If you ask most people they could tell you that rodents, such as rats, raccoons, mice, and squirrels, commonly carry ailments that could be of danger to human beings. Whether you are talking about bacteria, viruses, or parasites, rodents are known to carry a large number of different kinds of pathogens that pose a serious risk to your health. This is something that makes people a little leery should they come around one of these animals.
In fact, to protect yourself against animals like this it is imperative that you even stay away from their waste. Parasites are known to live inside the feces of many different kinds of rodents, and this can be passed to you by stepping in it are breathing in the fecal particles should they become airborne. These parasites pose a serious risk to you, and is a big reason why you should do what you can to avoid them.
Of course, there are other issues that can happen with rodents that you may not actually consider. Just as these animals are able to pass on these ailments to you, it also means that they are the carriers of them. This means that they are capable of becoming sick from a virus or bacteria as well. Clearly, if these things are making the rat, mouse, raccoon, squirrel, or other rodent sick, then they clearly can make you sick as well. So, what are some of the symptoms of a sick rodent?
Clearly, you’re not going to be taking the temperature of one of these animals, and they can’t let you know that they don’t feel well. So, you have to look for things that make them seem out of the ordinary in relation to their normal conduct. One of the most common of these is when you see an animal like a raccoon or a possum, which is a nocturnal creature, out and about in the daytime. These animals thrive on using the nighttime to their advantage, so if they are out in the day it almost always means that they are sick in some way. You should avoid animals like this right from the start.
If you know anything about rabies, one of the most common things you will see in people that have contracted this illness is that there will be a foaming at the mouth. This is true of a rodent as well. If they have the disease and it is causing them to become ill, you will see foaming around their mouth as well. Foaming does not necessarily mean rabies, but it will surely mean that the animal is sick in some way.
Other things to look for include such things as glossy looking eyes, discharge around the eyes, erratic behavior, aggressive behavior, patches of fur that are missing, rashes that appear, reddening of the eyes, and unusual movements that look like they are drunk. These are symptoms that tell you that there is something wrong with the rodent and you need to stay away from it.
Read more:
Rat Control,
Get Rats Out of the Attic,
Rat Trapping,
Rats in the Ceiling,
Rat Feces.
