Manual on Rat Control
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NAVMED 518 Manual on RAT CONTROL American Mainland and Pacific Region Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. Navy Department Washington, D. C. 19 4 4 INTRODUCTION The common house rats and the semi-wild forms are important reservoirs of diseases that affect man. Damage to all types of materiel is a secondary but important reason for controlling rats in proximity to military bases, camps, and installations and aboard ships. Effective control requires some knowledge of species and habits of the rat population. DESCRIPTION AND CLASSIFICATION OF IMPORTANT RODENTS Three species of common house rats occur generally on the American main- land. In addition to these forms, several other species occur in the Pacific area. The semi-wild forms which live in the jungle or forest and waste-land have little contact with man and are relatively unimportant in rodent control; military oc- cupation and operations may change this picture to some extent. The semi-do- mestic forms which will require consideration and control are briefly described. The KEY is supplied for the purpose of separating and classifying rats on the mainland and those in the Pacific area. The most important rats from the medi- cal and economic viewpoint are: - Rattus norvegicus - Norway (Brown) Rat. The Norway rat is fairly large, usually russet or grayish-brown on the back and sides, the underparts having a slight gray to yellowish-white color. This'rat is present wherever human habita- tion creates suitable harboring places and an adequate food supply. It is persis- tent and aggressive and lives in association with other rats. Due to its greater adaptability and on account of its habit of living on and in the ground; it is gener- ally the most noticeable and numerous species. It lives with people and feeds on the products of the field and factory. Rattus rattus alexandrinus - Alexandria (Egypt) Rat; Gray (Roof) Rat. - This rat is usually a grayish-brown to black on back and sides,,the tips of the underfur being white and grading to a slight gray at the base. The contour of the body is rather slim and elongate. It is a good climber and will be found in upper stories of buildings, on the roofs of houses, and in trees. It tends to become wide- ly distributed and is generally regarded as a pest in many out-of-the-way places. Trapping and poisoning methods require some adaptation to fit these specialized habits. - Rattus rattus rattus - Black Rat. This rat is slaty-black on all parts of the body. It is not commonly encountered in any considerable number, except in special types of environment, and does not usually become a pest on a wide scale. - Rattus rattus frugivorus - White-Bellied Rat. This rat is slaty-gray to tawny on back and sides with white hairs on belly and is generally referred to as ‘The white-bellied rat.” Its habits are similar to those of the Alexandria Rat which it appears to supplant in some localities. Routine methods of control are generally effective in dealing with this species. It is found mainly in the Pacific area. 1 Description and Classification Rattus exulans subspecies - Polynesian Rat. - On all the oceanic islands of the Pacific there are many forms or species of small, semi-wild rats which can be easily distinguished from any of the larger, semi-domestic forms. They are generally dark brown to light brown in color and range from very small to medium in size. They can be separated as a group, but only a trained mammalogist can hope to place them as to species. Control operations require exposure of baits and traps near natural habitat and cover and on a systematic, extensive scale. (Specialized types of medium-sized and large rats will also be encountered in the Pacific area.) Mus muscuius - House Mouse. - This is a small species, varying in color from dark brownish-gray to light reddish-brown above, underparts gray. The house mouse is important in disease transmission and food contamination. It must be considered in connection with damage to food supplies and food containers. Control measures must contemplate persistence and ingenuity in baiting traps and exposing bait in order to get a high percentage of acceptance and control. Note on Life History: ■ Rats and mice start breeding at three to four months of age; gestation period 21 - 25 days. Litters vary in numbers from six to fifteen with an average of eight; from eight to ten litters each year. Front of teeth Distinct notches of cusps No distinct notches of cusps Inner edge of teeth (Lower right jawbone) Rattus rattus Rattus Norvegieus FIG. 1. Dental Characters of First Molar Tooth. KEY - Semi-Domesticated Rats of American Mainland and Islands of the Pacific Area