Rat droppings - photos and differences

February 16, 2020
Miscellaneous
Tatiana Rodina

If you have a private home, there is always the possibility that rats or mice will get into it. This can easily turn into a costly ordeal if rodents are not dealt with immediately upon discovery. It is important to note that your family members are not only at risk of getting sick because pests spoil food. The fumes emanating from the poop of rats and mice are also dangerous.

The reality is that almost all private homes are at risk of rodent infestation, no matter how new the home is. There are several reasons why you might be having problems.

Which doctor should I contact?

If, after a rodent bite or suspected contact with its waste products (contaminated soil, water, food, air), you develop signs of an acute infectious disease (fever, headache, weakness, muscle and joint pain), as well as pain and redness in the area bite, you need to consult an infectious disease doctor.
Additionally, the wound may need to be treated by a surgeon. Rats and mice belong to the order Rodents. If you don’t know the difference between them, it’s easy to confuse the animals. This will lead to an erroneous choice of means of destruction. Adults are characterized by different sizes: a rat is larger than a mouse. At the initial stage of development, young animals are more difficult to distinguish. To understand who is found in the house, they first study the features of the rodent’s body structure.

Small animals of several species are found in residential buildings. A house mouse lives near a person, as well as a gray, black or red rat.

The difference between rodents becomes noticeable if we evaluate each body parameter separately:

Dimensions. When thinking about what ordinary rats look like, the image of a large-bodied animal immediately comes to mind. The body length of this rodent reaches 30 cm. The mouse is smaller in size, the average individual is characterized by a length of up to 10 cm. Weight. Given the difference in size, it is logical to assume that the mass of animals also differs. For example, a mouse weighs between 30 and 50 g, while a fellow rat family reaches 900 g. Tail. Differs in length and thickness. This part of the mouse's body is shorter

You should also pay attention to the thickness. The mouse has a thin tail, while large rodents have a thick tail, which is more noticeable at the base

In addition, it is not covered with fur. The mouse tail is also different: it is hairy, and the color matches the color of the body. The eyes of the mouse are larger. Rodent ears also vary in size, shape and location. For example, in a mouse they are round, wide, and directed to the sides. Rat ears are flattened and distinguished by a small base. The shape of the head is also different. The muzzle of a rat is elongated, while that of a mouse is triangular in shape.

Relative to the head, the rat's eyes are small. Mice have more expressive and slightly convex black eyes.

In addition, pay attention to the wool. There are other differences besides color.

The rat is characterized by hard hair, and the mouse has softer hair.

Rats, unlike mice, are able to jump high - up to 2 meters in extreme situations. They are highly intelligent

Differences between a mouse and a rat

The main feature of a newborn rat pup is its larger body size. This is noticeable upon birth. The mouse is always smaller. The main characteristic differences between rodents are the same as in adults: the shape of the ears, the color of the emerging fur, etc. Sometimes a baby rat is confused with an adult mouse.

To avoid this mistake, you should find out how they differ:

A rat at an early stage of development is characterized by a blunt snout, while a mouse has a pointed head shape.
The baby rat's tail has not yet developed enough, which means it is shorter than that of an adult mouse.
The ears of baby rats are still small and smaller in size than the hearing organs of adult mice.
There are still skin folds on the soles of the baby rats, while they are absent in the mice. This feature allows you to determine the difference from rodent tracks.

A distinctive feature of rat pups is their blunt-nosed, as if chopped off muzzle.

Baby rats and adult mice have similar paw sizes, but the placement of the toes is an additional characteristic that can be used to distinguish rodents.

What baits are there?

In order to feed it poison, the rat must be attracted. And the more tempting the bait is, the faster the rats will eat it. We have already noticed that these are very smart and careful animals. Therefore, before you give them bait with poison, you need to let them get used to it and understand that the treat is safe. To do this, feed the rats for several days without adding chemicals. And only by lulling their vigilance can toxic substances be added.

Various types of baits

Some products already include ingredients that are attractive to rats: grain, flour or sugar. Some are supplemented with flavorings: cheese, meat, vanilla. Others should be used as a supplement to foods. To do this, they use treats that are attractive to rodents, such as:

bread crumbs soaked in unrefined sunflower oil;
boiled porridge;
minced meat (with onions);
corn;
cheese;
crumbled eggs;
smoked lard;
roasted sunflower seeds;
dry cat or dog food.

Minced meat with poison

How to protect a bird from eating poison

You can’t explain to the legal inhabitants of the chicken coop that baits and poisons are for rodents only

To protect birds from poisoning, the following precautions must be observed when working with chemicals:

Temporarily transfer the birds to another location.
Place baits with chemicals in special traps that chickens and chickens will not get into, for example, boxes with several entrance holes on the sides.
Constantly remove rodent carcasses.
Place poisons (2-3 grams of mixture per hole) deep into rat holes, sprinkle with earth.
Use a granular product to avoid spraying it throughout the coop.
Do not spill chicken feed near scattered baits.
If possible, place a house for chickens to spend the night outdoors (on legs).

Chicken coop on legs

What does rodent droppings look like?

Fresh, slightly shiny and moist feces of gnawing animals have a fairly soft consistency. Its color varies depending on the food consumed by the pest, but in most cases it is dark in color. During the hot season, it quickly dries out and hardens. Over time, the stool becomes duller, taking on a gray tint. They can easily crumble under mechanical stress.

Based on the volume of detected animal feces, you can approximately determine the number of pests living in the house. Fresh rat or mouse excrement indicates the presence of even one gnawing animal in the room. If the detected secretions are of different sizes, then this confirms the presence of an entire population of dangerous animals of various ages that are actively reproducing and growing. Large deposits of fecal matter are usually found near food supplies or along animal routes.

Such symptoms of the presence of rodents are very often observed in basement or attic-type rooms. Having discovered them, it is necessary to urgently take action or go to. Mammals are capable of reproducing very quickly, which reduces the effectiveness of independent attempts to get rid of them. Therefore, the most effective way to control pests in this case is to completely treat the premises with special professional pest control services.

Rats are quite dangerous animals for humans. They are carriers of various diseases that have a serious impact on human health. In addition, rodents have sharp teeth, which causes them to damage furniture. Their numbers are increasing at a rapid rate, so when rodents are discovered, you should immediately begin to fight them.

Rodents often live in residential areas

How to get rid of rats in an apartment? First of all, don't panic. These pests can be driven out forever; for this it is necessary to use special control methods.

