Nobody likes to think about having rats in their commercial building, but it happens. Rats can enter an establishment through an entry point the size of a quarter. (Mice? They need a gap that’s the size of a dime.) Plus, rodents don’t discriminate, willing to enter even the cleanest building, the most upscale establishment.

This post will take a closer look at four characteristics of rats that can make them especially challenging to deal with: their teeth, their breeding speed, the diseases carried, and their brains. Then, we’ll share a forward-thinking SMART rodent control solution.

Rat Teeth

First, here are some pretty unpleasant facts about rat teeth. Among them are four long and sharp incisors, two on top and two on the bottom, and they’re open rooted. In other words, these ultra-sharp teeth, ideal for gnawing, never quit growing. And, the tooth enamel covering these incisors is harder than copper, platinum, and iron, allowing them to chew through tough materials.

To keep their teeth razor sharp, rats gnaw on what’s available to them. In your business, these teeth can gnaw through wires, potentially causing fires, as well as through the wood that provides the structural integrity to your building. They’ve even been known to gnaw through cinder blocks, and through lead and aluminum sheeting—causing an estimated amount of $19 billion in damage in the United States each year.

Rat Breeding

Let’s say there are just a couple of rats in a building. How much chaos could be caused if they weren’t removed? Well, the answer isn’t pretty. If one was male and the other female—and they were left alone for just three years—the end result could equal nearly half a billion rats. Seriously. That’s the calculation that’s been made.

Rats truly can multiply, with one female rat giving birth about six times a year. Each litter can have five to ten—or even a dozen—babies. Then, within about four to five weeks, each female in the litter is mature enough to begin birthing her own litters. So, just one single pair can give birth to about 1,250 babies annually—with the offspring of their offspring able to create the truly exponential numbers we’ve shared.

Rat Diseases

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rodents transmit more than two dozen diseases, either directly or indirectly. From rat bite fever to the West Nile Virus, and from the plague to lyme disease, scrub typhus, and more, they pass along plenty of dreadful diseases that you don’t want to catch. Plus, rodents and the diseases they carry can threaten the health of your employees and customers, vendors and visitors, and more—and that doesn’t include the damage their presence can do to your reputation if word of a rat infestation gets out.

Rat Brains

When you consider how harmful rats can be to the health of people in your commercial building, and the damage they can do to its structure, it just makes sense to proactive keep your business rodent-free.

Rats won’t necessarily make this easy, though, because they’re highly intelligent creatures. In fact, one Harvard Business Review article is titled “Rats Can Be Smarter Than People.” Sure, the human brain is far more complex but, the article suggests, when it comes to learning survival skills, “a more complex brain isn’t always a better one. In information integration tasks, rats applied what they learned more quickly.”

This is when to call in the rodent control experts.

Outsmarting Rats With Anticimex SMART Rodent Control

Turner Pest Control is now offering Anticimex SMART rodent control technology to our commercial pest control customers. This solution has been widely used in countries around the world where rodent bait is banned, and it’s been highly successful. The SMART approach allows you to benefit from a non-toxic answer to your rodent control problems, a precise and comprehensive solution that’s also more humane—while allowing you to maintain a healthier, rodent-free business environment.

The SMART system provides monitoring, 24/7/365, allowing the experts at Turner Pest Control to receive and quickly respond to activity alarms. Meanwhile, it provides your business with peace of mind—and we blend Anticimex SMART technology with our expert commercial pest control services to take care of your rodent problem, once and for all.

Ready to benefit from the combination of automation and human expertise? Call us at 800-225-5305 and let us know you’re ready to schedule your free inspection and estimate. Or, contact us online.