Rats and Squirrels

[Mel1959]

Do rats carry or transmit any particular disease or parasite to squirrels, the way raccoons do? I don’t mean in passing, but if a rat (s) occupied a squirrel nest box and then a squirrel used the same box?

I discovered last night that we have had a couple of rats that have been using an unoccupied nest box in our oak tree. Actually, Peepers came home, after being gone for a couple of days, and hesitated outside of his nest box before entering last night. When he entered it a rat ran out the back door and up the tree to the unoccupied box. We stuffed the openings of the box and took it down and transported it to a local nature park. When we opened the box 2 rats jumped out. :eek.

Now, I’m concerned because Peeps slept in his box last night after the rat had been in there. Obviously, I will take his box down and clean it out, but I was wondering if there was anything I needed to be concerned about?

[SophieSquirrel]

"Do rats carry or transmit any particular disease or parasite to squirrels"

They sure can and are more likely to carry (and pass on) disease than squirrels. Living in close proximity to squirrels can certainly mean disease transmission through droppings and urine. Salmonellosis, Leptospirosis, and Tularemia all come to mind.

You can mitigate the risk by taking down the nestbox and bleaching but protecting a release from every possible hazard is futile at best.

Diggies friend may have some more information about rat to squirrel disease transmission....