Rats can appear on any floor. Concrete walls, wooden partitions or metal fences are not an obstacle for them. Thanks to their sharp teeth, in a short time they turn a small hole in the wall or a small chip into a convenient passage for themselves. They move to the upper floors through ventilation shafts, the space between pipes or garbage chutes.

Most often, rodents live in apartments that are dirty and where garbage has not been removed for a long time. They are attracted by an unpleasant smell and quickly find its source. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly take out the trash and wash the floors in the room. You can notice the presence of pests by certain signs:

an unpleasant smell appears in the room, like a hamster;
feces appear - these are small, dark, shiny balls;
in the evening, night and morning in silence you can hear a strong grinding and squeaking sound;
in houses you can see scraps of thread, paper or newspapers - these are kind of burrows, they may indicate that the rat is preparing to become a mother;
holes appear in the walls in rooms, bathrooms and other rooms;
the bags containing the cereal were chewed through, the contents spilled out.

Rats can go without food or water for a long time. They jump perfectly, crawl in hard-to-reach places, and swim. They are very tenacious, capable of living in unfavorable conditions for a long time, even radiation does not kill them. Sometimes they form flocks and attack humans. Therefore, if there are rats in the room, you should not put off exterminating them.

Mouse poop

They are quite small, similar to black grains of rice. Mice leave up to 80 pieces of excrement per day. The droppings of these rodents range in size from 1 to 5 mm. Granules with pointed ends, black when fresh. After a short period of time they acquire a grayish or brown color. The feces usually dry out within 24 hours and become very hard. The detection of such “grains” is a signal to begin the fight against rodents. The condition of the excrement can determine how long mice have been in your home.

Typically, these rodents prefer to move along walls. Therefore, this is where the largest amount of excrement is found.

What to do if there is a rat

If a person suspects that a rat has appeared in the apartment, then he should first of all pay attention to whether there is rat excrement on the floor in the rooms, as well as an unpleasant odor. If fears are confirmed, then do not panic; the following measures should be taken:

First of all, consult with SES employees and notify the management company about the problem.
What to do with rats in the basement should be decided by the management company's employees. When deciding to use toxic substances, it is necessary to notify all residents of the house, who will take measures to prevent rodents from entering the apartments.
In big cities, special means are used to kill rats that mummify the animal. Such an animal does not emit an unpleasant odor after death, thereby not scaring away other individuals. Therefore, the drug is very effective in the fight against rats.

If rats appear in the house, you should immediately begin to destroy them. In this case, you should not panic, you need to act quickly.

Ultrasonic repellers

Such devices have proven to be effective. Under the influence of ultrasound, rodents lose orientation, refuse food and try to leave an uncomfortable place as quickly as possible. In about a couple of weeks there will be no trace left of the rodents. These products are considered safe for people and poultry, but they have a negative effect on rodents and other pests. Unfortunately, not every owner is ready to wait 2 whole weeks.

When purchasing this device, you need to know some points:

First, you should clarify the area of the room that you want to protect from uninvited guests. The power of the product should correspond to or be slightly larger than the area being protected. You should pay attention to whether the device is portable or stationary. Portable repellers run on batteries, while stationary ones run on 220 V. To work in a chicken coop, you will need a battery-powered device, although many owners have electricity in their chicken coop. Use products from well-known brands. As an option, the Tornado product is suitable, which is available in 10 modifications and has different power. Also acceptable are: “Grad A-100PRO”, “Riddex” and “Typhoon”. It would be a good idea to go online and read reviews from the owners. To work in a chicken coop, you should choose a universal device that operates under conditions of temperature changes and has a frequency adjustment function

This approach will help you choose an effective device that will not cause addiction in rodents. It is important to read the instructions and install the ultrasonic repeller correctly. As a rule, it is placed at a height of 1.5 m from the floor level

To maximize the effect of use, the device must be directed so that the waves are reflected from hard surfaces and directed to the center of the room. In the presence of soft surfaces or obstacles, the effectiveness of the device decreases noticeably. If the room is large, one device may not be enough. It is necessary to think about how rodents can leave the chicken coop. It will be better if they leave without problems.

The advantage of the devices is that they do not consume a large amount of energy, so they can work around the clock.

The appearance of rats in a chicken coop is a serious emergency and, at the same time, a signal that you need to put all problems aside and get rid of these rodents

Any method can be used, but you need to act especially carefully if toxic substances are used. In this case, you need to take good care to ensure that chickens, pets and children do not get to the poison

If you want to purchase an ultrasonic repeller, it is better to consult with the seller, since ultrasound affects some pets. In any case, you will have to act and not sit idly by.

How to get rid of rats, the best folk remedies!!!

Watch this video on YouTube

How did I know that these were rodents after all?

Before I saw the mouse moving around the perimeter of the room, I used to suspect that someone besides me lived in the house.

A number of signs indicated this:

Chewed food and things
. This is easy to see, the main thing is to conduct a thorough inspection of the house. Before handling suspicious objects with traces, you must wear gloves. Two imprints remain from the teeth of mice and look like two parallel holes with superficial grooves.
Excrement
. Mouse ones look like grains, rat ones look like piles of different sizes. If such an unpleasant thing is found, it is necessary to immediately begin its destruction!
Spots
. Rodents, as a rule, move along the same paths, so-called paths along the same route. Rubbing wool and floor surfaces leaves stains. By following these spots, you can easily find the “den” of pests.
Paths
. Clearly visible on dusty surfaces. From them you can determine who settled at home and the number of such guests.
Rodent corpses
. They simply cannot appear in the house. This means that a whole troop of animals has settled somewhere.
A specific odor similar to ammonia
. A rather dubious sign, but if there are other indicators of rodents, then you should sound the alarm - whiskered-tailed pests have indeed taken up residence in the house.

