Our planet is inhabited by over two thousands species of gnawing animals, mice and rats (or mouse-like rodents) are the part of them, they are very dangerous for livestock objects.

Five reasons to take rodents seriously

1) Mice and rats eat and contaminate 20% of world food cache every year.

2) Rodents spoil the feed tenfold they eat.

3) Rats and mice are guilty for farm fires without official reasons in 25% of cases.

4) They are germ carriers of 45 kinds of diseases which are dangerous for commercial animals and people.

5) Extremely fast they adapt to any conditions, acquiring the immunity against poisons and correct behavioral strategy, that allows them to survive even after atomic bomb burst.

Risk for health

By inline accounts in the Middle Ages from 75 to 200 mln people died due to “the black death” or the plague. The main reservoir of the infection was rodents. Those days are gone, but mice and rats’ ability of transmitting different diseases don’t disappear.

Mouse-like rodents, especially rats, — transmit a lot of pathogens, which are dangerous for commercial animals and farm staff. In many cases they are not “the protosource”, but just spread the infections in the borders of the commercial farm unit or between near-by objects. Considering that rodents are not only smart but also have a strong sense of self-preservation, it is not too easy to get rid of them.

1) Why rats and mice are so undesired guests at the pig complex?

2) What dangerous diseases do these rodents transmit?

3) What does “asymptomatic carrier”mean?

4) What are the symptoms of diseases, brought to a pig farm by rodents?

You can find answers for these and other questions in the full version of the article in the magazine “Profitable Pig Production”, №4 (16) 2013.