Common Museum Pests (6 of 10)
Rodents (continued)
Why are rodents a problem?
Rodents such as mice and rats are incontinent (i.e. they have no control over their bladders). Therefore, they are unhygienic and unpleasant to share your workplace with. However, this urine can also contaminate objects if it comes into direct contact with them, or is transferred from contaminated packaging materials.
Mice and rats also cause physical damage to objects, commonly wooden objects, by gnawing on them to sharpen their teeth. They will also shred material (paper, card and sometimes plastics) to make their nests, so it is important to store your packaging materials in a clean and tidy location.
Remember that mice will not discriminate between waste paper and a valuable book!
