There aren’t many drawbacks to living in the Coastal Empire, but rats would definitely rank among the number one complaint. Our unique ecosystem of water, humidity and foliage is particularly suited to rodents. Therefore, they tend to show up in homes and businesses often.
Ideal Pest Control understands that our clients want to keep their living spaces free from invading rodents. Rats bring concerns that go far beyond health hazards – a colony of rats can cause extensive property damage before the homeowner realizes they have established nests within their structure.
It’s for this reason that if you notice any signs of rats in your home, you should contact-us right away. Our fully trained technicians will take a multi-faceted approach to protect your home and eliminating the issue permanently.
To further understand why one rat is too many, let’s look at how a rat colony is organized and explore some little-known facts about rodents.
R-Adaptive Species
Scientifically, rats are classified as an r-adaptive species. This means that they mature rapidly and breed at an incredibly fast pace. A single female rat can live between six months to two years, and during a single year can have up to 84 babies through multiple litters.
When you consider that each of those baby rats is able to begin breeding at just five weeks old and can be expected to produce the same number of offspring as their parent, it’s clear that a single rat in your home can quickly reach unmanageable proportions.
The truth is one rat can establish a colony that will number hundreds before a year has passed.
Social Structure
While it’s surprising to most people, rats create a structured social system within their colonies. Rats are dependent on pheromones, or scents, left by other animals in order to forage. They have been shown to be responsive to the introduction of these scents and responding, with female rats only foraging during early hours and males venturing from the dens at all hours of the day.
It’s still unclear as to why rats behave this way, as there is little research to rat behavior in colonies, but it’s reasonable to assume that they establish a hierarchy within colonies to protect gestating females.
With this knowledge, it’s clear that it’s never ‘just one rat.’ Any sign or appearance of even a single rodent warrants a call to Ideal Pest Control to restore your home to a pest-free condition and eliminate the health and property damage risks associated with a rat infestation.
