Rodents

Order Rodentia

Rodents

Latin Name

Order Rodentia

Appearance

What do Rodents look like?

Rodents are warm-blooded mammals that like humans can be found throughout the world. They have over sized front teeth for gnawing and check teeth which are adapted for chewing. Rodents chew on a variety of items available to them and cause great damage in and around homes.

ARE RODENTS CAUSE FOR CONCERN

Rodents & Disease – In addition to being tough to control rodents may carry diseases and taint food with waste fur and saliva. In fact mice can contaminate about 10 times the amount of food they eat. The CDC links some rodents to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome a disease fatal in about 36 percent of all reported U.S. cases.

The pests are also hosts for fleas which can spread plague and diseases like lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. This illness mostly affects those with weakened immune systems and may result in headaches fever and meningitis. It can also cause complications during pregnancy.

It is not advisable to handle any wild rodent. They are equipped with large teeth and are capable of transmitting a variety of bacteria viruses and diseases through their saliva feces and urine.

If you locate a rodent within your home it is best to contact a pest management professional for removal and identification. The presence of one rodent within a home could signal an infestation.