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Can a rat attack a person?

Rats have long been considered the enemies of humanity, as they live in houses and often spoil or destroy food. Do these rodents attack people? And if so, why?

• About the lifestyle and nutrition of rats
• Can a rat attack a person?
• How often do rats attack people?
• Who is most susceptible to attacks?
• In what cases can a rat attack?
• How do rats attack?
• Are attacks dangerous?

About the lifestyle and nutrition of rats

Rats are synanthropic and cosmopolitan animals. The latter term means that such rodents are accustomed to urban conditions and inhabit large and densely populated cities, finding places to live and food. These pests are called synanthropic because they often settle near people, so they get used to their presence and even learn to interact with them. In most cases, rats are active at night, and one of the reasons for their nocturnal lifestyle is people. In order to avoid being seen by a person, the rodent watches him, finds out when he sleeps or leaves, and goes hunting at that exact time. And this, in essence, means that there is simply no need for rats to attack people under normal and favorable conditions.

But in some cases, rats can show aggression and even behave inappropriately, and because of this, an attack becomes, in principle, possible.

Now it’s worth writing about the nutrition of rats. These animals can be safely called omnivores and even predators. They can eat plant foods such as seeds, fleshy parts of plants, cereals, vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs. But these rodents also need animal protein, so the diet may include fish, amphibians (lizards, frogs), small animals (mainly rodents) and even birds. Sometimes such rodents, for lack of other food, eat carrion. In urban environments they have to feed on waste. There are also frequent cases of cannibalism, that is, eating members of their own kind. And such feeding habits also make it possible and completely justified to attack people.

Rats are carnivorous animals that can eat meat

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Rats are man’s eternal companions, and they are also one of his main nightmares. Rats destroy food supplies, can even cause serious damage to buildings, they penetrate into the most hidden corners of the home through sewer and ventilation passages unnoticed by humans, they are the first to flee from the ship in case of trouble, prisoners in prisons call “rat” those who steal from their own , and there is no worse curse.

It is no coincidence that in the Chinese tradition the rat is considered a symbol of the cosmic principle “Yin”, which is the embodiment of chaos. In the Middle Ages, torture using rats was among the most terrible. And today, residents of megacities with sweet horror tell each other horror stories about abandoned sections of the metro, inhabited by giant rats.

The rat can indeed be dangerous, since it is one of the most intelligent and fearless animals. But can she really attack a person? And in what cases are such attacks possible?

What is a rat

Rat (in Latin Rattus) is an animal from the genus of rodents, the family of mice. There are at least 64 species of rats. However, we are only interested in two synanthropic (that is, those whose lifestyle is associated with humans) species - the gray and black rat. The gray rat is otherwise called “pasyuk”, it is larger than the black one, it has a slightly different shape of the muzzle and tail. This is where the differences that are significant for a non-specialist are exhausted. Both rats are constant inhabitants of garbage dumps, sewers, abandoned houses, poorly maintained food warehouses, and sewer tunnels in cities and towns throughout Russia.

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Rats are omnivores. They readily eat waste from the human table, small animals, insects and snails, and hunt in granaries and food processing factories.

Can rats attack humans?

They can. This doesn't happen as often as in horror films, but it's not that rare either. Here are the data from special studies. More than 600 rat bites are recorded annually in Moscow. And in the United States, rats bite more than 14,000 people every year. Around the world, the number of rat attacks on humans annually reaches 3.5 million cases. Approximately 2,000 people around the world die every year from diseases carried by rats.

In what cases can a rat attack?

A rat is a small creature. The largest pasyuk is unlikely to reach a length of more than 25 centimeters. It is clear that a small animal can attack a larger creature only in isolated cases. First of all, a rat can attack a person, protecting itself and its offspring. This happens when they try to grab a rodent and destroy its nest. It’s not for nothing that there is a saying about the courage of a rat driven into a corner. The second situation when a rat is capable of attacking is severe hunger. A rat may try to bite off a piece of skin or even flesh from a person, but only if the person is helpless or immobilized - for example, a small child or a sick, drunk, tied up adult.

A cornered rat, forced to defend its life, strives not so much to “eat off” a piece from the person attacking it, but to scare him. An attacking rat will usually jump, making a loud squeak. At the same time, she can easily bite and even hurt very much. Scientists tested the bite force of a gray rat: the rodent creates a pressure of 500 kg/sq.cm with its incisors. This jaw strength allows rats to chew through metal wires. So, it doesn’t cost a rat anything to cut your palm right down to the bone. If there is no special task to definitely catch the animal, then when faced with a rat, it is much wiser to let it run away.

