Can you get a disease if you get bit by an rat?
AnswerNo as long as they don't bite or scratch you. Rats actually groom themselves very well, but, they can carry diseases depending on where they hang out. It's not wise to keep one as a pet, but, if you so choose take it to your vets to be checked over by a vet. Rats have been known to carry rabies. Remember, any wild creature can attack if provoked.MarcyActually there are some extremely nasty and sometimes lethal diseases you can catch from rats. I know 3 people who have caught leptosperosis. One died, one suffered kidney damage and the other recovered after a few weeks in hospital. Symptoms range from flu like to death. You don't catch it from rat bites or scratches which was Marcy's worry (see above) but from urine. You could catch this from inhaling dried urine or eating food contaminated from urine or from an open wound as small as a scratch coming into contact with urine. Other diseases carried by wild rats and possibly transmitted to humans are : salmonella (my brother caught this and was quarantined in our house for 8 months with endless diarrhea and lost half his body weight and developed an arthritic illness as a result) He thought wild rats would make nice pets ! He was wrong. You can also get rat- bite fever and a type of meningitis or typhus Bubonic plague anyone ? Believe it or not in some countries you can still catch this disease from fleas on rats !Casidhe
