Are Rats Coming From The Sewer
The Common Brown or Norway Rat is also known as the sewer rat. It weighs in at an impressive 500g (adult). It is the largest of the rat species in the UK, measuring up to 23cm excluding its long tail.
The sewer rat is prevalent throughout the UK and none more so than in London where rats in sewers are a common sight and not just for the people fixing a drain blockage or when responding to reports of people seeing rats emerge from the sewers. There are regular reports of rats in sewers making an unwelcome entry into homes and businesses via waste pipes, even up the toilet or at street level emerging from a broken drain cover. Navigating a U bend is all in a day’s work for a sewer rat!
Why Do Rats Choose Sewers?
So, rats in sewers – why do they ‘choose’ sewers as their home? There are many reasons for this but rats in sewers started back in Victorian times, 150 years ago when the Victorians put in place a sewer infrastructure. From that moment the never-ending labyrinth of pipes with a constant supply of water, never-ending waste matter and better still, shrouded in darkness, has become the residence of choice for the brown rat or as we will refer to it from now on, the sewer rat.
Why would a rat go anywhere else when the sewers provide them with shelter and food – the two things they need to survive? Sewers tend to be warmer in wintry weather, and cooler in hot weather which suits a sewer rat perfectly. And sewer rats are particularly good swimmers, so much so they can be submerged in water for up to three days without drowning. But alas, rats in sewers are not content to remain in sewers which is why the sight of the sewer rat in our busy towns and cities is no longer a rare one.
Do All Rats Come From Sewers?
Are rats coming from the sewer? The unfortunate answer to this is a resounding ‘yes.’ They are coming from the sewer in a number of ways and emerging in homes and businesses. If the sewers are in a state of disrepair which due to their age, most invariably are, sewer rats can access the pipes that lead from the sewer into their homes and businesses. Sewer rats are extremely good climbers. Not only can they climb vertical walls of any size with relative ease (provided the wall is not super smooth that is), but they can also climb up drainpipes from within the pipes or on the outside. Rats in sewers are always in search of food and shelter and this journey can, if the pipework is accessible, lead them to your toilet bowl. You may not initially discover them in your toilet bowl because from there they will go on to make their home in your roof space, under your floorboards, in your loft space – especially if you have tanks in the loft that are not watertight. This is not good news on any front.
Rats find it easy to enter your property via the antiquated drainage system. They have flexible vertebrae and ribs which means that they can squeeze into the tightest of spaces including the U-bend of your toilet so a large sewer pipe gives them ample room! Their incredible swimming capabilities and ability to hold their breath for up to 3 minutes gives them enough time to swim from the sewers, into the drainpipes that transmit waste from your home to the sewers, finally making their grand entrance through your toilet. It’s a scary fact that they only need a small crack or hole to squeeze through before they make their home in your drainage system and your loft area. They love your drainage system. It is warm, roomy, dark and has plenty of waste matter flowing through it daily.
Are Sewer Rats Dangerous?
The answer to this is yes, rats are dangerous. Firstly, they transmit disease and secondly, they are a fire hazard, gnawing their way through pipes, metal, and plastic.
Sewer rats transmit disease via their urine and droppings including Leptospirosis or Weil’s disease, Salmonella, Listeria, Toxoplasma gondii and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome? Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a serious respiratory disease transmitted by infected sewer rats through urine, droppings, or saliva.
Humans can contract the disease when they breathe in aerosolized virus. It is a rare viral disease that can lead to considerable damage to many organs including the heart and lungs. Inhalation of infected rodent saliva, urine or droppings can lead to a rapid progression of illness which can be fatal. If a sewer rat has been able to access your worktops and other surfaces plus crockery and cutlery as they scavenge for food and has been eating pet food from the scraps left in pet bowls and you are none the wiser, these areas have become vectors for serious disease.
Dry droppings from rats can also trigger an allergic reaction in humans. Once dry, the particles can be ingested.
Additional Issues Sewer Rats Can Cause
Rats have monophyodont teeth which means they only grow once, and they do not stop growing. So, rats in sewers must keep their teeth trimmed so they can continue to eat with no problems. This means that with their sharp incisor teeth they can chew and gnaw through all manner of things in your home including wood, water pipes, aluminium, asbestos, metal, brick, lead, metal wires and cabling, even brick!
Electric cabling is at risk of being gnawed through with a resultant fire hazard. Plastic pipes would appear to be a favourite of the sewer rat which means they can inflict damage, gnawing and chewing away unnoticed because they are out of sign until there is a burst pipe, and you are only aware of the damage when water comes flooding through the roof into the room below.
If the trail of destruction is confine to the floorboards and in the loft area of your home, you will not be aware of how perilous and dangerous the situation could be.
If you have questions about rats in sewers, please contact us. We work with homeowners and businesses eradicating the infestation in an effective, discreet and prompt manner.