Rodents

Rodents is derived from the word rodere, meaning “to gnaw”. They  are mammals of the order Rodentia, which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. Because they do not stop growing, the animal must continue to wear them down so that they do not reach and pierce the skull. As the incisors grind against each other, the softer dentine on the rear of the teeth wears away, leaving the sharp enamel edge shaped like the blade of a chisel

Most rodents are small animals with robust bodies, short limbs, and long tails. They use their sharp incisors to gnaw food, excavate burrows, and defend themselves.

They tend to be social animals and many species live in societies with complex ways of communicating with each other. most rodents are herbivorous, feeding exclusively on plant material such as seeds, stems, leaves, flowers, and roots. Some are omnivorous and a few are predators.

Some facts about Rodents:

• Rodents are the most intelligent creatures among the non-insect pests, which compete with human for food, shelter and ownership of all valuable properties.
• Rats live and succeed in all climatic conditions and are often found in and around buildings and make their burrow in garden.
• They can swim and live in water for three days continuously.
• They are vectors of all pathogenic microbes like virus, bacteria, fungi, etc.
• They transmit epidemic diseases like Plague, Salmonellosis, Leptospirosis, Diarrhea, etc.
• Apart from these diseases faecal matter of rodents easily gets mixed with food grains which cause contamination and food poisoning and
• As their incisors continue to grow they have the tendency to grind something nonstop to sharpen their teeth and cause damage to food, plastics, wire, cloths and other important materials worth billions of dollars every year.
• They are the biggest menace in all our places and particularly the field of catering, hospitals, hotels, clubs, software industries and warehouses.
• A single pair can reproduce 1500 descendants in its life cycle of 18 months period.

Species of Commensal Rodents:

The word commensal is used to describe rodents that are generally found living in close associations with humans and very often dependent upon human habitat for the essential elements of food, water, shelter and space. 

1. Bandicoot rats                – Bandicoota bengalensis 
2. Roof Rat                         – Rattus rattus )
3. House Mouse                  – Mus musculus 
4. Brown Rat                      – Rattus norvegicus

Breeding:

House Mouse females have a gestation period of about 19–21 days, and they give birth to a litter of 3–14 young (average six to eight). One female can have 5 to 10 litters per year, so the mouse population can increase very quickly. Breeding occurs throughout the year

The brown rat can breed throughout the year if conditions are suitable, with a female producing up to five litters a year. The gestation period is only 21 days, and litters can number up to 14, although seven is common. They reach sexual maturity in about five weeks. The population can grow from 2 to 15 000 in a year under ideal conditions.