Rat phobia

[RATTER15]

Why are people so terrified of rats? I have worked around rats for 13 years, I've had them run up my leg up my arm had one fall on my head. Ive been called out to all these people who seen rats the size of cat and dogs in their kitchen etc, Ive seen big burly hunter type men covered in tattoos cry at the sight of rats, Ive been shown the holes where these monster rats have disappeared, rarely any bigger than 2" in diameter. I have seen more rats than most people have had hot dinners but neither I or any of my Pest Control Colleagues have ever seen one larger than 9" (without the tail)

They will never bite you unless cornered, they can only jump about 18" so will not jump at you throat.

Yes they do carry some unpleasant diseases that can kill you.


Incidentally, the Fancy Rat that make such great pets are exactly the same species as the rat we find in our sewers, the Brown Rat = Rattus norvegicus.
the only difference is the fancy rat no longer carry the diseases and have been interbred to produce different colours.

[crete]

you my friend have just made me feel really awful with all that info shame on you

[mountainboo]

I like rats. Apparantly the domesticated rats are highly intelligent. Out of curiousity during the Plague, was it the fleas on the rats or the rats themselves that carried the disease?

[RATTER15]

Sorry Crete but someone has to stand up for these much maligned creatures!! I wouldn't pick one up for a hug either but they are a part of our wildlife and live on this planet without causing all the damage that us humans manage to do, and are increasing at a faster rate than humans as well, they will also survive when every other species has been wiped out.

[crete]

ratter they are not malinged they are vermin what do we do with vermin kill them !

[RATTER15]

It was the fleas that carried the plague and the rats carried the fleas, the problem was that people thought that it was all the rotten food and human waste lying around the streets that was causing the the plague, so as the rats were doing there best to eat everything in sight, so people just encouraged and protected them.

[mountainboo]

I see. Thank you Ratter. I completley agree with your previous comments. Rats as a species are highly underestimated. I've had rats as pets in the past and they kept themselves very clean.

[naz_nomad]

had pet rats ...best pet ever

[mountainboo]

Sorry mean't to say misrepresented not underestimated!

[RATTER15]

Yes I have killed many thousand rats myself, but only when they infest property or have become a health hazard, I have also sat and watched mother rat spend hours on a canal bank playing with her young, just as a cat plays with her kittens, I have also had a rat chewing at my the sole of my boot when I accidentally disturbed her with a nest of babies, that's courage!! the nest was covered over again with no further disturbance, she got my respect!!

[mountainboo]

That's lovely Ratter, I expect it was quite heart warming to watch the mother playing with her babies. Are all Pest control this caring toward rats? I've watched programmes like 'a life of grime' in the past where they leave that blue stuff for the rats to eat so they later die, I hate the thought of those poor rats dying a painful death. : (

[crete]

can i just say rats are vermin

[mountainboo]

But they are animals none the less Crete.

[crete]

yes they are and do you want them running about your house ?

[mountainboo]

well not really. I know what your saying Crete. Obviously I wouldn't go near a sewer rat but I wouldn't kill it. If they are killed in a humaine way as a result of passing on a disease to a human or something then I completely understand but generally I see them as an animal who has as much right to be here as us. C'mon you must like their little faces all cute and rat like, lol. Regards MB

[RATTER15]

Most poisons these days are anticoagulants, most of you will know that an anticoagulant prevents the blood from clotting. When a rat takes a lethal dose of poison and modern poisons placed by a professional pest controller are what we call "one feed kill" poison, meaning one feed is enough to kill generally speaking.
What happens then is that the rat like all animals have may tiny fissures within the body that will bleed without the clotting agent, so the rat starts to bleed internally, and this will be evident from all orifices bleeding, this isn't painful, but due to the loss of blood the rat becomes very tired and will eventually fall asleep and die in its sleep.

[crete]

r i p

[ugly_bob]

just one thing ratter - it doesn't matter that the hole is only 2" in diameter, since rats skulls are not just one piece of bone and they can crawl through spaces much smaller than themselves.
That said, I don't really have a problem with them - just don't want them in my house - same as mice really - they chew things up.

[RATTER15]

Crete, what can I say to convince you? these delightful little creatures are at home in river banks and the like, none of us want to share are home with them unless you keep a domesticated rat as a pet, but do we really need to hate every one of them just because of the very few that invade our space on occasions. A phobia is an irrational fear not a hatred. I have a fear of spiders but I don't hate them!!

A fear of spiders when you are a pest controller is not a good thing I can tell you!!

[RATTER15]

Ugly_bob, yes I agree, but a rat will chew a hole to the size that is comfortable for him to go through at speed and it will chew through anything, I have seen 2" rat holes chewed in solid concrete to get to the inside of a concrete grain silo, and wear on their teeth is not a big problem as their teeth are constantly growing.

[crete]

ratter i keep very big spiders as pets !