Gray rat

The gray rat or pasyuk is the most common species of mammal on the earth belonging to the suborder of the mice. These rodents are familiar to every person because they always live close to human habitation or the waste of their activity.

Appearance, origin

The appearance of the rat recognizable enough. Like other species, the gray barn rat has an oval body 20-27 cm long weighing up to 400 g and a bald tail, which is sometimes the same length as the whole animal. The muzzle is wide, but slightly elongated, the whiskers are almost white. Her fur can have different shades of grayish color: reddish-brown, dirty ocher or agouti, the abdomen is usually lighter (see photo of a gray rat below).

According to biologists, the homeland of these rats is the East of China, from where they spread several centuries ago, thanks to the continuous sea trade between China and Europe. In the 18th century, the gray rat mistakenly got another name - the Norwegian rat, which was given to it by the English biologist J. Berkenhout, suggesting that the animal came to Europe from Norway.

Over the past centuries, gray rats have spread throughout the world, with the exception of the mainland Antarctica, where they are too cold and sultry African deserts, where there is no water and hot. They live everywhere where there is a source of water, quickly adapt to various climatic conditions.

Nutrition and Reproduction

Gray or basement rats lead mainly a nocturnal lifestyle: they peak in activity from 7 pm to 8 am. However, if necessary, they leave their burrows during the daytime. Their shelters are: snags and stumps, burrows located in places where they find their livelihood. Most often, these are landfills, cellars, cellars, sewers in the city and surrounding areas.

Interesting!

Colonies inhabit up to 30 individuals, protecting their territory from encroachments of other individuals. Each flock determines its own specific smell. In each group there is a dominant strong male. Each member of the colony seeks food on their own.

The main food of gray rats: meat and fish, grain, as well as food waste. With a shortage of products, they can feed on hay, weeds, bark, paper, carrion, rotten vegetables and fruits. In addition, their teeth are arranged so that they constantly need to nibble something in order to grind them, otherwise too long teeth interfere and cause them discomfort.

A hungry weed rat can become a predator by attacking small animals. According to some reports, they contributed to the destruction of some species of birds, when, having reached the remote Pacific islands, they began to feed only on bird eggs from nests.

They grow rapidly, as early as 3 months old rats are able to reproduce offspring. Rodents rapidly breed due to their high fecundity: according to statistics, a single female can have 8 broods, in each of which up to 10 small rat pups are born (see rat pasuk in the photo with babies).

Interesting!

In nature, gray rats adapt very easily to any conditions, dive and swim well, have a sharp mind, can jump up to 80 cm in height in a jump, and can move around the area at a speed of up to 12 km / h.

Harm for agriculture

Gray rats are very common in rural areas, where they can get abundant food in grain-sown fields. They also love to settle in suburban areas: in dachas and gardens, in cellars and sheds, in parks and private suburban homes. Here they find sources of food, not disdaining the refuse and even animal feces.

For such taste preferences rats carry dangerous infections for humans: plague, rabies, brucellosis, hepatitis, leptospirosis and many more diseases.

They cause very tangible damage to farms:

• destroy part of the harvest of cereals and legumes, vegetables and fruits;
• spoil the boxes and bags in which the crop is stored;
• they take away and eat in the vegetable gardens the underground parts of plants and flowers, vegetables, berries and fruits;
• climbing into the house, gray rats gnaw holes in the walls of household and residential premises, spoil furniture, bite the electric wires, can even cause a fire when the wiring is shorted;
• rats can attack humans and pets.

Every year, rodents destroy around the world several million tons of crops, when they attack people they cause infectious complications and diseases, sometimes they cause accidents and disasters.

Important!

But there is great benefit from these animals: they are very important in scientific research, because they are used by man to conduct a million experiments in medicine and anatomy annually, as a result of which many of them die in the name of science and the future health of people.

Rodent control

When at least one gray rat appears in the house, then you should fight it as soon as possible until it has bred its offspring. Then a lot of small and unpleasant pests will appear in the house.

To destroy rodents, humans use many methods, the most popular and effective of which:

• The use of toxic substances sold in specialized stores. One of the widely used poison for rats - zinc phosphide, acting quite quickly. When it enters the stomach, it reacts with gastric juice, forms phosphorous hydrogen, which paralyzes the respiratory organs of the animal. Its advantage is safety for other animals that can eat a poisoned rodent. Apply poison by mixing it with some goodies: grain, bread, meat.
• The use of traps and rat traps is one of the simple ways in which the gray rat, trying to get the bait, slams the trap mechanism. The disadvantage of this method is associated with the mind and cunning of rodents: after getting into rat trap several individuals, the rest will no longer climb.
• Ultrasonic repellers are one of the modern effective methods, based on the negative influence of ultrasonic waves on the nervous system of rodents, forcing them to run away from such a device. Ultrasonic rat repellers can be installed in residential premises, in cellars, garages and summer cottages. It should be borne in mind that the device should work constantly and only acts on a certain territory, therefore, if gray rats live too well on a large area of ​​a country house, then several ultrasound devices will have to be installed.
• One of the effective ways to fight rats in an apartment is to search and block all the paths and passages that a basement rat can penetrate. All cracks and loopholes must be covered with a solution of cement and crushed glass, and pour calcium chloride powder into the holes, which the rodents cannot tolerate.

If gray rats are wound up in the house, then several methods of dealing with them should be used at once, because these animals are very cunning and resourceful. Destruction of rats by specialized services combines the use of mechanical devices and toxic substances.Only the use of complex measures will help get rid of rodents in the shortest possible time.