Recognize and distinguish between rat droppings

What does rat droppings look like? This is the first question when discovering excrement in the house and garden. Sometimes the unpleasant smell of ammonia aroused in advance the alarming suspicion that there were rats in the immediate vicinity. Of course, a disgusting smell is not the only criterion for the presence of terrible pests. The remains of some harmless small animals also emit a disgusting odor. The following table provides an overview of the important properties of rat feces compared to mouse, hedgehog and marten feces:

also read

Recognizing and distinguishing hedgehog droppings - here's how it works
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Detecting and Removing Fox Droppings - Fox Tapeworm Information

comparison	Rat droppings	Mouse droppings	Hedgehog droppings	Marten droppings
size	1-2 cm	0.3-0.7 cm	3-6 cm	8-10 cm
Shape (appearance)	banana-shaped, tapering	fusiform or round	rolled, pointed ends	curled tip
color	dark brown, shiny	dark brown	black to dark brown	from black to dark gray
smell	for ammonia	strict	barely noticeable	disgusting smell
Consistency (fresh)	sticky, soft	shiny, soft	firmly	coarse, visible food debris
Typical sites	+ Basement	+ Basement	+ Bed	+ Attic
+ Attic	+ Attic	+ Garden paths	+ Basement
+ along the baseboards	+ False ceiling	+ Terrace	+ Garden shed
+ Kitchen	+ Kitchen	+ paved areas	+ Garden

The images below of rat poop visualize the poop in comparison to mouse, hedgehog, and marten poop. Next we'll look at special properties in more detail. Practical advice contains information about the differences in the excrement of mice, hedgehogs and martens.

How to find out the presence of rodents in a room?

Rodents, especially mice, love to settle and live near humans because they:

Very cunning and smart;
They don’t want to bother themselves too much looking for food.

Apartments and houses where people live are usually full of delicious edible products. In order to get easy food, they follow people everywhere. They are found on trains, on ships, on airplanes and in other food supply points.

Mice can easily:

Gnaw the walls;
Doors;
And sometimes they pass through ventilation systems.

The owner of a living space may not immediately notice the presence of mice and rodents. If at night you hear squeaking, rustling sounds and there are chewed objects, then we can assume that uninvited tailed guests have already settled in the apartment. After eating food, a mouse leaves traces of its presence - excrement in the form of black grains. In spring and summer, mice can move outside, but still prefer to live near humans.

Mice are usually nocturnal, but there are also cases (for example, a pregnant female) when they run around during the day in search of food and even attack people and animals. During the breeding season, the female mouse becomes very aggressive and attacks any attempt to enter her nest.

The biggest problem is the rapid reproduction of rodents. The female's pregnancy lasts no more than a month. A newborn female mouse will begin to leave offspring at the age of two months.

How to protect your home from small rodents

Apartment owners are less likely to encounter mice than residents of private houses. Rodents enter human homes through cracks in houses, from garbage chutes, basements, and through ventilation.

There are several ways to protect your home from pests:

seal all cracks in the floor and walls;
In your own home, at dusk, close the doors and windows tightly;
cover ventilation and sewer passages with a metal mesh and secure it securely;
Place all foods in the refrigerator in tightly closed containers. Do not leave food items on the floor or kitchen surfaces. Remove pet food after feeding. Leftover food can become a tasty morsel not only for rodents, but also for other pests;
Keep your pets' cages clean so that their waste products and cozy nests do not attract uninvited guests.

For useful tips from Elena Mylysheva, watch the following video:

Prevention methods

Infections within rodent populations respond quickly to favorable weather conditions, for example, heavy rainfall or high air temperatures can increase the likelihood of the development and spread of zoonotic infections in Eastern European and Mediterranean countries. However, the increase in incidence is also associated with a number of other factors that can reduce the risk of infection among the population:

compliance with epidemiological rules;
regular sanitary and technical measures to combat rodents;
disinfection of premises;
preventing the entry of rats and mice into food warehouses, granaries and other facilities;
high-quality water purification;
health education for all segments of the population.

Prevention measures

An effective way to prevent pest attacks is to move turkeys or geese to the main poultry house. These birds are able to defend themselves from pests, they are sensitive sleepers and react to the slightest rustle. In addition, their cackle is the best rat repeller. But such a preventative path is not suitable for everyone: few people will decide to have a large bird for the sake of killing rodents, unless the goals reveal a pleasant coincidence.

Let's look at how else to deal with the appearance of rats and mice in the chicken coop.

Proper organization of the premises and cleanliness. No one requires medical sterility, but regularly cleaning droppings and feeders and not allowing eggs to stagnate is a must.
Even during the construction of the chicken coop, you need to monitor its tightness. If you can’t use broken glass in the building mixture, you can use polyurethane foam. Rodents will not like this taste at all, and they will not want to go to such a place.
It’s good if the chicken coop is built on a monolithic foundation. If the floor in the building is earthen, the top layer of soil must be removed, a metal mesh laid, expanded clay and soil poured on top. The mesh should be above the foundation. This will prevent rats from digging into the chicken coop.
All cracks in the building must be caulked. This should also be done in relation to the foundation and walls of the chicken coop. If the walls are stone, it is very difficult for rats to get into the house.
Controlling bird feed is an important measure. If it is in excess, the room becomes an enviable haven for rodents. Enough feed is provided and not excessively. It is better to pour more often, but less.

Pests are very smart: they even send one individual to try the bait, and monitor its condition in the following days. If it dies, you don’t have to put new baits - the rats won’t go to them. To poison them, you may have to act in a complex manner, and the sooner the better. Rats and mice are dangerous because they spread infection, because they eat eggs, strangle and tear apart young chickens, and others. We must not give them any chance to break into the poultry house.

If the poultry house is built from durable materials, the floor is not earthen, and the walls are stone (even if thin), the risks of rodent aggression are minimal. Therefore, it will be most effective to learn about the fight against the latter at the construction stage.

What does rat droppings look like? Mouse droppings are dangerous Rat feces

Rat feces differ from the excrement of other rodents not only in size and shape, but also in location. Thus, the presence of brown animals is indicated by spindle-shaped droppings that lie in small piles. It has a grayish tint and fairly large particles. Very thin, about 10 mm long and almost black feces are left by black pests. The largest are the excrements of the pasyuk (gray rat), they reach a length of up to 20 mm. Below you can see what rat droppings look like in the photo.

If you notice that something foreign has gotten into your food, including mouse feces, then it is better to get rid of such food. I can't imagine anyone eating stool. And if you didn’t notice and accidentally ate poop, then nothing may happen (if these are, for example, house mice that have undergone a veterinary examination) until the most terrible infections with a fatal outcome.

Rat droppings not only cause negative emotions in people - they are very dangerous. Therefore, you should not allow this type of rodent to appear in your apartment.

External differences

The rat is much larger than the average house mouse. Its body reaches a length (without tail) of up to 30 cm. The color of the fur is mostly gray, but there are also individuals with a dark color. The length of a rat's tail can be 30 cm or more. He is quite fat and hairless. Although the rat's body is considered large, its ears are small (when compared to its body). Mice are small and very nimble animals. Their body length does not exceed 10 cm. The color of the fur can be ash-gray or brown.

