Rodent Quiz

Here is a timely quiz, not just because it is the Year of the Rat, according the the Chinese calendar, but because we are at the end of summer here in San Diego. As the nights get colder, rodents look for harborage indoors. The more you know about rodent habits, the less likely you are to find them harboring with you. The answers to today's quiz will appear in tomorrow's blog.

1. Rats make up for their poor eyesight with a keen sense of

a. smell

b. touch

c. hearing

d. all of the above

2. Rodents can squeeze through small openings. How small an opening can a rat fit through?

a. 1/4 inch

b. 1/2 inch

c. 1 inch

d. 2 inches

3. About how far does the average rat travel to find food?

a. 50 feet

b. 50 yards

c. 300 feet

d. 300 yards

4. The best protection against rodent infestation is

a. baiting

b. trapping

c. exclusion

d. electric fences

5. Plague is a rodent-borne disease. How many cases of plague are reported each year in the United States?

a. 1-2

b. 10-15

c. 20-30

d. 50-100

6. Rats are naturally wary of new objects or odors. This behavior is called

a. neophobia

b. odophobia

c. zenophobia

d. exophobia

7. Placing a piece of dental floss on the treadle of a snap trap may be effective because:

a. mice practice impeccable dental hygiene.

b. mice are compulsive collectors of odd items

c. the dental floss gives off a scent which is pleasing to rodents

d. rodents are always seeking nesting materials

8. One difference in the habits of rats and mice is that

a. rats carry fleas, but mice don't

b. mice will not infest a home

c. rats love peanut butter

d. mice are more inquisitive than rats

Again, most of the answers are easily Googled. Try to answer without help. Answers appear tomorrow.