Rats

RATS for many people, their couldn’t be a more dreadful infestation.  Bashing chewing, scratching and scurrying noises in the roof can cause long, sleepless, creepy nights.

 Rats reproduce every 19-23 days & are ready to mate again in 2 days.   It takes little time for rats to colonize your home & ceiling.  On top of the sleepless nights rats can cause, rats can cause numerous long and short term health hazards

Customers sometimes try to put poison in their attic to take care of their rat problem.  Many times it will lead to the rat dying in the attic.  The old thought process of “the poison will make the rat leave to go find water” is most often not true.  Most poisons are an anticoagulant (prevents blood from clotting) and the rats bleed to death inside themselves.  The dead rat will then leave an awful odor potentially causing headaches, nausea and general displeasure.  Large flies in the the home or business as well as maggots are also another common problem as the animal decomposes.

 If  home poisoning works to kill the rat, it will only take care of the problem temporarily.  Rats are a fact of life in Gauteng and most areas.  If one rat got in, more rats can get in too. Our custom solutions are more long lasting and effective.

  Rats can bite up to six times a second and have no problem with chewing into and through your AC ducting, electrical wires, TV cables or anything else in your attic or crawl space( car wiring is also susceptible to gnawing and damage). Rodents have a gnawing reflex to keep their front incisors short, which leads to gnawing while stationary.

  Rats are incontinent; as they walk they dribble urine & leave droppings everywhere.  We have your Rodent Solutions!  All homes and businesses, yes even new ones, have potential entry points for rats.  New homes, of course, are built to the current building codes.  However, passing inspection has nothing to do with keeping rodents out.  There is nothing in the Building Code that requires a home to be built rodent proof

Mice

A mouse (plural: mice) is a tiny mammal ( around teth of the size of a rat)belonging to the order of rodents, characteristically having a pointed snout, small rounded ears, and a long naked or almost hairless tail. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (Mus musculus). It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles. They are known to invade homes for food and occasionally shelter, and bring disease carrying fleas from the exterior into buildings.

Diseases linked to Rats and Mice

Hantavirus (HPS) - a potentially deadly disease that attacks the pulmonary system caused by a virus that becomes airborne when rodent fecal matter is disturbed.  It can be ingested through the mouth, nose, eyes and open wounds through contact with urine, droppings or saliva from infected rodents.  The hantavirus is the most dangerous rodent borne health risk.  Although it is considered rare, it has been stated that residents informal housing settlements in the Western Cape, Kwazulu natal and Gauteng all run the risk of HPS, as well as the suburbs surrounding the areas .  It’s early symptoms mimic the flu so it often goes undiagnosed.  Early symptoms include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups—thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders.  Headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal problems, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. About half of all HPS patients experience these symptoms.  Four to 10 days after the initial phase of illness, the late symptoms of HPS appear.  These include coughing and shortness of breath, with the sensation of, as one survivor put it, a “…tight band around my chest and a pillow over my face” as the lungs fill with fluid.  The CDC in the USA reports that the hanatavirus is fatal and has a mortality rate of 38%

Rat Bite Fever- The disease is caused by a rat bite.  The first symptoms are usually swelling at the site as well as swelling in the lymph nodes.  Next flu like symptoms including fever & chills, headache, muscle aches, weakness, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting & sore throat.  Then, 2-4 days later a rash of small red bumps usually forms on the hands & feet.  The rash can also occur on the arms, legs & trunk.  Arthritis in the knees & hips is very common too.  Symptoms can continue for several months & 13% of untreated cases are fatal.  In some cases the infection can cause pneumonia & can travel to the heart & brain causing damage & abscesses.  The initial wound may persist with swelling & ulceration & reappear at the onset of systemic symptoms.  The main symptom is a cycle of fever lasting from 2 to 4 days.  Symptoms usually continue for 4 to 8 weeks but may continue for up to one year.  Complications may include infection of the heart, meningitis, hepatitis, & enlarged spleen.  If left untreated death results in 6% to 10% of the cases.

Food Poisoning - contamination of foods by rodent urine or feces is a common cause of salmonella

Asthma - rodent urine and urine proteins has been shown to greatly complicate the symptoms of asthma and asthma related ailments and is the second leading cause of asthma

Lyphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus - transmitted through contact with rodent feces.  The effects can vary from incidental symptoms to a form of meningitis

Bubonic Plague - spread by fleas feeding the rodent.  It is an aggressive bacterial disease whose symptoms include chills, fever, diarrhea, headaches, & swelling of the infected lymph nodes as the bacteria replicate.  If left untreated, the rate for the death is 50-90%

Rickettsial Pox - Transmitted via rodent-borne mites.  It causes lesions followed by fever, headache, and rashes.

Rabies -  Rabies is the most commonly feared & talked about health risk with any wildlife of our customers.  Rabies can be fatal to humans if treatment is not given before to the onset of severe symptoms.  The rabies virus infects the central nervous system ultimately causing disease in the brain & death

If you believe you have been exposed, or are experiencing any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately!

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