Wherever human beings exist, you can be sure that the rats are living in close proximity to them as well. These are animals that have adapted to the human way of life, primarily because human beings are the ones that ensure that rats successfully thrive in whatever environment that they are in.
You see, there are many aspects of human creation that make the life of a rat so much simpler. People throw out tons of garbage every year, which become a great food source for rats. What you throw out as waste they see as a perfectly edible snack. Your home can become the ideal location for them to live. Even structures built to make a city function better, can become a great dwelling for a rat. This is why the sewer systems of cities are lined with rats who have set up huge colonies throughout these underground pipelines.
It is because of all of these things that rats have become one of the most adaptable creatures on earth. They know how to survive, and if followed human beings to every corner of the planet to take up residence wherever people have gone. They have become man’s shadow.
For many animals, they live in areas where human beings are known to live, but when wintertime comes they go into hibernation to protect themselves from the stark reality of a cold winter. Stocking up on food to increase the fat content of their body during the winter months, creatures such as bears, raccoons, and even squirrels can spend the winter in a deep sleep waiting for the first thaw of spring to come so that they can come back out and begin their normal life pattern again.
This is not true of the rat. Many believe that rats hibernate in the winter time like other animals, but this is not true at all. They will find locations to keep themselves out of the cold and snowy weather that can be found in many locations during the winter, but they do not hibernate.
In fact, because many live in structures created by people, they are able to benefit from the warmth that is being provided to you. If rats are living in your basement, attic, or the walls of your home, then they are heated in the same way that you are. When your thermostat registers that the heater needs to come on in the house begins to warm, they get to enjoy the warm feeling of the air on them as well. Because of this there is simply no reason to hibernate.
However, even rats that do not live in people’s dwellings do not find a need to hibernate. They may eat additional food during the winter months to increase their fat content but hibernating will not be an option they will select. There simply is no need to do so, considering that most of these animals can still find sources of food in or around them during the coldest time of the year.
Read more:
Rat Control,
Get Rats Out of the Attic,
Rat Trapping,
Rats in the Ceiling,
Rat Feces.
