Rats, Size Of A 'Big Baked Potato' Terrorize Connecticut Community

TORRINGTON, CT — This week Orkin released its dubious ‘Rattiest Cities’ ranking and for the 10th straight year Chicago was No. 1.

The only Connecticut city to make the top 50 list was Hartford at No. 13, which was right after Boston at No. 12.

While no other Connecticut city made the list, residents in Torrington are very concerned over a recent rat infestation. Samantha Wilson told NBC Connecticut that the rats are the size of a "big baked potato." Wilson said she's captured 26 rats to date and that her home has incurred damage.

Daycare owner Soskia Brown-Cox told WFSB 3 TV that she's found ten rats thus far.

“There is a major concern. I’m constantly buying bleach and just buying, I fumigated last week. So, hopefully this week it kind of just calm down,” Brown-Cox told WFSB 3, while adding she's concerned about the health risks for children.

The concerns have made its way to City Hall, and Mayor Elinor Carbone said in a statement posted on her Facebook page that the city is creating a plan to "combat the problem." That plan includes the creation of a new task force.

For the past several months, city officials have been inundated with phone calls and complaints regarding rodent activity, officials said.

"The uptick in rodent population is a problem that is being experienced throughout Connecticut and most recent reports that the problem is extending beyond the large cities where infestations are most prevalent," town officials wrote.

Carbone said the city will combat the problem with a public awareness campaign, education on mitigation strategies, public and private remediation efforts and partnerships with licensed pest control professionals.

Health Director Robert Rubbo said they will be utilizing data to determine "hot spots," which will help "eliminate rodent haborage and food sources."

Tips to help alleviate rodent concerns include: keeping your yard free of potential harborage, keeping pet foods stored in rodent-proof containers indoors, removing water sources, not feeding wildlife, securing your garbage receptacles and dumpsters, advising residents not to compost their garbage, and finally seeking the services of professional pest control companies.

And back to the Orkin list of "rattiest cities" ranking.

The top 10 rattiest cities on the list are:

1. Chicago
2. Los Angeles
3. New York City
4. San Francisco
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Denver
7. Philadelphia
8. Detroit
9. Baltimore
10. Cleveland, Ohio

New York has the most cities on the list, with five. California has four.

Left unchecked, rats and other rodents can cause structural damage to homes. They enter around piping and even chew through walls, posing a fire risk because they tend to chew through electrical wiring as well, Orkin entomologist John Kane said in a news release.

Rodents eat the equivalent of a slice of bread every day, and even when they’re not eating, they are constantly chewing. A rat’s teeth have a rating of 5.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which means they are powerful enough to chew through steel garbage cans, according to Orkin.

Rodents also reproduce quickly and infestations can become a problem. Look for droppings, gnaw marks and evidence of borrowing around the foundation. Rodents often can be heard before they’re seen, so listen for scratching or scurrying sounds, especially at night.

To prevent them, seal entry points (rats only need an opening the size of a quarter to get in and mice need even less) around windows, doors and pipes. Eliminate food sources, including by storing food in sealed containers, cleaning up food messes immediately, and making sure the garbage and pet food aren’t accessible. Also, make sure debris outside can’t be used as nesting areas, set traps and, if rodents still get in, call an exterminator, Orkin said.