Often, poop is the only evidence of dangerous parasites in the house. Knowing what these rodents' droppings look like can help you quickly identify them.

Virus transmission

Voles and Norway rats act as carriers of the virus. At the same time, animals themselves do not get sick, but only transmit this virus. It is excreted through the urine and feces of animals. Among the routes of infection, several types are distinguished:

Airborne dust type of infection, in which dust containing excrement with the virus is inhaled;
An alimentary type of infection in which food or water contaminated with secretions containing the virus is consumed;
A contact type of infection in which damaged skin comes into contact with contaminated objects with the virus or directly with rodents infected with it.

The virus is not transmitted from one person to another.

Main reasons

A chicken coop is an ideal place for rodents, where they can wait out frosts and other unfavorable environmental conditions. In addition to this, there is a lot of food in the poultry house: in addition to the grain and feed reserves intended for the chickens, there is also an egg, which attracts with its smell.

The poultry house has a special passage through which birds can enter the walking area. This is what pests use.

Mice not only eat all the grain in the chicken coop, but also steal eggs

The appearance of rats in a chicken coop can also be due to the lack of a foundation and the presence of an earthen (clay) floor. Therefore, it is better to build a solid structure rather than temporary housing for chickens.

The floor is filled with one large layer of dense building material (concrete). Cover the top with another dense layer such as chipboard or fiberboard, and at the final stage make a natural bedding of hay, straw or sawdust for insulation and moisture absorption.

Pests also appear in chicken coops built on high foundations or stilts. The reason for this phenomenon is simple - these pests move well not only on horizontal, but also on vertical surfaces.

Rules for exterminating rodents using mousetraps and rat traps

When you have managed to recognize from the droppings who has settled in your house, you can go looking for traps and traps. Spring mouse traps against rats are a very good remedy. Think about where you most often saw mouse droppings. This will help trace the rodent's path from the burrow to the feeding site. Most often, its role is played by an open or not tightly closed garbage can. But mice will not mind chewing through the back wall of the kitchen unit.

Do not try to seal a gap through which rodents enter the house

This will only make them behave more carefully. In addition, they will gnaw holes for themselves in another place, and this again means damage to the baseboards and other finishing, and therefore a waste of money

Therefore, try to catch them through one initial gap.

It is best not to place mousetraps directly near the crack. The mouse will smell the bait from a distance. And if one of the mouse relatives constantly dies near the gap, this will alert the rest of the brethren. During the night, you can catch only one mouse near the crack, since it will simply scare away the rest with its death squeal. If you place mousetraps around the entire perimeter of the room in which they feed (usually the kitchen), you can catch up to 3-4 pieces per night. The same is true with rats.

Ways to get rid of rats

There are several ways to help get rid of rats. If there are few pests, folk or mechanical methods will suffice. In other cases, it is better to use chemical control methods.

Chemical

There is a huge selection of chemicals that will help control rodents in the poultry house. But it should be remembered that even after a strong chemical, pests can return (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Chemicals are used only in extreme cases, when there is a massive spread of rodents

It should also be remembered that any poison can cause potential harm to the farm. The fact is that the substance will settle on the rodents’ paws, and they will spread it throughout the room. In the future, this can lead to serious poisoning of the livestock.

If you cannot do without chemicals, it is better to temporarily move the chickens to another room during the treatment. Once all the rats have been eradicated, the house will need to be disinfected before the flock is restocked.

Mechanical

The easiest way to eliminate rodents is mechanical. It consists of installing special rat traps and traps. The bait is placed inside (Figure 3).

The operating principle of rat traps is very simple. Bait is placed inside the device, which is sure to interest rats. When the pest gets inside, the mechanism will work and the trap will slam shut.

Figure 3. Rat traps and traps are used only if it is necessary to destroy a small number of rodents

Folk

In addition to chemical and mechanical methods of control, folk methods are also often used in household plots (Figure 4).

Several plants will help get rid of rodents:

Medicinal black root: rats can smell very well, and the aroma of this particular plant is very unpleasant for rodents. If blackroot grows next to the chicken coop, the rats will not even come close to the chicken coop.
Wood ash: when using this folk remedy, rats also need to be moved to a separate room. The floor in the chicken coop is sprinkled with a layer of ash up to 2 mm thick. When rats enter the house, the ashes will stick to the animal's paws, enter the stomach and cause severe pain, which will later lead to death.
Gypsum and lime: One of these mixtures is mixed with corn flour in equal proportions. Then add milk or kefir, knead the dough and roll it into small balls. These baits are placed near rat holes and passages. Once in the stomach, such a mixture blocks the digestive tract and leads to the death of the pest.

Figure 4. Traditional methods, in particular plants with a strong odor, are excellent at repelling rodents

You can also plant mint or elderberry next to the chicken coop. Both of these plants have a very strong scent that will repel pests.

About the poison

Another effective way to rid your home of mice is mouse poison. It smells very attractive to mice. And they die from it very quickly. The main thing, again, is not to place the poison too close to the gap from where rodents come out to hunt for food. Otherwise, the mouse, having eaten arsenic, will have time to crawl somewhere under the floor or into a wall and die there. You won’t believe how much their bodies, which have begun to decompose, stink. Sometimes you have to dismantle the walls to get rid of their corpses. And if there were a lot of mice, and they all crawled away to die in different directions, you will have to dismantle half the house.

Therefore, quick-acting poisons should be poured away from the treasured gap so that the mice die before they have time to crawl to it. If the poisons are weak and the mice, crawling away, die somewhere at home, you yourself understand what will happen then.

Chemical method

Most pest controllers are confident that chemical poisons are the most effective and easy to use: spread out, they say, pesticides in secluded places, and wait for a positive result. But in reality, everything is not so simple.

For example, gassing, which is carried out:

chlorine;
hydrogen phosphide;
carbon monoxide.

Toxic substances

Baits containing toxic substances are much easier to handle. They emit odors that are attractive to animals, but once eaten they kill rats very quickly. A method that, indeed, looks effective and convenient to use, still poses two important problems:

most pesticides are dangerous for both rats and humans;
Pesticides that attract rats may also look attractive to birds, dogs, cats, and even occasionally children.

Find out how to get rid of water rats, mice and moles.

