Rodent Diseases | Health Risks Arising From Having Rats In Your Attic & Home

Rats are known for spreading the Bubonic plague through Europe, and while it is highly unlikely that they will bring the plague into your house today, there are still health risks that arise with having rats in your home. As with any wild animal, they have the potential to bring many different sorts of diseases, bugs, and bacteria into the home.

Rats today can be associated with several common diseases that they have the potential to spread to you while in your home. The most common of these is meningitis, however there are about 30 other diseases associated with rats. Most of these are transmitted through accidentally ingesting things that rodent have eaten or touched. With the potential to be host to all of those diseases, it is important to throw away any contaminated food that they may have touched. Rats can spread disease through urine, feces, or biting. Also, like how they spread the plague, if a flea bites them and then bites you, you could potentially get the disease.

Since most rats more than likely lived outdoors or in sewers before finding their way into your home, they can also bring bugs in with them. Most commonly you can find fleas, ticks, and mites. These will affect any household pet, but can also be a nuisance to you as well. A flea infestation is no fun – pets or not.

Along with the diseases that they can carry, dealing with rats is a high stress inducer. Stress is induced not only by the idea of rodents living in your attic, but also because many people experience lack of sleep during the time they are dealing with rats. Rats will also chew on electrical wiring, which could put you and your family in serious harm as this is a major fire hazard.