Rodent Intelligence and Behavior- How Smart Are They?

Rodent infestation is a significant problem for both homes and businesses in Florida. Whenever people hear the words rats and mice, they mostly have negative thoughts associated with them, which is not a surprise since rodents are a nuisance.

But, what may surprise a lot of people is that they are pretty clever with their approach. Still, some of you might be thinking, rats and mice are known to be unsanitary, cause damage to the property, and even contaminate food and turn out to be a major headache when they infest your property.

But, why are we focusing on their intelligence or why does it matter? We are going to explain that through this particular blog, and if your home is infested by rodents, pest control hollywood fl, can help you with that as they have successfully done for a plethora of people over the years in Florida.

The Rodent Brain

It would not come out as a shocker if we say rat brains are smaller than human brains. But what may fascinate you is that their brain works similarly to the human brain, and yes, it does, according to research.

For years, some people have presumed that rats are blind. However, Harvard researchers have established that the vision and processing abilities of rats are developed enough to identify 3-dimensional objects even if they are of different orientations and sizes. They even know when a movie features rats.

Behavior of Rodents

Numerous natural behaviors of rodents hint at their intelligence level. For instance, mice use several methods to communicate with each other. They even produce USVs that are so high-pitched that we humans cannot even hear them.

Then there are their obvious chirps and squeaks that they “talk” through. Moreover, researchers have m found that mice can even sing.

Some other forms of communication that they use involve urine, which has pheromones that can spread crucial messages. Not just that, they use their body language, too, like some other animals, such as tail drumming, to show their aggression.

Some species of mice, such as Deer Mouse, are monogamous and even show parental care for their litter. They are also known to build burrows in order to protect themselves from predators. However, the kind of burrow varies on the basis of geographical location, type of soil, and species.

Rodents are also social creatures, which means they like to live in groups and form communities. Within such communities, they also showcase social behaviors like playing, sleeping together, and grooming. Rodents are known even to show aggression towards rats with which they are not familiar.

Rodents in the Lab

Rats have been used in psychological experiments by scientists for decades now because of their similar functions and structure of the brain, along with their abilities for decision-making. According to researchers, when rats find a good pattern that works for them and stick to it, they are less likely to take a second guess.

Mice are generally considered to be not as intelligent as rats, but with recent research, even that is proving to be imprecise. As a matter of fact, some research has shown that mice possess a lot of the same decision-making abilities as rats. It means that mice can also be trained in laboratories, much like rats, to understand and study human behaviors.

Wrapping it Up!

Most people may already understand why professionals in pest control are concerned about rodent intelligence. A basic answer to that is it helps them to understand their behaviors.

It makes it easier to identify infestations and decide what the best course of action is considering the situation. It is essentially a part of their job to understand the patterns of various pests and deal with them effectively.

Thus, if you suspect infestation at your home or even commercial property, you need to call pest control professionals and let them handle the infestation situation so that you can have some peace of mind.

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