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Attacks by rats on humans in order to satisfy hunger occur extremely rarely in Russia, since rodents have plenty of food resources in the form of landfills and granaries. This happens much more often in poor countries in Africa and Asia, in slum areas. However, not only in Africa and Asia. In Italy, in poor areas of Naples in the 70s of the last century, rat attacks on sleeping children and the elderly were reported. Rats can attack anywhere where there is a low standard of living and lack of proper sanitary standards. By the way, rat attacks on people in Africa, for example, are also due to the fact that people there often hunt rats themselves in order to eat them, and with such a hunt bites are inevitable.

Do man-eating rats exist?

Only in horror films and children's horror stories. There has not been a single documented case of rats hunting people in an organized flock. As already noted, sometimes rats eat human flesh, but this happens solely from hunger, and not because we are talking about a rat that prefers human meat. The rat doesn’t care what it eats - humans, bread, rodents smaller than itself, snails or worms. Stories about gnawed corpses of people found in landfills belong to the realm of folklore. However, if we are talking about some unfortunate homeless person who found his life ending in this place, then it is quite possible that the rats gnawed his corpse. Or they even started eating at the moment when the person was alive, but no longer had the opportunity to defend himself.

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Why are rat bites dangerous?

Rats are carriers of diseases such as leptospirosis, rabies, tularemia, and murine typhus.

At the same time, the cause of infection is not always a rat bite. In many cases, it is enough to pick up food with hands that have touched rat feces (for example, while working in a granary), or even simply breathe the air of a room where a large number of these rodents live.

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How often do rats attack people?

There are actually many cases of rat attacks on people. So, in a large city, where there are several rats for every person (just imagine how many of them live on city streets and gateways!), from 400 to 700 cases of attack are recorded annually. But these are only officially registered cases. And if we take into account that not everyone seeks help from medical institutions after a rodent bite, we can conclude that the number of attacks is much higher.

What to do if rats bite children?

A child who has been attacked by a rat must first be calmed down. Such a negative experience can be remembered for the rest of his life, causing the development of neuroses and fear of animals. The wound should be treated with an antiseptic, bandaged, and the child’s condition should be monitored for 1-2 weeks.

If rats have bitten children in a kindergarten or school, providing medical care to the injured children is not enough. It is necessary to bring information about the incident to the attention of the relevant authorities (district office of the SES, Rospotrebnadzor), demand an inspection and take measures based on its results.

Who is most susceptible to attacks?

Rats are smart and even smart animals (it’s not for nothing that they manage to survive in the most unfavorable conditions), so most often they attack those they consider weak prey. And therefore, children, old people, sick and weakened people suffer more. In addition, prisoners often become victims of rats (there are a lot of rats in prisons, and they often try to take food from prisoners), homeless people living in rat habitats and disturbing them, as well as alcoholics.

Rats do not attack people often, but such cases do occur.

In what cases can a rat attack?

Rats don't just attack if they are healthy and feeling normal. Attacks occur in the following cases:

• The rodent has rabies. One of the stages of this disease is characterized by increased nervous excitability, aggression and a sharp reaction to any irritants. Therefore, a rabid rat may well attack a person for no reason.
• Fright or fear. If you try to catch, drive away or drive such a rodent into a corner, then it will first try to escape, and if this fails, it will certainly begin to defend itself and defend itself. Rats can stand on their hind legs and make frightening sounds to let their opponent know that there is danger. If at such a moment you approach the animal, then it may well move from threats to active actions, that is, to an attack.
• Rats often attack when they are driven out of occupied habitats. And this is not surprising, because if these rodents find a suitable territory, they can firmly settle there and create an entire colony consisting of several hundred individuals. And if this entire colony is driven away, the animals probably won’t like it. Several years ago such an incident occurred in Moscow. Rats lived in the department store for many years, but they decided to destroy it. Probably, the rodents were frightened by loud noises, and they ran out into the street and began to attack random passers-by.
• Population growth. If the rat population increases, then, firstly, the rodents may not have enough space and food, and secondly, they may feel strong and fearless. And in these cases, rats cease to be afraid of people, and if they try to drive away pests, they can actively defend themselves and fight for their place in the sun.
• Hunger. Severe hunger can force rats to eat their relatives, which, in principle, contradicts all natural rules and laws. And due to severe hunger and the threat of starvation, a rodent may attack a person in order to get at least some food.