The most popular means of chemical extermination of rodents are now available for sale in the form of:

"Ratida-1", produced in the form of granules, of which there are 40 pieces in a pack, which is enough to treat not only the chicken coop, but the entire house.
"Ratida-2", which, among other things, also contains a substance that mummifies animal corpses, as a result of which they do not decompose, do not spoil the air and do not violate its hygienic conditions.
“Goliath”, which is a very effective remedy that manifests its properties only after almost two weeks. During this period, the rats continue to consume the drug, mistaking it for harmless food. But then the animals begin to experience oxygen starvation, which forces them to leave the room and go out into the fresh air, where death finds them. This product also mummifies animal corpses.
“Rat”, which is a pesticide that is packaged in ampoules. It acts quickly and effectively. The contents of one of them are combined with half a kilogram of sunflower seeds and a tablespoon of vegetable oil. A rat that eats this bait dies within a couple of minutes.

Important! In addition to the immediate danger to birds and humans, they pose a real threat to cats, who die after catching and eating poisoned rodents

How to identify a mouse

The properties of mouse droppings are as follows. Each individual mouse “poop” rarely reaches dimensions greater than 6 mm. Basically, within 4-5 mm. Mice rarely grow to large sizes. But they take it in numbers. Often, small feces, up to 3 mm long, can be found next to large ones. This means that a brood has already occurred within the boundaries of your house and the family contains both adults and young animals.

What does mouse droppings look like based on geometric data? Most often these are oval granules, somewhat similar to oats, only with rounded edges. Their color may change depending on what the mice eat. If it is cereal or bread, then their droppings are light gray in color. It can be a little darker, it can be a little lighter, but it is never black. This is already the color of rat droppings.

Treatment of mouse fever

Treatment of this disease occurs in the infectious diseases department of the hospital. It is characterized by the appointment of bed rest for a period of 1-4 weeks. Antipyretic, analgesic and antiviral drugs, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs, are prescribed. Additionally, infusion therapy is prescribed, and glucocorticoids and hemodialysis are used if necessary. The development of thrombohemorrhagic syndrome requires the use of anticoagulants. In addition, vitamin therapy and the exclusion of drugs that increase kidney damage are important.

To diagnose mouse fever, you should contact an infectious disease specialist; additional laboratory research methods (PCR, coagulogram) may be prescribed.

How to destroy mice and rats in the house - proven means and results

Very simple! The main thing is to be fully armed. Everything will come in handy - the experience of friends, information from the Internet, tips from sellers from gardening and dacha supply stores.

After all, everyone remembers what problems rodents can bring with them:

The old-fashioned method, the most proven and ancient - the well-known mousetrap
. A unique invention of mankind, so simple, but so effective. People have been using it to destroy rodents for several hundred years. There is a mouse in the house - you need to buy a mousetrap without delay. I can tell you from my own experience – it’s an effective thing. No matter how many times I used it, I always found a trophy in it in the morning. The bait for the mousetrap is a piece of food, I put sausage, meat - the mouse definitely won’t refuse such foods!
A trap soaked in glue
. When a mouse comes into contact with such a trap, it simply sticks to it and can no longer move. You can also install such a device yourself using cardboard and special glue (sold in hardware stores). Glue is applied to cardboard and installed in areas frequently visited by rodents.
Ultrasound
. A modern remedy, in addition, it will help in the fight against many insects. The operating principle of the device is simple. It transmits electromagnetic pulses. They, in turn, act on rodents in a certain way - they cause anxiety. It should be installed in places where mouse activity is high. An excellent, effective product, although it is not cheap, it is guaranteed to rid your home of pests.
I
. Let me point out right away that it is not suitable for everyone. I have a small dog at home, and I did not resort to this remedy. Modern toxic substances work in two directions: they kill the animal and promote its rapid mummification, that is, the body will not emit putrefactive “odors”, but will quickly dry out.
Special services
. They specialize in removing a variety of pests. Professionals will do their job quickly, efficiently, and safely.

The most important point is to do it without putting it off until later.

These methods and means are the most effective and affordable; they will 100% rid your home of mice and rats.

Cat in the house

This is also an option. But it is not always effective. People love their pets very much and often feed them so much that they lose the desire not only to chase mice, but also to move in general. And not all breeds are prone to this activity. The urge to catch mice is in their genes and is inherited. If the mother cat was not inclined to this activity, her offspring will be 50% just as lazy.

And even though your cat will constantly wait for prey at the trash can, it is not a fact that he will be able to catch the mouse. Mice are very resourceful and are able to hide and crawl through the smallest cracks. Therefore, a cat will not always be able to help get rid of mice 100%.

Can rat and mouse droppings cause problems for chickens and humans?

Absolutely yes. But not as much as you might think.

The droppings themselves, for example, will not transmit bubonic plague, which is carried by fleas. And the rodent must be infected itself before it can transmit any infection.

Rodents love to nest in straw. This one was in my coop

Be careful, dust may contain bacteria!

But most often, rats and mice do not show any signs of infection. Therefore, it is impossible to predict whether you are dealing with an infected animal.

For this reason, anyone

Rodent droppings and urine, whether rat or mouse, need to be “taken seriously.” It sounds funny, but it's true!

Most rodent-borne diseases will not cause long-term harm to a normal, healthy person.

But for some age groups they are dangerous, such as the very elderly, our babies, people with weakened immune systems (for example, due to cancer-related drug treatments) and pregnant women.

How to Safely Dispose of Rodent Poo

It is important to remember that droppings (both feces and urine) of mice and rats contribute to the spread of severe viral and bacterial diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to dispose of excrement with caution. The following rules must be followed:

Never touch excrement with your bare hands.
Don't sweep up rat or mouse poop with a broom because you can't be sure you'll get rid of it completely. The fact is that individual granules can get stuck between the broom rods. In addition, by sweeping up excrement, you unwittingly contribute to the spread of microbes with tiny dust particles.
Wear disposable rubber gloves. You can cover your mouth and nose with a mask.
Prepare a solution of water (90%) and bleach (10%).
Spray the solution onto the droppings until they are completely damp. This significantly reduces the risk of inhaling fumes and spreading them throughout your home.
Using paper towels, carefully pick up any rat or mouse poop. Throw the dirty paper into a plastic trash bag.
After removing droppings, thoroughly disinfect using a bleach solution.

Etiology (routes of infection)

Adults can contract mouse fever in several ways.

Indirect contact with mouse feces or urine (airborne)

A common way for adults to contract mouse fever is by absorbing the virus from mice through inhalation of dust particles that have been contaminated with the feces or urine of an infected rodent. Dust particles contain infected rodent excrement and, when entering the upper respiratory tract, the virus infects the body. Those most susceptible to infection are people whose work may expose them to dust containing rodent excretions. These are janitors, cleaners, construction workers in old buildings, etc.

