to be common carriers of parasites. So they can also bring ticks, mites, and fleas into your home — another way in which diseases can be spread from rodents.

Rats and Mice Cause Damage

Rats and mice are one of the most destructive pests. In fact, rats’ teeth are so strong that they can cut through steel! However, they mainly chew through paper, wood, books, insulation, and anything else they see would make good nest-building materials. Rats and mice will also chew through electrical wiring, which can pose a serious fire hazard.

Rodents Breed Rapidly

Once a rodent has found the perfect space to nest, it will breed very rapidly. A rat, for example, will typically produce 6 litters a year of about 12 pups. After about a month, its pups will reach sexual maturity and continue the breeding cycle. So your small rat problem can grow to the thousands in just a year.

Professional Rodent Exterminators

While the mere sight of a rat or mice will cause you to shriek, it’s important to keep in mind these pests can also pose health hazards to you and your family. They can damage your home and belongings, contaminate food, and transmit diseases and bacteria through indirect and direct contact with people. Fortunately, you don’t have to live with these rodents. We at Interstate Pest Management, our rodent control experts. We will identify the exact species (because everyone should be handled differently), we’ll treat the infestation, determining the exact root cause, and then we’ll perform exclusion techniques to ensure you don’t have a rodent problem again.