There may be several reasons for the attack

Possible consequences

All consequences of a rat bite are dangerous, but the most terrible deadly infection is rabies. The only treatment for rabies is emergency vaccination. If a rat has bitten, immediately after providing first aid you need to go to a rabies center (address to be confirmed by calling 03) or a trauma center.

The first vaccination must be given on the day of the bite. Subsequent injections - on days 3, 7, 14, 30 and 90. Even after being bitten by a rabid rat, a person will live if he has completed the full course of vaccination.

According to statistics, only 2% of victims are at risk of contracting dangerous infections. But if you are bitten by a rat, this is a serious reason to play it safe and go to the emergency room.

Attention! There is always a risk of contracting a serious illness. Only a doctor can assess the condition of the wound and the patient himself.

Damage to the head and face is especially dangerous. Deep wounds will require debridement, antibiotics, drainage, or stitches.

• Leptospirosis is transmitted from rats more often than other infections. The disease is severe, in 16% of cases it is fatal to people. After the bite, the temperature rises to 40 °C, chills and severe painful cramps of the calf muscles appear. The main complications are paralysis and myocarditis.
• Rat bite disease - sodoku. According to statistics, an untreated disease ends in death in 10% of cases. However, if you seek medical help in a timely manner, a person will be cured quickly and completely.
• Listeriosis is dangerous for expectant mothers due to termination of pregnancy. It is difficult for people with weakened immune systems to overcome the disease.
• Yersiniosis (pseudotuberculosis). The disease occurs with signs of intoxication - vomiting, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain. The first signs appear within a day, in people with reduced immunity – 3 weeks after the bite. Complications are dangerous - meningitis, polyarthritis, osteomyelitis and myocarditis.
• Tetanus is a dangerous infection that affects the nervous system and internal organs. Every year, 30–60 thousand people, mostly children, die from it in the world. Tetanus develops extremely rarely from rat bites, but the risk is present.
• Melioidosis due to a bite and late consultation with doctors often ends sadly. The infection is accompanied by fever, body tremors, headaches, joint and muscle pain. In some cases, symptoms do not appear immediately, but several days after the bite.
• Rabies is an acute viral infection common to humans and animals. Infection of humans from rats occurs in rare cases, but it cannot be ruled out. Rabies in rats occurs in 2 stages. First, the animal hides in a dark place. Then aggression appears. The rat constantly rushes at people and objects, gnawing the ground. Viscous saliva is released from the mouth.

In addition to the listed infections, rodents carry fleas, bedbugs, ticks, all kinds of bacteria and viruses.

To avoid rat bites, you need to take the following precautions:

1. When visiting basements, warehouses, landfills, be careful.
2. If you encounter a rat, do not wave your arms or stick. The only way to relieve rat aggression is with water.
3. Do not eat food that has been damaged by rats.
4. If you purchase an animal at a pet store, ask the seller for a certificate from a veterinarian.
5. If bitten, go to the emergency room immediately.

A rat bite is dangerous, first of all, due to dangerous diseases and purulent wounds. Correct human behavior during an attack and timely assistance measures minimize the risk of infection.

Each person’s body has its own individual characteristics and the reaction to a rat bite can be different. For some, the puncture will heal quickly, for others - with complications. After receiving an injury from rat teeth, you should never stop the bleeding immediately, but rather, let it flow out more to wash away the bacteria.

Consequences and unpleasant sensations in a person may appear only after 2-3 days: a rise in temperature, inflammation in the bite area, pain in the muscles or head, in such a situation you should immediately seek the help of a doctor.

If the owner has recently acquired an animal, and if the rat has bitten for no reason, then the likelihood of any infection entering the body is quite high, the spread of which could be this rodent. In this case, it is impossible to do without vaccinations and qualified medical care.

How do rats attack?

Before an attack, rats can take a threatening pose, that is, stand on their hind legs and bare their teeth. Such rodents most often attack in a jump, after which they almost immediately dig into the victim with their teeth or claws. The bite is quite painful. To drive a rat away, you need to try to remove it with your hands or hurt it.

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Are attacks dangerous?

Deaths from rodent attacks are rare, but have been reported. Death is possible if the person who has become the victim is helpless or if there are a large number of attacking rodents. But the danger may lie elsewhere. It is worth remembering that rats are carriers of dangerous infectious diseases such as tularemia, typhoid, rabies, Q-fever and many others. And if a rodent bites through the skin, bacteria or viruses can easily enter the bloodstream, which can cause infection. In addition, a bite can lead to sepsis, which is also very dangerous.

Remember about the danger of attacks and try not to come into contact with rodents, much less provoke them into active actions.