King County (Wash.) Warns Residents of Toilet Rats

SEATTLE - Earlier this month, Washington state experienced severe, historic flooding due to multiple atmospheric river phenomena. The flooding forced more than100,000 evacuations, shut down major highways and strained the region’s infrastructure.

In addition, burrowing rats were displaced. And, according to the Seattle/King County health department rats have made their way to the city’s sewer systems and sometimes have surfaced in people’s toilets.

The King County Health Department responded with a warning of “toilet rats” in social media posts, which described how rain affects sewer rats. These posts also provided sanitation tips to avoid attracting them and instructions on how to try and flush down a toilet rat. Importantly, they urged folks who have trouble flushing their toilet rat to “call a pest control professional.

Kevin Peterson of Cascade Pest Control, Snohomish, Wash., said, “We had increases in activity in some places but it’s often hard to pin it down to flooding or water saturation. But we expect to find rodent behavior adapting to the circumstances.”

© credit | King County Health Department