h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My ex-boss was more radical with noises. He once shot at a rat out of sheer frustration - the damn things always come back and get really cheeky. This one was a big one and it sat right on the lawn and leered through the patio doors at them while it was in full view. So he got his air gun and shot it. I think he said he missed, but he never saw a rat on the lawn again.

--------------

Now my cousin is in pest control and he is shocked when I tell him we have rats. (not in the house, only in the garden. We have had mice in the house, but you just have to watch how they behave with the cat to see the difference. Of course, even to me, who knows not much about it at all, I can also see the difference in colour, size and shape)

My cousin says that rats carry typhoid and we should be doing something drastic about them. I really don't know what we can do, because they are protected by our wood pile on the one side and our neighbour's wood pile on the other. You can't get at them. They thrive in the closed compost box and they have been driven over to us from the adjoining plot which, now after over ten years being left, is being dug up and built on.

Is this true about the typhoid and what are the consequences?
When should we take extreme action?
Is there a danger to humans? (there are no farm animals directly near by)
How do they carry it?
How is it passed on?
Isn't typhoid extinct in Europe?
Do they just carry it or do they get it themselves?
Why is my cousin so horrified?

Rats can carry or transmit an awful lot of diseases, and typhoid is one of them. Its a type of salmonella, coming from polluted water, and in most of Europe it's only a minor problem due to proper sewage treatement and preventative vaccination. However, wild rats tend to live in dirty places, so they catch diseases and sometimes they pass them on to humans. This can happen in a number of ways, including excreting in food or water supplies or through intermediate carriers like fleas. I think the chances of catching typhoid from a rat are quite low, but there are other diseases like Weil's Disease that can be a bigger problem.

If the rats aren't getting into the house, I don't think you have to worry too much (though if you've got mice, deal with them - they can spread disease as well). If the rats start to get inside, you'll have to do something, though it pains me to say it - I've got two pet rats, and they're wonderful animals.