Direct contact with mouse urine and feces (nutritional route)

Mice feces or urine may contain viruses and bacteria. Thus, direct physical contact with mouse feces, especially if it is through open wounds or mucous membranes, can be a route of disease transmission to humans. Eating food or water contaminated with mouse droppings and urine can also cause a fever.

Bites and scratches

An infected mouse contains disease-causing bacteria and viruses on its teeth, in its saliva and under its claws. Therefore, scratches and mouse bites are often potential sources of infection for fever.

Insect bites

Fleas and ticks that can live in the fur of rodents can also become carriers of the disease. As a result, they can bite people. With this outcome of events, viruses and bacteria are transmitted to humans and cause mouse fever.

Contact with carcass

Mouse fever is an acute infectious disease, the active virus of which lingers in the tissue of a rodent even after its death. Contact of an adult with a mouse carcass without proper protection can cause infection transmission.

On a positive note.

Mouse fever is a “one-sided” disease. This means that it is transmitted only from mice to people. An infected person is not the source of the mouse fever virus. Mouse fever infection is not spread from person to person.

But for all this time, a single case of transmission of the disease from person to person was recorded in Argentina during the virus outbreak.

Hedgehog or rat droppings?

Joy and sadness are closely related to the difference between hedgehog droppings and rat droppings. Hedgehogs are highly desirable beneficial insects in the garden, as the insectivores actively support the natural gardener in pest control. For hobby gardeners, rats in the garden pose a high risk of repelling rodents when working on the ground and causing dangerous bite wounds.

You will eliminate a lot of guesswork when you want to distinguish solutions from hedgehogs and rats. At 3 to 6 centimeters, hedgehog droppings are more than twice as long as rat droppings. To check, simply hold a match to it to remove any doubts. Read what to do if your garden is infested with rats.

Preventive measures

Maintaining cleanliness will prevent the appearance of harmful rodents in the apartment. Therefore, you should not be lazy to clean the room.

To prevent rats from getting under the floor, it is necessary to take basic preventive measures:

regularly get rid of garbage in the apartment;
do not allow any leftover food on the floor;
immediately throw away spoiled food;
wash dishes after every meal.

It is also always worth remembering that rats feel great near garbage cans and in the basements of residential buildings, since there is a large amount of spoiled food there, and the unpleasant smell attracts them.

Little gray mice look very cute. But…!!! They are a source of infection and very often are carriers of many diseases that can be dangerous for humans and often incompatible with life. High fever, severe headache, shortness of breath, lethargy or confusion, a rapidly spreading rash, sharp pain in the lumbar and kidney areas are obvious symptoms of mouse fever in adults.

According to analytical information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a number of infectious diseases are transmitted to people from rodents (field mice, rats, squirrels). Adults suffer the course of the disease much more severely than children. Their body is characterized by the appearance of extensive symptoms and the development of various complications, while sometimes it can only occur like a cold. Men aged 16-50 years are most susceptible to infection.

Incorrect or late diagnosis, incorrectly selected treatment or lack thereof can lead to death. Although there is no cure for the virus itself, supportive therapy makes it easier to cope with the disease.

Mouse fever

– a natural focal rare infectious disease with an acute course (hemorrhagic fever, accompanied by renal, pulmonary or cardiac syndrome), where the reservoir of the pathogen is an animal (rodent class).

The causative agent of the disease

: Hantavirus, having different strains.

Affected areas

: small vessels, renal apparatus, lungs, heart.

Geography

: A variant of the virus is common in Eurasia that causes renal syndrome, i.e. affects the kidneys. In this case, the disease has a medical name (HFRS), leading to mortality in 10% of cases. Epidemic nephropathy (EN), which is one of the types of HFRS, occurs mainly in Scandinavian countries, but its mortality rate is several times lower.

An infected rodent carries the infection for two years. And it is assumed that only certain types of virus can kill them too. In other cases, the virus does not pose a serious danger to the rodent.

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is a rarer type of mouse fever, which occurs mainly in America. But, according to statistics, it leads to death approximately 7 times more often (76%).

Demography:

Anyone can get sick, but men aged 16-50 are at greater risk.

Incubation period

on average it lasts 12-15 days, but the individual tolerance of an adult, as well as the state of the immune system and predisposition to resistance, can increase the incubation period from up to 8 weeks.

Severity of the disease:

varies depending on the virus causing the disease. Infections caused by the Hantaan and Dobrava viruses tend to cause severe symptoms, while the Saaremaa and Puumala viruses are more easily tolerated. Full recovery may take several weeks or months.

Since we usually have murine fever, accompanied by renal syndrome, the article will focus mainly on it.

How does mouse fever manifest?

Mouse fever is called hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. This is an acute disease caused by a virus carried by rodents. In its manifestations, the disease resembles a cold. As infectious disease doctor Sofia Rusanova , the main symptoms of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome are high fever, headache, intoxication, pain in the muscles and lumbar region. It usually takes up to two weeks from the moment of infection until the first symptoms appear. The maximum incubation period is 50 days, adds Rusanova.

Where did mouse fever come from? More details

What diseases are transmitted by rats and mice?

It is important here to emphasize the words “may” and “infected”, but not to dramatize the scale of the problem. Not every rat or mouse transmits these diseases, and even if they do, not every chicken or every person will catch them

Not every rat or mouse transmits these diseases

, and even if they do, not every chicken or every person will pick them up.

You've probably heard of salmonella, but you may not know that salmonella bacteria can be carried by rats and mice. Salmonellosis is transmitted to chickens and chickens through drinking water that contains rat and mouse droppings and urine.

Salmonellosis in the photo: Salmonella bacteria. I think they look cute, but what problems can there be with our bellies...

Contact with infected rat urine in bedding, feeder or water can cause the bacterial infection leptospirosis,

also known as Weil's disease. Can enter the human body through damaged skin or through mucous membranes during breathing.

Common house mice carry a virus that causes lymphocytic choriomeningitis. It is found in the saliva, urine and droppings of infected rodents.

It is believed that about 5% of domestic mice in Russia are carriers of infections, although they appear healthy and do not show any signs of infection. Most often, infection occurs by inhaling dust while cleaning the litter or nest in the chicken coop.

If you are not sure if you have rats or mice, still take every precaution when you clean your coop. Cover your mouth with a medical mask, do not breathe dust!

What parasites do rats carry?

