RODENT FACTS

Biology & Behavior of Rodents

    • Rats and mice have poor vision (so they feel their way along walls and other objects) but excellent senses of touch, taste and smell
    • Rats and mice are generally nocturnal, so they feed mainly at night.  Visible activity during the day is often a sign of a large infestation.
    • Rats and mice reproduce extremely rapidly
    • A family of 6 mice can grow to 50 – 60 in only 3 months
    • Rats are surprisingly athletic
    • From a standstill, rats can vertically jump nearly two feet
    • From a running start, rats can jump horizontally up to 3.5 feet
    • Rats have been known to survive a fall from a 5 story building
    • Rodents are amazingly good climbers
    • Roof rats even have extra pads and longer digits on their paws for improved climbing
    • Rats have an impressive bite
    • Rats can bite at a rate of 6 times per second
    • Bites can exert a force up to 7000 pounds per square inch
    • Incisor teeth grow at a rate of 5 inches per year


Diseases Caused By Rodents

Rodents have been linked to more than 55 different types of diseases including:  
    • Hantavirus – A deadly disease that attacks the pulmonary system caused by a virus that becomes airborne when fecal matter is disturbed.  Of the more than 460 cases reported since 1993, more than 35% have been fatal.
    • Food Poisoning – Contamination of foods by rodent urine or feces is a common cause of salmonella.
    • Asthma – Rodent urine and urine proteins has been shown to greatly complicate the symptoms of asthma and asthma related ailments and is the second leading cause of asthma.
    • LCMV or Lyphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus – Transmitted through contact with rodent feces the effects of the virus can vary from incidental symptoms to a form of meningitis.
    • Bubonic plague – Spread by fleas feeding on rodent carriers, it is an aggressive bacterial disease whose syptoms include chills, fever, diarrhea, headaches, and the swelling of the infected lymph nodes, as the bacteria replicate there. If left untreated, the rate of mortality for bubonic plague is 50-90%.  
    • Rickettsial Pox – Transmitted via rodent-borne mites and causing lesions followed by fever, headache and rashes.


Economic Impact of Rodents

The economic toll of rodents is in the tens of billions of dollars per year.  Their impact can be seen in a number of different ways…
    • Food contamination – Rodents contaminate 20% of the world’s food supply annually. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration destroys 400,000 tons of food contaminated by rodents each year.
    • Structural damage – Rodents continuously gnaw and chew on virtually everything around them, causing untold damage in our homes, businesses, and farms. An estimated one-fifth of the fires of unknown origin are suspected to be caused by rodents gnawing on electrical wires.
    • Productivity Losses – Businesses affected by heavy rodent infestations face significant productivity losses. In live animal production facilities, losses due to equipment down-time and reduced overall health of animals associated with rodents is staggering.


Public Health/Psychological Impact of Rodents

    • There are an estimated 55,000 incidents of rodent bites each year in the U.S., many of them requiring medical attention.
    • There are an estimated 5 billion rats worldwide.
    • It is estimated that rats actually outnumber humans in many major cities.

For additional information on rats and mice, see Meet the Pests on the home page.