This Terrier Proves He’s the Best Rat Catcher in Town

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Rollo the Patterdale terrier is showing off his phenomenal pest control skills in this clip. He waits patiently until a rat is within striking range and then bolts down the path. The unsuspecting rodent literally does not know what has hit it and meets a quick end. Take a look for yourself!

Why Do Rats Normally Live Near Humans?

Rats have lived alongside humans for thousands of years but our relationship with them is not always positive. They like to live where humans are because we (and the structures we build) provide them with shelter, warmth, water, and food. The easier it is to access these things in a given location, the more likely you are to have rats, and the more of them there are likely to be! Whilst these rodents quite like fresh food, they will happily live off garbage in trash bags.

As highly mobile and adaptable creatures they roam freely around our towns, cities, and buildings. When there are enough of them, you will start to spot them, as we see in this clip!

Why Do We Need to Control Rats?

Rats can cause a lot of structural damage to our homes and buildings. Rats gnaw everything! Their incisors (front teeth) continuously grow so they like to gnaw to wear them down. If they don’t gnaw, their teeth get too long and they cannot eat. The problem is that they damage water pipes, power cables, network cables, and any wood in the building. If they come across a hole that they can’t fit through, they will be quite happy to gnaw at it to make it bigger!

When they build nests, they trash loft insulation which makes a mess and makes your home less insulated. They also nest in inconvenient places such as hot water cupboards, and under baths and showers. Their urine stains surfaces and smells really bad!

What Diseases Do Rats Spread?

The list of diseases directly spread by rats and other rodents is extensive! It includes rat bite fever, Lassa fever, leptospirosis, and salmonellosis. Rat-bite fever is caused either by Streptobacillus moniliformis (in North America) or Spirillum minus (in Asia). Contrary to its name, rat-bite fever is not just spread through rat bites. It can also be spread through scratches, contact with rat saliva, urine, or droppings. You can also get it from surfaces contaminated with the bacteria if it can enter the body through broken skin. Consuming food or drink contaminated with rat urine or droppings can also spread the disease!