Mouse and Rat droppings

[maxilaura]

I know that serious health problems can be caused by mouse and rat droppings - but on what scale are we talking here?

I was cleaning out my shed last week, and there are LOADS and LOADS of mouse / rat droppings. It was only after about 3 hours in the shed that I thought "maybe I should be wearing a face mask?"

Not that I have one, it is something I would have to go out and buy.

Is a shed of droppings likely to cause a problem, or is it more like a warehouse of droppings that we need to be aware of and be cautious?

[grenfell]

When I was being trained as a carpenter I was told that we shouldn't put nails in our mouths because of nails being stored in warehouse where rats and mice were present. The problem , however , was not the droppings but evidently the urine which wasn't helped by the fact that evidently rats and mice piss constantly or at least little and often so that they contaminate a large area. The principal problem is of course weils diesase. Someone I worked with had contracted it at one point in his life and said it certainly wasn't a pleasent experience. He spent weeks in hospital and at one point was having injections every two hours day and night.
Of course , that said I'm a carpenter not a toxicologist so I'd wait for hopefully definative advice.

[ForgeCorvus]

I don't think the droppings are a problem, from what I can remember they're fairly solid unless they've been very dried out.
Rodent urine however is a big nasty, so wash your hands well and don't touch your face.

Dust in sheds can harbour alsorts of foulness, timber treatments(creosote, cyanide, arsnic ) , asbestos dust (depending on construction), garden and household chemicals, pigeon droppings ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_fancier%27s_lung ) etc. So wearing a decent dust mask (N-95 or better, if its not rated don't buy it) is important.


Really, we should all have such things in our preps. After all a box (20 count) of the disposible 'bra-cup' ones is only about a tenner

[maxilaura]

where do you get masks from? the pharmacy? stupid question, but I actually don't know

[grenfell]

You can get the disposable masks from builders merchants, although you will need to know the code number ( check the information on the boxes) for the correct type of mask . Generally masks are colour coded , well some masks anyway , and most in the merchants would be blue general purpose non toxic dust types. I think that the orange ones will protect against toxic dust but do check before buying.
There's always e bay http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksi ... &_from=R40

[jansman]

Give the shed a good clean up. Organise it properly , then get poison down(in trays or sealed bait points) along the edges of the walls(inside).If you have a compost heap nearby, dig it out. Vermin needs a food source, and tend to live nearby it; your shed!

Never underestimate faecal contamination by rodents. 50+ % of all rats carry Weils Disease-even those pet ones-disgusting thing to have in your house imo.
It is true that Weils Disease is urine-spread, but the droppings will carry E-Coli,and various forms of gut borne pathogens. I caught Weils Disease when I was 17 swimming in the River. All I can say is I was ill-very ill, and lucky not to die. Hell of a way to lose weight quickly !

[ForgeCorvus]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_nos ... An-95+mask

Make sure they fit your face well (a lot of them have a wire over the nose that you bend to fit) and change them when they get wet



This will explain more about the masks and their ratings

[survivers]

alot of disease are carried by rats and mouse droppings