If you asked a group of average homeowners about their opinion of rats, they would probably vehemently express their hatred for rats. Many cultures view rats as pests and even vermin. Even though many people find rats despicable, there are also people who find facts on rats interesting. Here is some information on rats that you may find interesting.

Growth of Front Teeth

Most rats have short, stubby front teeth. However, these front teeth actually grow up to five inches every year. The reason why the front teeth remain short is because rats continuously wear them down by gnawing on just about everything, including lead pipes, cement, wood, and small animals.

Mating

If you’ve ever had to hire the services of a Preventive Pest Control Houston company, you probably know from experience just how fast rats reproduce. During six hours of receptivity, a female rat can mate up to 500 times with different male rats.

Stages of Life

After a rat is born, it will mature sexually within three to four months. This means a rat can produce shortly after being born. The average rat lives up to three years.

Hardiness

As you probably know, rats are very hardy creatures. Rats are capable of treading in water for up to three days. If you flush a rat down the toilet, it may just return to your home through the same route. For every person in the US, there is about one rat.

Population

For every person in the United States, there is about one rat.

Rat Habitats

Most people harbor the misconception that all rats make their homes in the houses of people. The truth is there are actually many species of rats that don’t live close to the homes of people. Some live in rain forests, marshes, and other remote habitats.

Endangered Status

There are over 65 species of rats. Some of these species are actually endangered, which may seem strange to some considering how common city-dwelling brown rats are.

Favorite Foods

Rats actually have their preferred human foods. According to a study conducted by Martin Schein, city-dwelling brown rats love corn, scrambled eggs, and macaroni and cheese.

Feces Consumption

Not only do rats like human junk food, but they are also known to eat their own feces solely for the nutritional value.

Regular Feeding

Studies have shown that rats with reduced caloric intakes live longer than rats with high caloric intakes. Therefore, trying to starve the rats out of your home is a tactic that may backfire.