Half of the mammals are rodents- isn’t that scary? Well, it’s not, because they are small. This is where we all go wrong! Not all rodents are small. And more than the large rodents, the smaller ones can cause more damage to your property!
They might look cute with their round and furry bodies but they are extremely dangerous. From your furniture to the foundation of the house, crops and plants to the electrical equipment- nothing is safe from them!
So what sort of damage do rodents cause? Let’s talk in detail. Let’s dive in.
Damages Caused by the Rodents
Yes, rodents are called pests for a reason. Neither indoor nor outdoor is safe when you have rodents around- accept it. Check out what ruins they can do before you take the necessary steps.
Foundation Damage
The very first thing that gets affected the most by the rodents and all the rodents is the foundation damage. Your house can be seriously affected by this small species.
We often ignore this but the foundation of your house should always be protected from rats and mice. We all know that this species has sharp teeth. As their body requires, they keep chewing things constantly.
Yes, you can always feel that they are small in size and won’t affect anything but they do! As they can multiply faster than a lot of other animals, they will eventually increase in numbers.
When they get into the foundation of your house, the entire group will keep chewing the materials. Even the harder materials are not safe from them. You will eventually find cracks or holes in the foundation of your house. Letting the rat or mice get under the home can harm your entire house.
Indoor Structural Damage
The sharp teeth of rodents are for chewing on almost every material, we have told you already. And this is what they will do if they get inside your house.
From the wood to the siding, they will chew almost anything they feel like. At times, they won’t get other openings for access. In this case, they will chew their way in! When it comes to brick or stone materials, it will be tough for them to chew.
However, it’s not impossible. They can even chew your roof. They will destroy the wood surface and tear up the insulation. As they can damage the underground, roof, or foundation, they can affect the structure from the inside.
Electrical Damage
Rodents are well-known as pests that cause electrical damage. And the cost will always increase! From your house to your car, rodents can be tremendously dangerous to keep anywhere with electrical wires.
No matter whether they stay under your house or inside it, they are always attracted to the warmth.
Near the electrical wiring, they enjoy its warmth. They will keep chewing the important wires and cause unexpected power flow to the outlets.
And at times, this can cause severe accidents. They can also strip away insulative casings from the components. This will eventually result in a house fire!
Living Space Damage
A rat can leave about 40 to 50 pellets of droppings every day and trust us, you won’t like the smell. Initially, it is black but turns grey when old. No matter if they live in attics, basements, rooftops, garages, or indoors, if they are there, you will find it.
Besides, to find their way out, sometimes, they leave urine or faeces on the way. They will contaminate your entire house if you let them in. From the counters to the furniture, faucets to the floors, tables to the drawers- nothing is ever safe with them.
It’s not only dirty but the odour is worse than that. At times, when they try to chew the electrical wire, they get shocked and die. There are other reasons they die.
In this situation, they can stay inside the walls, the car, the foundation, the rooftop, etc. If they are dead inside and you don’t take them out, you will start noticing the smell. It will cover up the entire house like an actual human dead body.
Food Damage
Another very common damage a rodent can do to you is food damage. This works for both the indoors and outdoors. Indoor, they can go in the hunt for food and water and eventually contaminate your food.
They love to enjoy any food, especially rats and mice. So, you can already imagine that cooked food along with packaged food, nothing is safe.
They will chew their way to open it and will eat it! The only way to safeguard your food is to use an airtight container. However, the outer part of the container is not safe either!
The same goes for the outdoors. Damage caused by rodents to crops is one of the widespread problems we face. If you have crops, plants and veggies in your garden, the rodents can be harmful too.
Rodents are mostly herbivores and will run for your veggies, seeds, plants, etc. Groundhogs, chipmunks, and squirrels can cause severe damage to your garden.
Diseases
Rodents do not only damage the structural components, but they carry a lot of diseases too. You might think that it’ll be fine only by throwing away the food they contaminated, but it’s more than that.
If you don’t decide to throw rodents away, there’s a good chance that you’ll fall sick. A lot of serious diseases can be transmitted by these rodents, let’s check it out.
Respiratory Diseases
Respiratory disease like the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is one of the most common diseases in rodents. And this has a high mortality rate too.
The worst part is, you won’t get any treatment, vaccine, or cure if you encounter this. It will take only ten days since you face respiratory failure and die.
Bacterial Disease
Bacterial diseases like Leptospirosis are also transmitted by rodents. This is connected to the urine of rodents.
If any of these species contaminate your food or your urine, chances are, you will fall victim to this disease.
You will feel like the flu at the beginning and after a while, you will suffer liver damage. In the worst-case scenario, you will have meningitis.
Viral Infectious Disease
A rodent-borne viral infectious disease named Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis is a serious disease in this family. More than other rodents, house mice are the cause of this disease.
The transmission process is done through the faeces, urine or saliva of the rodents. In this case, the rodents must be infected too. You will face muscle aches and fever in the beginning.
After this, a lack of appetite will add to it. In the next stage, neurological conditions will start developing and you can encounter encephalitis.
In most cases, long-term neurological damage is seen. However, death isn’t impossible either.
Wrap Up
Besides these damages and diseases, rodents cause a lot of other harm to humans. Yes, they are cute and in some situations, amazing as pets, but they can be dreadful to your property.
Both your indoor and outdoor property is never safe if there are rodents around. Check out our site to know ways to repel them.
