2006-09-16 19:01:33 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Rats cannot be poisonous...they can be infectious.
WILD rats often live in deplorable conditions. They eat foods that we, as humans, couldn't imagine consuming. They can become infected with a number of diseases or viruses but display no signs of such. However, they can still transmit those diseases to humans via their urine/feces/blood.
The 'black plague' was a result of rats harboring the diseases and their droppings contaminating eating utensils, food, ect.
Remember, this applies to WILD rats. And even then they're only infectious and pose a problem because they live in such proximity to humans (where as most other wild animals avoid humans at all costs---thereby minimizing contimination).
Domestic/fancy/pet rats are bred in wonderful conditions, vet-checked, and so on. They are no more infectous than any other domestic animal.
2006-09-16 21:02:34 · answer #1 · answered by strayd0g 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What I think your hearing is that rats are poisonous in the sense that they carry disease and a bite would easily become infected and/or endanger you to some illness. Rat do no, however, produce venom like a snake, and are not poisonous in that way
2006-09-16 19:09:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its not poisonous if it bites you unless it has rabies , which will give you rabies. Anyone who says rats are poisonous are nuts. I had students while i was teaching who owned pet rats.
However, it could make you sick if the rat gets near your food, and takes a dump in it. If you eat that you will become very sick. You don't ever want an animal like that (that uses the toilet on its own free will) roaming around in or near your food.
2006-09-16 19:05:41 · answer #3 · answered by Rachel 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rats sometimes have diseases... like they live in real dirty places and so they have rabies... Do you know about the Black Plague? It killed off so many people in Europe when it took place. But that was a long time ago, don't worry ;)
Here's more about it: I learned that the rats were bitten or something and then they passed it onto humans... I'm not completely sure though, I could be wrong this whole time.
2006-09-16 19:11:22 · answer #4 · answered by Jina 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A rat can carry LOTS of diseases, especially if it interacts with garbage, waste, and mold. It could also be poisonous by being poisoned some time ago, and is about to collapse, but it can infect you with any of it's diseases and bacteria if you are bitten. If you are worried about your pet rat that you bought from the pet store, there is nothing to be worried about because pet stores keep their animals updated for diseases by a doctor every week. Smile and keep your chin up!
2006-09-16 19:08:24 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In more ways than you realize, for example now in Asia where there are a lot of floods, and also a lot of rats, take Thailand, over 1400 people died from being in the dirty flood waters, they were infected and died because of the urine from Rats, yes URINE, and thousands more became very sick and in hospital, happens in a lot of 3rd world countries during the monsoon season.
Then even in places like America where there are soda or pop cans like Coke or Pepsi and no plastic over them, rat droppings, many have died, just last year a very bad outbreak in an Indian reservation in New Mexico, a lot of deaths, make sure you wash the tops of the cans, because of the indentation around the top!
These are probably things that people never thought of. Or think about!
2006-09-16 19:03:24 · answer #6 · answered by Michael 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A rat can be infected with rabies.
It was the animal which helped spread the Plaque in Europe years ago by carrying the fleas who in turn bit people causing them to become ill.
Rats may also carry a host of harmful bateria that they pick up from decying trash that they rummage through.
2006-09-16 19:07:26 · answer #7 · answered by RagMagOrg 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Infection. Rats aren't know to be clean. A pet rat is a cool creature, but a wild rat is dangerous
2006-09-16 19:05:23 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
my friend lost his dog b/c he ate a rat that ate rat poison. a mouse or rat or squrrel can eat the poison then they get cought by a dog b/c they are sick (and dying) and the poison then kills the dog too. if you vet the dog soon enough they can help.
2006-09-16 19:05:21 · answer #9 · answered by sillygoose 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
rats carry over 30 respiratory diseases from their urine and droppings alone. they can give food born illness like salmonella and typhoid - just by walking thru food stuff that later gets consumed. remember they will eat almost anything and they generally poop and pee as they walk. so if they're walking over rice or beans that are always left open in restaurants. there can easily be contamination. I haven't even talked about what could happen if they had rabies or died in or around food stuff. trust me rats are way nasty - I'm an inspector in the pest control industry
2006-09-16 19:11:10 · answer #10 · answered by awf 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