Rodents
Norway Rat
The Norway Rat is approximately 12 to 18 inches (including tail), 12 to 16 ounces, stocky, ears are small and hairy. This rat’s tail is shorter than its head and body length, is a larger, heavier rat, with smaller eyes and a blunter snout than the roof rat, dropping are large and ovoid. Rats teeth grow an average of 7″ per year. This is why they constantly gnaw and chew. Norway rats also feed on a variety of items prefer to stick to plant material. However, they have also been known to prey on eggs, young chickens and other small animals. These rats are prolific breeders and do not have a delimited breeding season.
House Mouse
The House Mouse is the smaller cousin of the rat, uniformly light brown to dark gray; occasionally a little lighter on the belly 5 to 7 inches, 1/2 to 1 ounce, slender, agile, they have large ears, small feet and eyes in proportion to the body; sparsely hairy tail. They are mostly active during dusk or night and do not like bright lights. They mainly feed on plant matter, but as omnivores, they will generally eat whatever is available. The House moust lives in close proximity to humans in or around houses or fields because of the availability of food and shelter. Although generally rats are more harmful to humans than mice, the House mouse can still pose a substantial threat to human health and must be taken care of.
Black Rat
The Black Rat (Rattus rattus) (alt. Asian black rat, Ship Rat, Roof Rat, House Rat, Alexandrine Rat, Old English Rat) is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus (rats) in the subfamily Murinae (murine rodents). The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 6th century and spreading with Europeans across the world. Today it is again largely confined to warmer areas, having been supplanted by the Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) in cooler regions.
Despite its name, it exhibits several colour forms. It is usually black to light brown in colour with a lighter underside. A typical rat will be 6–8 inches long with a further 8 inches of tail. It is nocturnal and omnivorous, with a preference for grains. Compared to the Brown Rat, it is a poor swimmer, but more agile and a better climber, tending even to flee upwards. In a suitable environment it will breed throughout the year, with a female producing three to six litters of up to ten young. Females may regulate their production of offspring during times when food is scarce, throwing as few as only one litter a year. R. rattus lives for about 2–3 years. Social groups of up to sixty can be formed.
The Black Rat has been known to fall victim of a number of diseases, of which bubonic plague (via the rat flea), typhus, toxoplasmosis and trichinosis are the most well known.
Bug Stop Services Will Perform the Following:
- Perform a thorough inspection
- Identify the species of pest involved.
- Determine where the colonies are located
Bug Stop Services will then advise you of your treatment options
- Treat the colonies directly if possible.
- Use baits for colonies that cannot be treated directly using baits designed to eliminate the colony.
- Recommend a weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly schedule.
Bug Stop Services will inspect the location for points of entry, make recommendations for a rodent control program which may include external tamper-proof bait stations, glue boards, and possible tin cats. This determination is dependent upon pets, children, and the prevailing circumstances for each customer’s situation. Each technician is fully prepared and equipped to seal openings and take the safest and most appropriate measures to eliminate your rodent problems.
Bug Stop Services provides a service for the disinfecting and deodorization of areas contaminated by rodents feces. Untreated fecal matter can develop spores which become air borne causing some of the diseases commonly transmitted by rats and mice or parasites that they carry.
