Things to know about rats in the subway

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If you have ever been to New York City or another large metropolis where they have a big subway system, one thing that you are likely to find is that rats are as common to the subway platform as humans are. This may be disturbing to visitors to the city, they have become so commonplace that most locals to the area simply ignore them as another part of the city’s landscape.



While you may be used to them, a lot of people have never really thought about why rats in the subway is such a commonplace? It doesn’t seem like there would be much in the way that a rat would like about being in this location. The subway noise is loud as to trains travel through, and it would seem that the rats would face the dangers of being electrocuted or run over. Then why do you find rats in the subway?

The answer to that is actually a lot simpler than you may have thought. For a rat, there are three essential things that it is looking for in terms of survival: food, water, shelter. The subway system is the place for a rat to find all three of these, especially considering that many rats live in large colonies together, so they need a location that provides a great deal of space.

If you look around the average subway platform, you are likely to find many locations where subway riders have simply dropped their food or drink on the floor, or have been somewhat haphazard when they have thrown it away. This makes for the perfect snack for a rat. While you may not of wanted that leftover piece of hot dog upon, the rat will find it to be a spectacular delicacy.

In addition, rats are not the only thing attracted to the food we throw away. There are plenty of bugs that eat off of these leftovers that we throw away, and the rats are more than willing to eat those bugs. Insects, such as cockroaches, make for a perfect snack for a rat and this is another reason why it is likely that you will find them in the subway system.

There is also plenty of water available near and around the subway. A lot of cities build their water system near the subway pipeline because of the fact that there is already a space that allows access to the pipeline if needed. While there may not be leaking from the pipe, condensation will build up, which will drip down below giving the rat a source of water.

The shelter part of the subway is one of the most enticing aspects of why a rat will be found there. There were often enclaves off of the main portion of the subway where the system is connected into the main sewage line. This is done so that water does not build up in the subway, causing a hazard. The rats can easily move from the subway system to the sewer system where they have large areas for shelter. For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does rat removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of rats - my main rat removal info guide.
Example rat trapping photographs - get do-it-yourself ideas.
Rat job blog - learn from great examples of rat jobs I've done.