Rat trouble!

LittleTinker

suki1964 wrote: »

Unfortunately rat are carriers of weils disease which is very nasty so you really dont want wild rats on your property, esp if you have pets who use the garden or children.

However rats do make the most fantastic pets, very clean and smart. Just they pee everywhere and tend to chew. My two managed to eat their way through my sofa and all the wiring behind the unit that house tv,video,sky etc :rotfl: DH was not amused

Love rats....but they are a different type of rat that we have as pets arent they?

Domestic rats are much smaller and have nicer markings.....but what lovely little creatures they are! So amusing to watch and have smashing personalities dont they?

Mutter_2

treliac wrote: »

Apparently rats are clean creatures and not what some would have us believe. There are similarities between humans and rats that make us more likely to catch the same diseases from them rather than, say from cats, though. It is this that has probably given them their bad name.

My son tells me that Kenneth Grahame wrote about Ratty in 'Wind in the Willows', in a sympathetic way, with a hope of dispelling the myth about rats.

Sorry to disenchant you treliac, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Their urine is toxic and they are incontinent. Wee on the run you might say.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Apart from food poisoning rats may carry as many as 35 diseases. Remember they managed to wipe out 25% of the population of Europe in the Middle Ages - they could do it again!
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Copied from web.
Not so nice.


I am of course referring to wild rats. Not the cuddly creatures TigerLily keeps at her place. They must be a different type entirely.

See Weils is being discussed above. Likely in slow moving streams or pond, try to stop your dog from drinking puddles.






















































Not so nice.


I am of course referring to wild rats. Not the cuddly creatures TigerLily keeps at her place. They must be a different type entirely.

suki1964

Domestic rats are different - and just lovely but they have no bladder control and wee'ing on the run is apt

Treliac - I was always under the impression that weils was carried by the wee - as in rats wee in the rivers, wells etc?

And its not such a rare disease. We had many cases in the hospital where I worked. Usually those who played sports on the river - ski -ing,jet skis etc . Or perhaps is because I worked at the hospital Im just more aware of cases?

treliac

I believe the bubonic plague was carried by fleas that moved onto humans once they had killed their previous rat hosts.

Fortunately, it can be treated with antibiotics now.

LittleTinker

Hmmmm....and yet rats can be litter trained.

suki1964

LittleTinker wrote: »

Hmmmm....and yet rats can be litter trained.

So I was told before but honest my experience was of having to wash sticky cages and toys, window sills, skirting s etc - anywhere the little bleeders had played

I never minded, I adored them. Used to take them to walk the dog curled up in my neck - used to scare the c**p out of my walking buddies :rotfl:Unfortunately after the chewing of the wires hubby insisted I rehomed them

treliac

suki1964 wrote: »

Used to take them to walk the dog curled up in my neck

Ugh, the thought of that and their incontinence. :rotfl:

foreign_correspondent

I believe mice are incontinent, but not rats - and wild rats and domesticated rats are infact the same species and type - fancy rats just have more variety in colour, but are still common rats.

They are intelligent and resourceful creatures, and as treliac says they all have to find a way to eat - however the ultrasonic repellants are far more humanethan glue boards (a slow death) or traps (a swift death so long as they are in the right place) or poison (a slow death and also puts predators who may eat the rat at risk)!

tealady

Hi If you want to deter rats then if you go onto the Birmingham City council website there is a free downloadable factsheet.
Oh and to all dog owners out there rats will eat dog faeces so please clean up after your pet.

mrcol1000

treliac wrote: »

Apparently rats are clean creatures and not what some would have us believe. There are similarities between humans and rats that make us more likely to catch the same diseases from them rather than, say from cats, though. It is this that has probably given them their bad name.

My son tells me that Kenneth Grahame wrote about Ratty in 'Wind in the Willows', in a sympathetic way, with a hope of dispelling the myth about rats.

Ratty was actually a water vole. A creature often mistaken for a rat hence the name.
Rats are very clean creatures its just all the diseases and fleas that they carry (obviously exculding pet ones) that cause diseases and millions of people to be wiped out across Europe due to the plaque/black death. Sadly running in sewage all the time and not having someone to clean and flea you does that to the rats.