Are you struggling with unwanted rodents in your home or yard? It can be a frustrating experience dealing with rats, mice, squirrels, bugs, and other rodents in your home, especially if they keep returning year-after-year. It may be helpful to know you are not alone in this. In fact, unwanted rodents infesting homes, neighborhoods, and cities are on the rise throughout the United States.
Interested in learning more about how these destructive animals are impacting the country? Keep reading for some key findings on everything from where unwanted rodents thrive to their breeding patterns.
5 Interesting Facts About Unwanted Rodents Like Rats
1. Rats thrive in urban spaces
If you live in the city, you probably already know that rats enjoy living in urban environments. Reasons for this include the large amounts of trash and a never-ending supply of locations where they can hide and live. In America, there are three cities that top the charts for having the most rats. Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C. take the first, second, and third place positions for having the most rats, respectively.
Chicago has even seen an increase in the number of nuisance calls that occur due to unwanted rodents like rats. In the past few years, they have risen 61% in Chicago. For New York City, the calls have risen by 129% and San Francisco has seen an increase in nuisance calls by 174%.
2. Rats can breed very quickly
One reason cities like Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C. struggle when it comes to animal removal to cut down on the number of rats is due to their breeding patterns. When two rats are in the same place, they can breed rather quickly and with abundance. A little can contain up to 12 baby rats. So, two rats together can bring 482 million new rats into the world in just under three years.
3. The food population can be contaminated by rats
If you have rats in your home or you live in a city with a large rat population, your food may be at risk. Up to 20% of the world’s food supply can be damaged by destructive animals like rats, mice, and other rodents, according to the National Pest Management Association. It is important to make sure you get any rat infestation under control in your home or neighborhood to ensure that the food you are eating is safe.
Additionally, it is crucial to rely on pest control in your area if you have an infestation. Without this rodent removal industry, the National Pest Management Association estimates more than 50% of our food would be contaminated by these unwanted rodents. While the pest control industry cannot permanently rid cities and homes of these rodents, they can help keep populations as low as possible.
4. Some people prefer to keep rats as pets
While many throughout the United States consider rats an unwanted nuisance, some actually enjoy having a rat as a pet in their home. One of the main breeds that people keep as a pet is known as the Fancy Rat breed. Take note that if you opt to have a rat as a pet, they may reproduce. When that happens, a litter can contain up to 12 baby rats, or pups.
5. Fun Fact: Pizza Rat
One of the most famous rats is known as the Pizza Rat. This rat was in a video posted to YouTube in 2015. Over the next few years, the Pizza Rat video received more than 10.4 million views on YouTube.
As is made evident by these facts and statistics, America struggles to keep unwanted rodents like rats and mice out of our homes and cities. While some enjoy keeping them as pets and others prefer to watch them eating pizza on YouTube, it is important to call your local pest control company to help get any infestation under control in your home. If you do not act quickly by contacting a rodent control company, they could multiply causing even more damage to your home and potentially your food supply.
