When it comes to rodents, like rats and mice, there are countless half-truths, rumors and myths. These untruths surround everything from how to remedy infestations to their behavior. We all would love a quick fix when suffering an infestation, but the truth is that these are not easy pests to eliminate from your home or office.
Most myths concerning rodents are harmless enough, but some might actually have you believing silly things that will never happen. You can try to solve your own rodent problem, but if you believe the myths you might just make a bad situation worse.
So what do you really know about mice and rats? It’s a valid question as someday you might have to deal with them first hand. Earthwise Pest Management, your pest control company in Sacramento, offers myths about mice and rats.
If You Have Mice or Rats, You Must Live in Poor Sanitary Conditions
If you believe this, you might not even acknowledge to others that you have a rodent problem. And you certainly aren’t going to call an exterminator to help.
People often associate rats and mice with uncleanness and dirt. The truth of the matter is that rats and mice can be found in any type of environment, clean or dirty. This is, you can and will find rats and mice in pristine luxury homes.
Rodents are attracted to shelter and food sources, they don’t care about cleanliness.
Get a Cat, It Will Control Your Mouse Problem
If you think a cat is going to solve your rodent problem, it’s a decision you might wish to reconsider. There are all kinds and types of cats in the world. You might get a cat that has absolutely no interest in chasing rodents around.
You could get a cat that likes to chase mice, but it is highly unlikely to eliminate the problem. It might help a little at best.
Also, cat food will attract rodents, they love that stuff.
Mice Don’t Have Bones
There are actually people who think this is true. Mice do have bones, but they can still squeeze into super small spaces. If you can fit a pencil in a hole, a mouse can get through it. Once they get their head in, the body follows quite easily.
One Mouse is No Big Deal
You are right, one mouse is no big deal. But here lies the problem; if you see one mouse, there are probably a lot more than you aren’t seeing. And even if you really do have only one mouse, it could be a female expecting a litter.
Over the course of a year, one female mouse can produce as many as 60 offspring. So that one mouse will turn into an infestation in just a few months.
Soda Kills Rats
This is an urban legend that has been in circulation for many years. Soda isn’t good for rats, it’s not good for humans either, but it won’t kill them. In fact, they might like soda and choose to stick around.
Mice Love Cheese
Mice might like cheese, some mice might like cheese, you don’t know for sure. Cheese doesn’t grow on trees in nature, so mice have to eat other things. A mouse’s diet consists of seeds, fruit and insects. So if you are using cheese for bait, it might not work.
Rats No Longer Carry Disease
We are sure that you have studied or at least read about the plagues rodents have brought man in the dark ages. That is all true. And while we haven’t suffered a plague outbreak in hundreds of years, it could still happen.
But more realistically, you could suffer salmonella, rat-bite fever and trichinosis from a rat or mouse.
Mice are Only Active at Night
Mice and rats move about when they feel safe and secure, which just happens to be at night when everything has settled down. They are not primarily nocturnal, just playing it safe.
Rats are Aggressive
Rats can and will bite. And their teeth can puncture the skin and draw blood. However, rats are not aggressive by nature and will only bite if they feel threatened or cornered.
If you think you have a mouse or rat problem, give Earthwise Pest Management a call.