Rats and mice are a serious problem in urban, suburban and rural areas.  They infest old buildings and crowded, unsanitary areas that exist in an urban environment. They can also be a serious problem in newer areas where new houses have been built. Man is the only animal on the planet that wastes food, and materials.  Rats and mice because of their inability to hunt for their food, they rely on man to provide their food, shelter and water.

They adapt well by staying close to man’s habitat. We grow vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and set food out for squirrels, birds and other wildlife that we want around us, but in doing so, we provide plenty of food for the rodents as well. The rodents that we have in our areas are called commensal rodents. (Meaning: we share our dinner table with them.) Without mankind they probably would die off from lack of food and shelter.  Since these rodents eat practically anything humans eat, they get plenty of food from home gardens, fruit or nut trees and even parts of some ornamental shrubs and flowers.  Garbage cans left outside attract rats into our households and even street sewer lines can bring rats and mice into our lives. There are several things about them that make them a totally unacceptable animal around our families and us.

They contaminate our foodstuffs by urinating and dropping feces on our goods. They gnaw on our dry goods and sometimes on our electrical wiring in our homes, which can lead to an electrical fire. Rats and mice both carry several diseases that can debilitate our health and can lead to such serious illness such as bubonic plague, Histoplasmosis, Murine Typhus, Jaundice, and many others. They cause fear, and frustration to most people. We become uneasy when they are in our presents.