10 Interesting and Scary Facts about Rodents

Most of us are not a fan of rodents. If rodents have invaded our personal space the first thing we want to do is get rid of them and though this may be necessary, rodents are interesting creatures.

10 Interesting and Scary Facts about Rodents

1. Did you know that a rats teeth never stop growing? One of their defining characteristics is that their teeth are continuously growing which is why they have to chew on anything they can get their teeth on!

2. Speaking of chewing….did you know that rats can chew through lead sheeting and even cinder block? It’

3. Rodents can spread up to 35 diseases to humans. Some of these diseases include the Hantavirus, Rat-bite Fever and Salmonellosis. Contact with rodent feces, urine, saliva, fleas or ticks infected by rodents and being bit by a rodent are how these diseases are transferred.

4. Female mice can birth up to 15 liters in a year and if that isn’t already hard to believe, they can get pregnant again 24 hours after giving birth!

5. Mice can reproduce at six weeks old which is one of the reasons they are able to overpopulate so quickly.

6. Rats are among some of the smartest animals on the planet but they are also vulnerable to peer pressure. Sound familiar? Studies have shown that rats will force themselves to eat food they don’t approve of if they are aware that their fellow peers have eaten it. Hence the saying, ‘rats will eat anything”.

7. Rats can squeeze through cracks and crevices as small as 13mm in diameter. That’s about half an inch!

8. Rats can survive a long time without water. They often hydrate themselves through the food they eat.

9. Remember how we said rats are some of the smartest animals on the planet? We weren’t kidding! They are often ranked up with dolphins and chimpanzees because of their ability to memorize routes and solve puzzles. This animal intelligence is why they are able to find their way back to their shelter if their original route is blocked off.

10. Rats are cannibals. In times of scarcity, rats will eat one another. Now that’s scary!

It’s no wonder that rodents give us the ebbie jeebies everytime we think of them or see them. If you found this topic interesting, you may also about reading about the 11 myths of rats and mice. If you suspect rodents have infested your home or property call Get Smart Rat Solutions to help you solve your rodent problem.