Rodents are mammals and are found around the globe, constituting over 2000 species. Their physical appearance can distinguish these species.
Once in your life, you may have experienced some creepy sounds from your home at night. If you follow the sound, you may end up witnessing a rodent.
Some people consider this little creature cute, with a tiny, innocent face. This perspective will definitely change when they learn about the dangers and health risks they spread.
Apart from posing a health risk, they are experts at causing structural damage to both houses and businesses.
As they are known as good chewers, they often damage electric wires, which leads to huge destruction. They are good at hiding in a peaceful, calm environment where no humans come to disturb them.
When food products are packed and stored in paper boxes, rats find it easy to unwrap them and steal the stored food. They may leave their droppings and urine behind and contaminate food sources.
To save our health and properties from these creatures, thorough research is essential to understand their behaviour, how they spread diseases, and how you can prevent them from entering your space.
Common rodent behaviour
As mentioned above, there are about 200 species of rodents; however, most of them possess similar behaviours and characters.
1. Gnawing and Chewing
The long teeth in front of them help them be good chewers. It is fascinating that their teeth keep growing. They use their sharp teeth to chew and gnaw electrical wires, wood, and many more things.
2. Nocturnal activity
Most rodent species are active at night. They take advantage of their sharp night vision and excellent hearing to search for food and hide from predators.
3. Nesting behaviour
Nesting behaviour is quite common in all varieties of rodents. They are essential to their survival and create nests anywhere possible.
4. They are omnivorous.
They can consume both leaves, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and small insects.
Diseases spread by Rodents
Rodents carry around 35 diseases and can cause serious health hazards that may even lead to death. The presence of such an uninvited guest can affect your overall well-being.
Here is a list of dangerous diseases spread by them.
1. Hantavirus
Hantavirus is a common respiratory disease in humans caused by infection with hantavirus. The disease is transmitted when we breathe in air contaminated with the virus. No matter how healthy you are, you can get infected by the Hantavirus at any time.
Symptoms: fatigue, Fever, muscle aches Dizziness Headaches.
2. Leptospirosis
It is an infection brought on by the bacterium Leptospira interrogans. When people come into contact with rodents directly or consume food, soil, or water that has been tainted with their urine, they may contract the disease.
Symptoms: Muscle pain Vomiting, diarrhoea, and jaundice
3. Rat bite fever
The bacteria responsible for this fever are found in rodent saliva and urine. When a person gets a rodent bite, they get infected with a fever.
Symptoms: fever, Skin rashes Headache vomiting.
4. Salmonella
Rodents contaminate food products and water with the salmonella bacteria that causes food poisoning in humans.
Symptoms: Stomach ache, blood in stool, cold, fever, diarrhoea, headache
5. Lassa Fever
This is another common disease transmitted by rodents by contaminating food with their urine and droppings.
Symptoms: Mild fever, common malaise, headache, nausea
Prevention strategies to control Rodents
Encountering pesky creatures on your residential and commercial buildings is always a hectic task. They have the potential to cause serious illness and damage your belongings. To overcome the troubles created by rodents, it is important to know some prevention strategies to control them.
1. Maintaining proper cleanliness
Every pest, especially rodents, is attracted to food sources, so keep your food sources in a tight container. In addition, empty your trash regularly, clean your entire house once a week, and remove all the unwanted things.
2. Sealing entry points
Seal all the entry points, including the tiny holes, as they can squeeze through them. Regular inspection of the buildings is essential to detecting cracks, gaps, and holes.
3. Trim overgrown bushes.
Bushes are a great place for rodents to hide and build nests. So it is better to trim overgrown bushes and remove their hiding spots.
4. Pest Proofing exteriors
Implement pest-proofing exteriors in your home and workplace that add extra safety and prevent entry.
5. Professional pest control
When dealing with a severe rodent infection, contact a professional pest control company that can provide you with effective solutions.
In conclusion, it is evident that rodents create a number of troubles wherever they are. Recognising and implementing effective prevention steps will keep them apart to some extent. Make an effort to eliminate them and prioritise your health and wealth.
Contact Al Rasa pest control services in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to eliminate rodent infestations in your residence. Our experts are at your doorstep to exterminate these nuisances professionally.