A solid list of parasites that are dangerous to birds and humans is added to the list of diseases:

mites (scabies and chicken mites)
blood-sucking parasites (lice and fleas)
helminth eggs (any kind).

Chicken lice are parasites that seriously undermine the health of the bird.

The disease thrives:

in unkempt chicken coops
at high humidity
if there are no special boxes with ash and sand so that the bird can clean itself.

If left untreated, lice can completely cover the surface of the chicken's body.

Mite infestation also brings many problems to the poultry farmer:

disorders in the respiratory system of birds
the appearance of the bird is seriously affected

Without active measures, chickens may begin to die. The presence of mites makes chickens restless - they are bothered by constant itching.

Can rats carry rabies?

To date, there are no known cases of rabies in rats. Hypothetically, rat rabies can exist; there are even theories according to which infected rodents die very quickly from this disease (within a few days), and therefore do not fall into the hands of scientists and do not have time to infect humans.

But the fact remains: rabies has never been discovered in rats and mice. Isolated cases of suspected human infection with this disease after rat bites have been documented in Poland, Israel, Thailand and Suriname, but their small number does not allow us to talk about any kind of systematicity.

It is important not to confuse rabies and tetanus. Sometimes these names are considered as synonyms, especially since tetanus can also develop after animal bites

However, the mechanism of development of tetanus itself is unique: its causative agent is present in the body of most animals and people, without causing harm to the owner. It becomes pathogenic only in the absence of oxygen. In particular, in bite sites under the skin, covered with dried blood, bacteria begin to produce tetanus toxin - one of the most powerful toxins in nature - which leads to the development of the disease. That is, rats cannot tolerate tetanus, but this disease can develop after their bites.

How to remove and dispose of droppings

Rodents in their places of residence must be destroyed, and then traces of their vital activity must be removed. There are several basic rules for how to remove rat droppings, regardless of where it is, in an apartment, basement, barn:

Cleaning should be done wearing a protective mask and gloves.
Do not sweep or vacuum to avoid raising dust.
Spray the feces with a 10% bleach solution and leave for 5-10 minutes.
Collect with a paper towel, place in a plastic bag and close it tightly.
Treat the area where the droppings were with a 10% bleach solution or a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution.
Throw away the gloves and mask.
Wash your hands and face thoroughly with hot water and soap and treat with an antiseptic.

Collected bags of rat droppings should be thrown into a trash can or place inaccessible to animals and birds.

Preventive measures

To prevent mice from wanting to settle in a house or apartment, it is necessary to deprive them of the opportunity to find food and modest corners. All products must be hidden and garbage must be taken out. Place cotton pads with a few drops of essential oil of mint, wild rosemary, and wormwood in the corners.

Things need to be shaken up, neatly folded and closet doors closed tightly. Arrange wild rosemary and wormwood branches.

It is necessary to clear pantries and other places of trash and unnecessary things. Keep books on closed shelves. Fix all water leaks.

Regularly wipe the floors with vinegar or turpentine. Throw out the trash and wash the bin to remove odors.

Mouse fever

The causative agent of the disease

: Hantavirus, having different strains.

Affected areas

: small vessels, renal apparatus, lungs, heart.

Geography

An infected rodent carries the infection for two years. And it is assumed that only certain types of virus can kill them too. In other cases, the virus does not pose a serious danger to the rodent.

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is a rarer type of mouse fever, which occurs mainly in America. But, according to statistics, it leads to death approximately 7 times more often (76%).

Demography:

Anyone can get sick, but men aged 16-50 are at greater risk.

Incubation period

Severity of the disease:

Since we usually have murine fever, accompanied by renal syndrome, the article will focus mainly on it.

What baits are there?

To do this, feed the rats for several days without adding chemicals. And only by lulling their vigilance can toxic substances be added.

Bread crumbs soaked in unrefined sunflower oil;
Boiled porridge;
Minced meat (with onions);
Corn;
Crushed eggs;
Smoked lard;
Roasted sunflower seeds;
Dry cat or dog food.

How to protect a bird from eating poison

You can’t explain to the legal inhabitants of the chicken coop that baits and poisons are for rodents only

To protect birds from poisoning, the following precautions must be observed when working with chemicals:

Temporarily transfer the birds to another location.
Place baits with chemicals in special traps that chickens and chickens will not get into, for example, boxes with several entrance holes on the sides.
Constantly remove rodent carcasses.
Place poisons (2-3 grams of mixture per hole) deep into rat holes, sprinkle with earth.
Use a granular product to avoid spraying it throughout the coop.
Do not spill chicken feed near scattered baits.
If possible, place a house for chickens to spend the night outdoors (on legs).

Poultry house reconstruction

Protecting the chicken coop is the main task of the poultry farmer. It is necessary to take care of the safety and comfortable stay of chickens in the poultry house at the stage of building the building. To drive out rats or prevent their appearance, you need to create unfavorable conditions for pests. Since it will not be possible to deprive food, you need to worry about the tightness of the chicken coop.

There should be no gaps in the walls. Rats are so nimble that they can get into the smallest gaps.
Install metal doors. The windows should have glass or a strong mesh with small cells. It is better to concrete the floor. The rat will chew boards, polystyrene foam, foam rubber, and other soft materials.
Try to keep the poultry house clean. Regularly remove chicken droppings, clean food containers, and remove eggs in a timely manner.

If it is not possible to carry out a thorough reconstruction of the chicken coop, they begin to search for effective methods. You can destroy rodents yourself. If efforts do not give the desired result, contact specialists who will carry out deratization.

How dangerous are mice and rats for humans?

I had never even thought about the danger of rodents to humans before. It turns out that they are carriers of many diseases.

An acquaintance who works at Rospotrebnadzor told me more about this.

Here's what I learned from our conversation:

Rodents are sources and carriers of many infections
. For example, they carry plague and pseudotuberculosis. They also take part in the spread of leptospirosis, salmonellosis, typhus, encephalitis, fever, anthrax, and trichinosis.
They spoil supplies
of food, vegetables, and grains.
Their actions damage
buildings, warehouses, houses, and pollute them with excrement.

Mice, rats, and other rodents are regulars in unclean places; they live in landfills, warehouses, and abandoned premises. They do not sit in one place, they constantly move to different buildings, houses, where they pollute them with their waste products. Thus, rodents are a kind of repository of harmful microbes.

Human infection occurs very easily in several ways:

Eating foods containing pest feces.
Touching contaminated things.
Drinking untreated water, such as from wells.
After insect bites that had contact with sick rodents.

