There are approximately 4,000 rodent species in the world; these are divided by their anatomy into three groups: Sciuromorpha (the squirrel-like rodents), Myomorpha (the mouse-like rodents), and Hystricomorpha (the porcupine-like rodents). According to the Encyclopedia referenced in www.infoplease.com, front teeth adapted for gnawing and cheek teeth adapted for chewing characterize a rodent. Rodents are worldwide, and are the largest order of the mammal species. The five most important things about rodents are as follows:

• Rodents adapt very well to almost any environment and can be found in almost every terrestrial and freshwater habitation; from very cold to very hot weather.
• They are variously adapted for running, jumping, climbing, burrowing, swimming, and gliding. This makes them hard to catch and almost impossible to keep them out of buildings and homes.
• All rodents have teeth that never stop growing; they must continually gnaw to wear them down. These teeth are equipped to chew through almost anything, including wood, plastic, brick, concrete, and even metal. This is especially true with rats; they will chew themselves into any building to get to a food source.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there are various diseases that are directly transmitted by rodents. These include hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, lassa fever, leptospirosis, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, omsk hemorrhagic fever, plague, rat-bite fever, salmonellosis, South American arenaviruses, and tularemia. These diseases can be spread to humans directly, through handling of rodents, contact with rodent feces, urine, or saliva, or through rodent bites. Indirect spreading of theses diseases is through ticks, mites, fleas, or mosquitos that have fed on an infected rodent.
• Rodents have a high rate of reproduction. The encyclopedia of Creation science informs us that rodent litters tend to be larger and more frequent than most mammals. According to crittercatchersinc.com , mice can breed year-round; a single female produces between 5-10 litters annually. Each litter consists of 5-6 young that are able to reproduce at approximately 30 days of age.

Despite their ecological diversity, rodents from biggest to smallest can be quite harmful to humans in many different ways. Whether it is an infestation in the home, or a spreadable disease, rodents are a great cause for concern. If you find signs of a rodent be sure to contact Accurate Termite and Pest Control promptly, we can inspect your property, confirm the species and recommend a course of rodent control treatment.