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Rats
and mice are commensal pests; they successfully co-habit
with humans, eating whatever food they can find and sharing
the shelter of our buildings.
Rodents
contaminate more food then they eat and in doing so, many
diseases are transmitted. In conjunction with the rat
flea, rats were responsible for the deaths of 25,000,000
Europeans from Bubonic Palgue.
biology
They
are common in the major population centres in Australia
and most countries of the world. As climatic conditions
become less favourable during the onset of winter, rodents
move indoors for both food and shelter. In commercial
premises, rodents can be a year-round problem and mice
can attain plague proportions in rural areas.
Nests
are made of soft materials such as shredded paper or fabrics,
close to areas where they scavenge for food and water.
The female is capable of giving birth to 4-6 litters a
year, each litter containing 5-10 young, which themselves
are capable of reproduction three months after birth.
Within a year, the progeny of single pair of rodents can
number 400-700.
Rodents
actively forage for food at night using the same routes
to and from the food sources. Their diet includes food
material of both plant and animal origin and, for rats,
water is necessary. Mice can obtain enough water from
food, provided it is moist enough.
Although
the vision of rodents is poor, their senses of smell and
taste are so highly developed they can detect minute quantities
of chemicals in foodstuffs; this can lead to "bait
shyness". Their whiskers and guard hairs enable them
to feel their way in their preferred darkness with little
difficulty.
species
There are three major species of Rodents in Australia. They are the Norway Rat, the Roof Rat, and the House Mouse. Find
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