Most of us come in contact with rats far more frequently than we may believe. These animals are in our homes, our businesses, and the places that we visit. They have made a living off of human beings, using our innovations and food as the sources for their thriving success. This is why you can be sure that any place where human beings live, rats are going to be there as well.
They have become so much a part of our world that we seldom give rats a second thought. We don't like it if they are in our home, but often don't find them to be too intrusive. As long as they are not getting into our food or crawling across our beds at night, we may even look the other way.
That is until one of these animals is sick. Rats carry a number of illnesses, many of which can be harmful to you. When an animal like this is sick it makes the possibility even greater. This may make you wonder how you can tell if a rat is sick?
Start with the Basics
Let's take a moment to learn a little rat behavior. These are nocturnal creatures, meaning they like to forage for food at night. Because a rat is so small and would be a prime target for most predators, it is to their advantage to be as secret as possible. Traveling and foraging for food at night helps them to do that.
So, if you see a rat or group of rats who are out during the daytime, this is a clear indicator that something is wrong. You should do all you can to avoid an animal like this and should probably hire someone to come out and remove the animal from your home.
It Just Doesn't Look Right
There are other symptoms that tell you that something is wrong with the rat. This includes a look that just isn't right. If the rat is looking staggered, maybe even like it is drunk, there could be something severely wrong with its brain. This is causing it to act erratically, which is one of the clear indicators.
If the rat is aggressive in nature, maybe even coming at you, this is one of the most serious indicators that you should pay attention to. These animals do everything they can to stay away from people, so coming toward you, a potential creditor, shows that something is wrong with the brain of this animal.
If you see a discharge around its eyes or mouth, this is one of the major symptoms. As is patches of the animal's fur that are missing or if you see lots of sores or scabs on the animal. These not only demonstrate the animal might be sick, but may also be indicator that the animal has fleas. Those can pose a serious risk to you as well.
An odd acting rat or looking rat is what you should be looking for if you want to know about symptoms of illness. Be careful of these animals if you come across them.
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