Rats and Mice
 |  All of our staff are fully qualified to B.P.C.A. and R.S.H. standards and undergo continuous development training programmes to enable them to deliver a service beyond your expectations. | |
| The common species of rat found in towns and cities is the Brown Rat, rattus norvegicus. Less common is the Ship Rat, rattus rattus, usually found around ports. The Brown rat was first recorded in Europe at the beginning of the 18th century and were referred to as the Norway rat because they were thought to have travelled from the east on Norwegian timber ships. Rats can transmit dangerous diseases to humans including Weils disease, murine typhus and salmonella bacteria. They reach sexual maturity in 2-3 months, can have 3-6 litters per year and can have between 8-10 young per litter. Their average life span is 12 months. The Brown rat must drink water daily and will eat anything. They eat on average one tenth of their body weight each day. Rats suffer from a condition called neophobia which is a fear of new objects. So a rat that enters a building and establishes a 'run' will become wary of freshly laid rodent baits, ignoring them for a few days, and continuing to cause damage to stock. However a rat gaining entry to a premises that has preventative pest control measures will consider the existing bait as 'normal' and will be eradicated swiftly. |  The House Mouse is a very common pest of buildings and can gain access through very small gaps putting most premises at risk of infestation. The House mouse originated from the steppes of Central Asia and was reportedly found in this country as early as the 9th Century. They can transmit Salmonella and other gastro. diseases through their droppings and urine. Sexual maturity is reached in 6-8 weeks and they can have up to 5-8 litters per year. The litter size is between 4-16 young. Under ideal conditions a pair of mice could produce 2500 mice in 1 year! Mice will drink water if available but it can survive on food with a moisture content of 15%. | |