Do rats chew on wires? Why?

If you have ever seen the teeth of a rat, then you are aware that they are quite long and very sharp. These teeth require a regular workout for them to remain healthy, which means that rats will chew on just about anything to keep them sharp. This is why it is not uncommon for them to chew on boards and drywall in your home because these are materials that actually help to promote the health of their teeth.



Their gnawing ability is not limited to materials like this however. It is not uncommon to find that rats have chewed through the electrical wiring in your home, creating a real mess. Not only may you have a short in your wiring now, but you likely have a major fire hazard now to be concerned about. This is why this is so dangerous to have a rat in your home.

If there is wiring in your home you can count on the fact that the rats will chew on it, especially if it is attached the lining of a wall along boards. The question you may wonder is why they would do this.

First, you have to understand that proximity plays a part in this. Often contractors will attach the wiring along the framing boards of a home. This is a convenient place that also keeps it out of the workmen’s way, and makes it easy to find should there be a problem. However, the rats may already be chewing on the board and, since the wiring is right there, it just gets included in the gnawing process. The next thing you know the wiring is open and you have problems.

Also realize that the rubber or plastic coating around the wiring itself is the perfect material to help strengthen their teeth. This is usually a hard plastic that is also flexible, which makes it perfect for chewing because the rats can work the wire to accommodate the angle they need to chew. This is a perfect material to strengthen teeth and is also so readily available within the home. Usually the current traveling through the wiring is not enough to cause any kind of permanent damage to the rat, so they will just keep going until they have shorted the wiring and then they will really get to work. Your wiring is in danger if you have rats. You need to do what you can to quickly remove these animals from your home. Your house may depend upon it.

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