Brown Rats
They eat more meat than the Black rat, and if they get the opportunity, they will eat carrion and will prey on other animals. They frequently infest public tips, slaughterhouses, domestic dwellings, warehouses, shops, supermarkets, in fact anywhere there is an easy meal and potential nesting sites.
Diseases carried by Brown rats
Salmonella – Carried by all rodents. This can cause mild to severe gastric illness.
Trichinosis – Pork roundworm. Initially the worm lodges in the intestines, but the larvae may invade the muscles to form cysts that are often resistant to drug treatment.
Rat Bite Fever – Murine Typhus spread by lice on the animal, they die of it, but not before they have passed it on.
Weil’s Disease – Leptospiral Jaundice (Leptospirosis). Symptoms are initially flu like, with a severe persistent headache; if someone exhibiting these symptoms has been in an area where there are rats, then they should seek immediate medical advice as this potentially fatal condition can cause damage to the liver and kidneys and needs early treatment.