In the U.S., mice and rats are of the commensal rodent variety. The origin of the word is interpreted as “sharing one’s table” (undoubtedly, without invitation). Rodents are kleptoparasitic which means they are parasites of humans by stealing food from us. Having been called the second most successful mammal on the planet (next to humans), they attack our food in the fields, during its processing, storage, transport, and in the supermarket, restaurant, home and office.
These pests are a significant sanitary issue for our food industry from beginning to end. Experts estimate that rats and mice destroy enough food each year to feed 200 million people. Rodents can cause damage to doors, floors, ceilings, walls, wires and many other things as a result of their gnawing. They have been implicated in the spread of up to 55 diseases to people and domestic animals. They live in disgusting areas much like cockroaches and bring diseases from these areas into our homes and around our food.
In a 1999 study of children in inner-city areas of 8 major cities [reference or link to the study results], research found that the house mouse carries a protein within its urine that can trigger asthma and allergic rhinitis in susceptible people. Mice urinate in micro-droplets throughout a room. Literally thousands of areas can have micro areas that have been contaminated by the mice. Because of this research, the house mouse has increasingly grown as a health concern in recent years.
Rodents can bring fleas and mites into your home. They can also transmit foodborne illnesses such as salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis which can cause acute food poisoning. Typhoid, dysentery, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus and leptospirosis are among some of the diseases that mice and rats can spread. This is not an acceptable option for a healthy home or business.
Mice are considered omnivores and will eat anything, with peak feeding at night and heaviest activity at dusk. Oddly, they have been known to even eat cockroaches and other mice. Mice rely heavily on their sensory organs, but cannot see very well. Rats have adapted well and can go a long time without water (even longer than a camel). They can chew through cinderblock and wood and squeeze through an opening as small as the diameter of a quarter. You need a serious strategy for eliminating these resilient creatures who have also perfected their disappearing act when humans are present.
At Abra Kadabra, we understand that exclusion (eliminating the access points) is a necessary component for an effective rodent management program. Trapping or rodenticide programs are situationally used in structures to eliminate an existing population.
