General Rodent Facts:
Rodents are virtually everywhere here in Florida. The population of rats for any given area is dependent on availability of food, water, warmth, safety and physical space. Their existence is benefited by an abundance of fresh water, and abundant food sources, such as fruit trees.
There are two types of rats, Norway rats and Roof rats (sometimes called “Fruit Rats or “Black Rats”)
Norway rats are burrowers into the ground. But they can and do climb.
Roof rats are great climbers and can enter a structure through openings in the roof, facia, and soffit as well as garage doors that do not close tight
| Gestation: | 21-23 days |
| Litter Size: | 5 to 8 per litter called “pups” |
| Able to Reproduce: | 90 days |
| Average Number of litters per year: | Three |
| Season: | No breeding season, they breed though out the year. |
| Independence: | Fourteen Days, eyes open and moving around on its own. |
Diseases:
Rodents can carry and transport 36 separate diseases, some of them fatal.
Rats can carry flea’s which can be transferred to humans or pets.
Contamination Caused By Rodents:
It is estimated that rodents eat or contaminate 20% of the worlds food supply, making them a leading cause for world hunger.
Each rodent will leave 1,000,000 hairs behind each year. That’s 83,333 hairs a month! Each rodent will leave 200,000 feces behind a year. That’s 16,667 feces a month!
When Rodent feces dry out they can easily become air borne causing respiratory problems.
Teeth: Incisors:
Their front teeth are called incisors, which grow constantly about 4mm per day (about 5 inches each year)
The incisors are harder than steel, and rats can exert a biting pressure of up to 7,000 PSI and they can bite up to 6 time a second.
They spend 10% of their day gnawing to sharpen their teeth.
They can chew though wiring, plastic, drywall, cinderblock, wood, aluminum and lead sheeting.
Rats have teeth that can cut through lead pipes.
Nesting:
Although rodents are great swimmers, heavy periods of rain will cause them to seek higher ground – such as your attic. Cold weather will cause rats to seek warmth – such as your attic. Occasionally the engine compartment or interior of your vehicle.
Remember, rodent urine trail is good for 2 years! Which in effect leaves a trail for other rodents to follow.
General Rules of Thumb: If you see a rat in the evening, you have more than 50 others close by. If you see a rat in the day time, you have hundreds in the area.
