The Problem with Rodents in London

Rats, mice and other rodents are a key concern for our professional pest control teams in West London. But what does this really mean? Are we all under siege from the common brown rat? Are cute field mice really a problem?

What is a Rodent?

There are around 1,500 living species of rodent. We keep some as pets, such as the guinea pig, and some are wild, such as the common brown rat and the field mouse.

They share characteristics, one being their teeth. Their front teeth continue to grow over their lifetime and so the cute mouse and the not-so-cute brown rats must continually gnaw to keep the growth of their teeth under control.

Did you know…?

The grey squirrel is a rodent introduced to British shores in the 19^th Century. It introduced a virus to the red squirrel, the reason why the native population of the red squirrel is in decline.

Common Rodent Problems: The Brown Rat

There are many different species and sub-species of rat, but the common brown rat is common across the country. The black rat is less commonly sighted, and slightly smaller than its brown cousin. These rats tend to be more common around port areas.

The brown rat population is estimated to be sizeable. This is for many reasons, but one is urbanisation and the ready availability of food, such as in bins and recycling boxes.

Adaptable and hardy, the brown rat causes all kinds of problems, from damage to property to spreading a bacterium, Leptospirosis, that can be harmful to humans.

Did you know…?

The ‘we are never more than 6 feet away from a rat’ is an urban myth. Rats are commensal, meaning they are around us due to our activity. Although we have no true idea of the size of the population, in thriving cities and areas such as West London, the brown rat may more common than a small rural village.

Common Rodent Problems: The Mouse

There are various species of mice but in the UK, pest controllers tend to deal with three common species: the field mouse, the house mouse and the yellow-necked field mouse.

Much smaller than the brown rat, mice are a big problem for food businesses where a mice infestation leads to contaminated foodstuffs. The same is true for agricultural businesses.

Like the rat, mice are proactive when it comes to breeding and so, unfortunately, where you see one mouse, there are bound to be others. They don’t have the same reputation as the rat, however, and so sometimes, customers looking on them as cute and adorable little creatures, think that sharing their West London home or business with them is an OK thing to do.

It isn’t. Mice spread bacteria on everything that they touch and allowed to continue, they can multiply rapidly leading to a significant mouse problem.

Problems with rodents? Call the professional team at West London Pest Control on 0333 200 1395.