|
|
|
|
|
What animals do rats kill?
This might seem like a rather easy answer, but when you're talking about rats and the dangers they can pose
to animals and humans alike, things get a little complicated. Rats do not just prey on smaller victims, they
can also kill other animals by passing on dangerous diseases. They can kill other animals by way of secondary
poisoning, something that often happens when a rat is poisoned and eventually dies, and then another animal
eats the carcass of the poisoned rodent. When asking the question, what animals do rats kill, you'll need to
look at the bigger picture, and that bigger picture is not filled with good news at all.
When rats hunt prey for food, they'll go after smaller animals. It has been suggested that over seventy percent
of wild rats will hunt, kill and eat mice, but most rats are quite lazy. They'd much rather wait for leftovers or
a much easier snack to get their teeth around. They are scavengers - they scavenge after others, particularly humans.
If you do need to chase and hunt their food down, it will almost always be an animal or insect that is considerably
smaller - mice, insects beetles, etc. included.
Rats have far more predators than they have animals they prey after, particularly as they are nocturnal and tend to come out
forging for food after dark. There are other nocturnal animals out during those hours, and most of them take to the skies to
make it easier to find, follow, and then get their hands on the rat scrambling along the ground. Owls are well known for catching
rats and mice, and eagles and hawks are two further birds that keep the numbers down. The biggest threat on ground level is actually
domesticated animals. Neighborhood dogs and cats are among the biggest culprits when it comes to rat catching animals, although dogs
appear to be the worst offenders. Cats are often quite frightened of rats, particularly the larger ones, whereas dogs are more up for
the challenge.
For the record, letting your cats and dogs catch the rats on your behalf is not a good idea. These rats carry a number of diseases
which your household pets could contract. A number of them are deadly. Animals aren't exactly lazy animals, but they are when it comes
to food. They have long since learned that they can live quite happily on the scraps that other animals leave behind. That's why you'll
be so used to seeing them around large dumpsters at the back of restaurants and hotels, and also rummaging around in the garbage you have
in your back yard. There are plenty of food choices to enjoy in there, why would they want to waste their time chasing after an animal that
they might not even manage to catch?
For more rat information, visit our rat removal tips page, or for more specific how-to instructions, read the how to get rid of rats page with 6 step-by-step instructions.
If you have a problem with rats above your ceiling in your house, read my rats in the attic guide. The most important part of rat control is sealing shut entry holes into the building, but after
you've done that, you'll want to know how to kill rats humanely to complete the rat control job. If you need to hire professional help in your city, click on my directory of over
200 rat removal companies servicing 95% of the USA. we can help your with your rat problem!
|
 |
© 2017 OrlandoRats - site content, photos, & maintenance by Orlando Rat Removal, original site by Moonrise Group, Inc |
 |
|
|
