Something no one wants to hear is that they have a rat or mouse infestation inside of their home. The fear of facing a rodent face to face can be troubling enough, but they can also leave behind a path of destruction in their path. If you have small children, there is a greater risk of a potential health or living hazard should they come in contact with a rodent and its droppings. Here are a few potential dangers that your child could face.
Biting And Direct Contact
Generally, rats and mice try to avoid human contact and activity at all costs. Being mostly nocturnal, they do most of their hunting for food and shelter prep at night. But in some cases, they can come in contact with a child while they are sleeping or in the daylight or evening hours during playtime. Your child may reach into their toy box and disturb a nest or your child may play in the back of the closet, where a mouse or rat may be hiding out. The result could be a bite or scratch from the rodent. This puts your child at a high risk for certain types of disease and skin infections.
Disease
Mice and rats are most notorious for being carriers to deadly diseases, including the bubonic plague or Bacteria Yersinia Pestis. While these cases are extremely rare, they could still occur. More likely you would have to worry about more common illnesses that they could carry such as:
- Hantavirus- Found in mice, and can lead to severe upper respiratory distress or failure.
- Leptospirosis- Leads to liver and kidney damage.
- Rat-bite Fever- Bacterial infection that can lead to organ damage.
- Salmonella- Severe poisoning and infection of the gastrointestinal tract.
Avoiding disease means eradicating the rodent problem immediately, followed by complete cleaning and disinfection of the affected surfaces. Calling a mice and rodent exterminator for rodent removal is your best option.
Destruction Of Property
Mice and rats are well known to completely destroy wood, paper goods, metal and plastic surfaces. While there may not be a direct danger in destroying a few toys or wood trim, it can be destructive and ruin personal items that your child uses on a daily basis. Clothing can easily be destroyed or ruined with several holes. Mice may take off with small items such as socks or shoelaces to make their nests. Snacks and food can also be easily eaten and infested by one or more mice or rats. This can make it challenging to keep food items safe and healthy in the home.
Poor Living Conditions
While direct contact is always a health concern with rodents, what they destroy and leave behind can affect your overall living conditions. Rats and mice may crawl into your cupboards and into dishes or pans. They'll leave behind stinky, foul-smelling urine as well as feces and nest debris. Some of this may not be visible to the eye or at first glance. This can lead to drinking out of dirty cups and utensils and sitting or playing in areas where they have left urine behind.
Proper extermination by the pros, and a thorough disinfection of your home's surfaces, is the best way to keep your children and family safe. To learn more, contact a pest control company like Greenleaf Organic Pest Management.
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