Seeing Richardson rats emerging out of our toilet may seem like a scene from a horror film. However, this is not an original scenario made by the screen writers. It is highly possible for the rats to end up in our toilet bowl by travelling through our plumbing system. Before you start sealing your toilet bowl, you will have to look for the means on how the rats will travel through pipes.

Preventing Rats to Travel Through Your Pipes

Norway rats are also known as sewer rats since they can be found in the sewers. They may not have the amazing climbing skills of the roof rat but they are adept swimmers. They have long legs that they can use as a paddle and their long tails can help them tread on water for at least three days. They can also survive under water for about three minutes. In terms of the distance, the Norway rats can reach more than one mile.

How the Richardson Rats End up in Your Pipes

Rats will not be able to tolerate their hunger. Once there is a scarcity in their Texas food supply, they will immediately relocate to look for another possible source of food. The sewer provides an easy access to our drain pipes. The rats will be attracted on the fecal matters that are found in your drain pipes. Additionally, rats have a fairly narrow ribcages that makes it easy to fit their body inside the narrow pipes. 

Perhaps you are thinking that people from the urban areas are the only people who might experience the rat infestation in their pipelines. Unfortunately, that is not true. The Norway rats can be located in your indoor plumbing. Consequently, the area of your draining system will be enough to accommodate the rat. Nonetheless, the high population of the rats in the urban setting will increase the possibility that they may encounter rats in their toilet. 

What Should You Do?

Based on the report of the USCDC, Texas rats carry pathogens that they can transmit to humans. This may include salmonella, rat-bite fever, Leptospirosis, and other lethal diseases. Even on the off chance that the possibility of disease transmission would be relatively low, no one will be excited to see them in their toilet. However, in case you find them swimming in your toilet bowl, here’s what you need to do.

With regards to the Norway rats in the sewers, there are not enough preventative measures that you can use to limit their access to your drain pipes. Fortunately, the possibility of encountering rat in your toilet would be relatively low.