An employee of Rospotrebnadzor gave me a small reminder:

If rodents appear in the room, immediately take measures to destroy them.
Do not eat foods that have traces of mice or rats, do not collect vegetables, berries, fruits, and mushrooms damaged by them.
Maintain cleanliness in the house and local area, remove garbage in a timely manner.

House mouse

In autumn, “country” mice en masse look for warm and rich places. Moreover, to do this, they are ready to cover a distance of up to 3–5 km (which is approximately equivalent to a people walking 70–90 km). Although in nature the house mouse prefers to eat plant seeds, in human company it becomes omnivorous - it may not disdain candles, soap or glue.

Nasty rodents can cause serious damage to the supply of vegetables and fruits in the basement, spoil cereals and pasta, damage wires and turn beds or shelves with clothes into unpleasant places. Moreover, mice carry infections that are dangerous to humans. Some of them are transmitted through their contaminants, others are carried by fleas.

These rodents are extremely fertile - they bear their first offspring at the age of only 8 weeks after birth, and then additions to the mouse family occur 5-10 times a year. Mice have not yet filled the whole world only because of their high mortality and low life expectancy (in the wild they live about one year).

Rat bites and their dangers

Rats are also dangerous because they often bite people. Let us remember that with such bites there is a risk of infection with sodoku and tetanus, but even without that, the rodent bite itself is very painful and is often accompanied by bleeding. This is no wonder: with its jaws a rat can develop a pressure of up to 500 kg/cm2, which allows it to gnaw copper and lead.

Biting a human finger down to the bone is no problem for an adult rat. The bites themselves can fester when infected with a third-party bacterial infection, and without treatment, ulcers often develop at the site of the abscesses.

However, rats bite until they draw blood mainly for self-defense when they are caught or driven into a hopeless dead end. Very rare, but documented cases of these animals biting through the skin of sleeping people.

Rats often bite when they are very hungry. In this case, they tend to gnaw off the strong skin on the heels of humans; they also bite the feet of large animals; they can gnaw off the heels of elephants so that they cannot walk.

The famous animal trader Carl Hagenbeck had three elephants die in one night from rats gnawing on their feet. Small animals - rodents, lizards and frogs, birds in nests - are easily killed and eaten by rats. If this happens in a chicken coop or rabbitry, the damage from rats can be very serious.

Features of getting rid of rats in various rooms

When choosing a method of struggle, you need to take into account the territory from which you are going to expel uninvited guests.

Living spaces

In apartments it is necessary to use more humane and non-toxic means, since there are always people there. The main thing is to cover up all holes and suspicious cracks with a mixture of concrete and broken glass. The most suitable would be folk remedies and ultrasonic devices.

In apartment buildings, rats enter apartments using sewers. It is extremely rare, but there have been cases when a rat entered an apartment through the toilet. In this case, you should not panic, but quickly slam the lid and rinse with water until the rodent goes back.

To avoid this situation, you should clean the toilet with alkaline detergents as often as possible. The alkali corrodes the rodent's paws and discourages moving in that direction.

Ash is good for fighting rats in a private home. It damages the legs of rodents and is bad for the digestive system, causing death. Sprinkle along the foundation and baseboards. You can also try to get rid of rodents with the help of animals: cats, hedgehogs, ferrets, geese.

Video: DIY rat trap

How to get rid of rats in a chicken coop and pigsty

How to get rid of rats in a chicken coop or pigsty? Chicken coops, pigsties, and rabbit hutches are favorite places for rodents. To avoid their appearance, when building a shed, it is necessary to cover the floor with gravel mixed with broken glass. If this was not done, then the holes that appear must be filled with broken glass and sealed with cement.

Baits with poison are best suited for getting rid of rats, but they need to be placed in a place inaccessible to animals. You can also use ultrasonic devices.

Outbuildings and garages

You can fight rats using strong odors:

spray the corners of the building with formaldehyde or kerosene;
burn a piece of rubber;
mix mothballs and sawdust and scatter them near the holes and in the corners;
place a rag soaked in turpentine in the hole;
fumigate the room with a sulfur bomb.

You can also use all kinds of poisons, traps and traps. And it’s best to invite specialists to carry out deratization.

You can use a smoke bomb in the garage. If a rat gets under the hood of a car, you need to start the car, get out and close the gate. Let the engine run for 10–15 minutes. Then turn it off and leave the garage closed for a day. After this, ventilate thoroughly. The rat cannot withstand such an environmental disaster and will leave.

Video: how to deal with rats in a car

Garden plots

The use of traps and chemicals on a personal plot is dangerous for humans. Therefore, it is better to use ultrasonic repellers. You can use traditional methods and plant strong-smelling herbs: black root, elderberry, mint, garlic.

Photo gallery: “repellent herbs”

Properly dried mint, as well as its tincture in alcohol, repels rats well.

Alkaloids contained in black root juice have a negative effect on the nervous system of animals.

Rats cannot stand the unpleasant smell of elderberries.

The smell of garlic repels rats.

Scorched pieces of natural wool scattered around the area are good at repelling rodents.

Potential Hazards from Rat Feces

Rats are dangerous carriers of diseases. In fact, pet rats and brown rats carry more than 120 serious diseases. Direct contact with shy nocturnal pests is rare. This fact does not make the animals any less dangerous. The insidious pathogens of toxoplasmosis, dysentery, cholera and life-threatening hantaviruses settle in rat droppings. Garden rats also act as reservoir hosts for various Lyme borreliosis bacteria, which are transmitted to humans and animals through ticks as vectors.

Rat Litter Size - Differences Between Brown and House Rats

Two types of rats have settled in Germany, which naturally lead different lifestyles. The black rat (Rattus rattus), also known as the black rat, ship rat, and roof rat, primarily seeks to be close to people. The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) prefers life in gardens, fields and forests. The latter is a larger type of rat that gradually replaces the weaker domestic rat. Progressive urbanization and habitat destruction are forcing brown rats into the habitats of domestic rats. You can tell which of the two rats you're dealing with by the size of the feces and related characteristics:

Domestic rat droppings: 0.5 to 1.5 cm long, thin, smooth, cylindrical in shape with pointed ends.
Brown rat droppings: 1.0 to 2.5 cm long and thick, cylindrical with blunt ends, irregular in shape, similar to a grain of rice.

With luck, the rats will leave their tracks in the dust, where excrement has been found as another identifying feature. House rats walk primarily on their tiptoes, while brown rats walk on the pads of their paws.