A. Total length (including tail) less than 300 mm. b. Back tawny or brownish; total length, adults, 230 - 290 mm.; length of - tail, 120 - 150 mm.; length of hind foot, 23 30 mm.; length of ear from notch, 14 - 20 mm. (Small Polynesian Rat) Rattus exulans subsp. AA. Total length (including tail) more than 300 mm. % B. No distinct outer cusp (style) on first row of cusps on first molar (cheek) tooth (See Fig. 1). c. Tail more or less bicolored; head and body robust; length of tail usually less than length of head and body; ear short, normally does not extend more than half-way to eye when laid forward. Total length, - adults, 325 - 460 mm.; length of tail, 150 215 mm.; length of hind foot, 38 - 46 mm.; length of ear from notch, 16 - 20 mm. (Norway Rat) Rattus norvegicus BB. A distinct outer cusp (style) on first row of cusps on first molar (cheek) tooth; tail unicolored; head and body more slender; length of tail usually greater (at least equal to) length of head and body; ear long, reaching half- way to eye when laid forward; hind foot, 36 - 42 mm. d. Back slaty or slaty-black; color above and below similar. Total length, adults, 390 - 450 mm.; length of tail, 185 - 250 mm.; length of hind foot, - 36 - 40 mm.; length of ear from notch, 24 26 mm. (Black Rat) Rattus rattus rattus dd. Back tawny; underparts not slaty or slaty-black (except in worn pelage when tips of hairs are worn off). e. Belly never clear white or lemon-colored, and hairs always slaty at base on underparts (except occasionally on throat and chest); belly may appear grayish in worn pelage.. Total length, adults, 350- 450 mm.; length of tail, 190 - 250 mm.; length of hind foot, 34 - 42 mm.; length of ear from notch, 20 - 27 mm. (Alexandria Rat) Rattus rattus alexandrinus ee. Belly white or creamy (lemon) and hairs white to base; ground color of back, tawny; no gray margin at line of demarcation between ground color of back and the whitish belly. Total length, adults, a345 - 455 mm.; length of tail, 190 - 255 mm.; length of hind foot, 34 - 40 mm.; length of ear from notch, 20 - 24 mm. (White-Bellied Rat) Rattus rattus frugivorus THE CONTROL PROGRAM A preliminary survey should be made of any area where a control program is contemplated. The species of rats present and their relative numbers, cover and food conditions, and proximity of native habitations and centers of population are carefully noted. Soil and climatic conditions are studied. Movements and habits of rats in the locality are determined. As a part of this survey, a reasonable number of traps and baits should be exposed over a wide area to give a represent- ative cross-section of the rat population; typical specimens of the region should be prepared from the rats picked up. On the basis of these observations, com- pleted rapidly and thoroughly, the control program is planned. Area-wide application is the only type of rat control to be considered or at- tempted. Simultaneous removal of all species is highly desirable to preclude re infestation by specialized types of rats. A “ campaign system” is the surest means of eliminating the major portion of the rat population in a given area. In order to accomplish this, materials must be assembled in sufficient volume to cover the entire area completely and throughly with the initial control effort. The usual control program begins with starving the rats and building them out. It is imperative that local sources of rat food be eliminated. Both natural and artificial foods, especially garbage, must be made inaccessible. Buildings and storage spaces must be made rat-proof. A specially trained crew is assigned to complete the clean-up and rat-proofing operations simultaneously, to have everything in readiness for exposing baits, setting traps, or other types of control measures that may be employed. If it has been determined that prebaiting is de- sirable, this is done while eliminating the food sources and rat-proofing. The weather is considered next, since this is the most important single factor influencing control operations. Available weather charts are carefully studied; poison baits should be put out when it appears that the weather will be clear during that afternoon, night, and the following morning. Weather will make or break any rat control project in which poison bait is used extensively. Rain and wind invariably interfere with the normal nocturnal movements of'the rats and destroy the baits. It is always good business to wait for the right break in the weather; then employ all possible bait in the area to be controlled. On the day following the exposure of poison baits, the control crew patrols the treated area, picking up the dead rats and any tainted or spoiled baits and putting out additional baits where needed.