Many people never think that rats are smart animals. It is precisely how ingenuity of rats is that is the main reason why they are very difficult to control if they have found access into your home.
Here are 5 reasons why rats are smart and difficult to control at home:
1. Rats have a flexible body
2. Mice can reproduce quickly
3. Mice have a very good memory
4. Rats eat everything
5. Rats like to hide in places difficult to reach humans
Rats have a flexible body
Rat body size varies greatly depending on the species or type of mouse. However, in general the body size of rat pests ranges from a few inches to up to 10 inches for rats. The ability of rats to enter the house through holes or gaps as small as 1 cm, makes many people think that rats have bodies consisting of soft bones. In fact, mice have a body structure consisting of bones connected to joints and cartilage just like humans.
The long body shape of mice and tend to be shaped like cylinders is the main reason why rats can easily enter your house. The mouse’s flexible body makes it easy for them to do things like run in tunnels and go through tight spaces, jump, climb to sneak into the smallest gaps.
Rats reproduce rapidly
Of course it is no secret that mice can reproduce quickly. A female rat generally contains 6-8 times a year with a relatively short gestation period of between 21-24 days. Generally, female rats are able to give birth to 12 or more cubs, although in many cases female rats more often give birth to 5-10 cubs.
One of the reasons why mice reproduce so rapidly is their ability to reach sexual maturity in a relatively short time – male rats (10-12 weeks) and female rats (8-9 weeks). This means that a rat population can swell rapidly from just two rats to about 1,250 in one year. In fact, a pair of mice can produce about 2,000 pups a year if left unchecked!
Rats have a very good memory
Rats are one of the animals that have very poor eyesight. What they see will appear blurry, especially when the object they are looking at is several meters away.Even so, who would have thought that rats were smart animals equipped with excellent memories? Through this special memory, the mice easily remember and hit the room and all the routes they have been on for a long time.
Uniquely, mice are also known to be able to remember human faces and recognize people they have seen before. This makes them more alert when dealing with humans when trying to catch them.
Rats are all eaters
They will eat whatever they find, this also includes food eaten by humans.
• The black rat can eat meat and whole grains, but this type of rat’s favorite foods are fruits, vegetables and nuts.
• The black rat chooses a much more balanced diet than the black rat. The brown rat’s favorite food includes grains, fruit, cereal nuts, meat to fish.
Judging from the habits of rats in choosing their food, it is very important for you to always keep the house clean, especially in places where there are a lot of raw materials or ready-to-eat food that we usually consume at home.
Rats like to hide in places that are difficult for humans to reach
Rats are shy and are more active at night (nocturnal). This is why rats like to hide where these places are classified as dark and warm in your home.Rats build their nests in your home by collecting and shredding soft materials that can easily be found in your home environment, such as cloth, cardboard, and paper.
Where rats hide depends on the type of rats found threatening your home. However, this type of house mouse will choose to nest in places that are quite difficult to reach by humans. The following are some of the areas that are often the nest of mice:
• Roof
• Under or behind household machinery, such as a stove or refrigerator
• Behind walls
• In the air vents
• In the garage or warehouse
• Car engine
How to get mice out of the house?
Rats can be persistent pests that can plague your home. Even worse, it’s not easy to keep rats out of your home – especially if they can easily meet basic survival needs in your home, such as:
• Food sources
• Water sources
• Nesting sites
The best way to prevent rats is to give them no access to food, water, and nesting sites in your home:
• Keeps the house clean by not piling up used items such as newspapers and old cardboard which can be hiding places for rats.
• Store all foodstuffs in a tightly closed container.
• Don’t leave dirty dishes in the kitchen sink overnight.
• Regularly empty trash cans and don’t leave plastic trash bags left in the house.
• Make sure there are no leaks in pipes and drains in the house.
