Brown Norwegian Rat Persuasive Speech

No-one knows how many rodents there are. But a recent estimate put the number at 42% of mammalians are rodents. Between them they outnumber the amount of humans on the planet. That number of rats would eat about 210 tonnes of food every day and contaminate with feces, urine and hair very much more than that. Rat numbers may be increasing because of recent less severe winters, more of us providing food for wild birds, and inadvertently for rats, in our gardens and parks, fewer Local Authorities offering services of free rodent control, and the spread of rodenticide resistance.

The rat is one of the great enemies of farming, food production and human health. It does incalculable damage to buildings, machinery and electric cables. That’s just
These breeds do not get on and will fight to the death in most cases where they cross paths; however since both species make nests in different areas they can both inhabit the same building. The heavier Norwegian rat will make its nest at ground level close enough to its water source while the Alexdrine rat will make its nest off ground level in attics, walls or
One hundred mice in one year produce 100kg of feaces and 75 litres of urine. One hundred rats in one year produce one tonne of feaces and 500 litres of urine. Rats eat 5-10 per cent (approx 20g per adult) of their bodyweight a day, while mice eat 10-20 per cent (approx 4-8g per adult) of their bodyweight a day. Rats must drink about 10 per cent of bodyweight (20-30ml for adult) each day. Naturally, rats are nearly always found near a water source. On the other hand, as long as there is at least 15 per cent moisture in what they eat then mice don’t need to drink. Neither rats or mice can vomit. They have a large nasal cavity for smelling and also have a holding area (diastema) to help detect if food is unpalatable or toxic. They are, as we all know, very intelligent creatures. Poisoning has long been used to control rodent populations and minimise the damage they do. The bait, however, must not have an off-putting odour or taste and must be palatable if the rodent is to swallow it. Rats move around with the aid of kinesthesis (muscle memory), which is the ability to memorise a series of complex movements. This allows them to follow the same pathway when foraging. . As prolific breeders a pair of rats can become 50 or 100 in about six