The climate in the UK is perfect for many species of animals to thrive. From urban areas to rural countryside, wildlife can survive in almost every UK environment.
Rodents are particularly good at adapting to different environments in the UK and over many years have evolved to become the native species we know now.
Rats
There are two different species of rat in the UK – the black rat and the brown rat. Rats are well known for being carriers of some nasty diseases and parasites, including Leptospirosis or Weil's disease, Salmonella, Listeria, Toxoplasma gondii and Hantavirus. Often in the wild, rats will feed on anything that can provide them with nutrition. This could be rotting food, animal faeces, and even rotting animal corpses, and so this means they come in contact with a staggering amount of different bacteria and viruses.
Rats live all over the UK, they can thrive in both rural and urban environments, either invading farms, commercial businesses, industrial businesses, or homes to find the essentials they need to survive. The rat population is over 81 million in the UK alone- that’s more rats than people! There is a common saying in the UK that you’re never more than 6 meters away from a rat – this is just a myth, but it does give you an idea of just how many there are. One thing that might contribute to the huge rat population could be the fact that there aren’t too many UK predators that feed on rats. Birds of prey will often feed on rodents, but UK rats can grow to enormous sizes so it’s difficult for some UK birds of prey to even attack the rat.
As a property owner in the UK you have a legal obligation to keep property free from rodents under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949. This is vital to stop the spread of disease and the populations getting out of control. If you have rats on your property don’t hesitate to contact us now.
Mice
There are many mouse species present in the UK, from the cute and cuddly (and protected by law) dormouse, to harvest mice, wood mice, yellow-necked mice, and the more common house mice.
The UK house mouse population is around 5.4 million- much less than rats, but this doesn’t stop them being a problem. Since they forage and behave the same way as rats they tend to carry the same diseases. Mice aren’t all bad though, they are part of the food chain that feeds owls. Rats are much too large for an owl to catch and eat.
As a property owner in the UK you have a legal obligation to keep property free from rodents under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949. This is vital to stop the spread of disease and the populations getting out of control. If you have mice on your property don’t hesitate to contact us now.
Voles
Voles look very similar to mice, however they have smaller eyes, shorter tails, smaller ears and a more rounded snout. The most common species in the UK are the water vole, bank vole, and field vole. Voles tend to live near active water sources such as river banks or lakes, but they are also known to live in meadows and areas with young trees. Both voles and their environments are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - if you discover a vole on your property it would be worth contacting a local wildlife expert for advice.
Shrews
Although not strictly considered a rodent, shrews behave in a similar way. They look quite strange compared to other rodents – most UK rodents have a short rounded snout, but the shrew has a long pointed snout that almost looks like a short elephant trunk. Shrews and their environments are also protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and so if you discover one on your property you should contact a local wildlife expert for advice.
Squirrels
There are two species of squirrel in the UK – the grey squirrel and the red squirrel. It's believed that there are over 2.5 million grey squirrels in the UK. Grey squirrels aren’t actually a native species; they were introduced in the late 1800s. Unfortunately, we underestimated the impact that the non-native species would have on the population of the red squirrel. Studies show that there are now less than 150,000 red squirrels in the UK, and this is mainly down to the introduction of grey squirrels. An overwhelming majority of the population has moved towards the very north of England, Wales and Scotland to live in secluded and natural environments, although the existence of red squirrels in the UK remains under serious threat.
Both species of squirrel have similar diet and habitat requirements, but the grey squirrel tends to come out on top when there's competition. One of the distinct differences between red and grey squirrels is that the greys grow to a larger size on average. This naturally makes them more dominant and is just one of the factors that will push red squirrels away.
If you have rodents on your property contact us now for advice or same/next day service.
Vole
Shrew
