Hinds County, Jackson Rat Control Situation:
Had a rat tear off the insulation glued to the underside of my hood. He stuffed it in the heater box and other not so convenient places. Fortunately he didn't chew on a wiring harness, but it still cost me $600 in repairs. Are there any deterrents that will keep them away from the engine compartment?
I wonder if you could help please. I have some sort of critter living in my outside shed (also heard noises in the attic & cavity wall) I have put out trays of poison (one of which has been eaten) however the remaining tray now keeps being covered up with things lying about in the shed (ie, 3" plastic toy, paint scrapers etc & it's a locked shed, so it's not a human !!)) Have you any idea what could be doing this as we also cannot find any evidence of rats/mice (droppings etc) Any help or assistance you could offer would be greatly appreciated.
Jackson Rat Control Tip of The Week
Can A Rat Have Rabies?
Rats have powerful bites:
Rats can have very powerful bites and are capable of damaging the skin quickly. A rat can bite through cinderblocks to get into an area if it needs to. Rats could bite through clothing or manage to break the skin even unintentionally with a very quick bite. Handling rats with care or using heavy gloves is recommended if you have to remove one or relocate it. It is ultimately best if you avoid handling rats whenever possible.
Many people are bitten each year with low rates of infection:
Rats bite over 50,000 people in the USA each year. Rabies vaccine shots are very rarely delivered in these cases and the risk for other types of diseases that rats carry can be far greater. Going to see a doctor about a rat bite can be wise if you are starting to feel some of the secondary symptoms or it looks infected.
Rats do spread disease:
Rats do spread a series of diseases including rat-bite fever. It can be transmitted through a bite or through pets. Rabies can be a deadly disease but most of the diseases that rats pass on are only able to cause the chance for fever and infection which carry lower rates of mortality.
Other animals can be much riskier to receive bites from:
If you are bitten by other animals like raccoons, coyotes, woodchucks, or skunks, this will give you a much riskier chance of receiving something like rabies. When bitten by a rat, you should be concerned but you may not have to run to get the bite checked out with the same urgency.
The main theory of low rabies cases:
A rat would have to survive a bite from a predator in order to become a carrier of rabies. As coyotes and larger animals will be likely to kill a rat in an attack, this leads to the chance of rats not being able to spread rabies at all.