Do Rats Carry Rabies?
Rats almost never carry rabies. A decade of US testing turned up no rabid rats or house mice, and researchers have never tied a single US human rabies death to a rodent. A rat bite still needs attention, though, because rats carry other diseases, including rat-bite fever and flea-borne typhus.
On this page
Why Rats Rarely Get Rabies
Rabies spreads through a bite from an infected animal, and small rodents rarely survive that kind of attack. A rat bitten by a rabid skunk or raccoon usually dies from the attack itself, so it doesn't live long enough to become sick and pass the virus on. That's the main reason rabies almost never shows up in rats and mice.
The testing backs that up. A study of rabies in rodents and rabbits from 2011 to 2020, written with CDC researchers, counted 401 rabid animals among nearly 22,000 tested. More than 90 percent were groundhogs. Of 1,052 rats and 840 house mice tested, not one had rabies. The authors suggest larger rodents like groundhogs survive the attack long enough to get sick.
Which Animals Carry Rabies in Texas
In Texas, rabies lives in a short list of wild animals, and rats aren't on it. State law treats bats, skunks, foxes, raccoons and coyotes as high-risk animals. This table shows the wild animals that tested positive in 2024, from the Texas DSHS annual rabies report.
| Animal | Rabid cases in Texas, 2024 | Share of wild cases |
|---|---|---|
| Bats | 205 | About 53 percent |
| Skunks | 136 | About 35 percent |
| Foxes | 35 | About 9 percent |
| Raccoons | 11 | About 3 percent |
| Coyotes | 1 | Under 1 percent |
| Rats and mice | 0 | None |
The rest of the year's 412 confirmed cases were domestic animals, mostly cats. That's why vets and health departments put far more weight on a bat in the house or a skunk acting strangely in daylight than on a rat in the garage.
What to Do If a Rat Bites You
Wash the bite well with soap and running water right away, then call your doctor. You probably won't need rabies shots. The CDC's guidance for doctors rates bites from mice, rats and squirrels as a negligible rabies risk. If the animal was acting strangely, a call to the local health department is still worth making.
The doctor will look at infection risk instead. Rat bites can pass on bacteria, and a tetanus booster may be due. Tell the doctor where the bite happened and whether the rat was a pet or a wild rat.
Diseases Rats Do Carry
Rabies isn't the danger with rats, but other diseases are. Texas Tech's Mammals of Texas notes that both Norway rats and roof rats help spread endemic typhus, rat-bite fever and plague.
Rat-bite fever comes from bacteria rats carry without looking sick. The CDC says it spreads through bites, scratches or contact with rat saliva or urine. Symptoms usually start 3 to 10 days later with fever, vomiting, headache and muscle pain, and antibiotics cure it when treatment starts early.
Flea-borne typhus is the one Texans should know about. Texas reports more cases than any other state, and rats, opossums and cats are thought to be its main reservoirs here. Texas DSHS says new areas of the disease have emerged in recent decades, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area. People catch it from infected fleas, not from the rats themselves.
Keeping Rats Away From People and Pets
The surest way to avoid every rat disease is to keep rats out of the house in the first place. Seal gaps around pipes, vents and the roofline, keep pet food in sealed bins and clear clutter from the garage. Don't handle a wild rat, alive or dead, with bare hands.
If rats are already inside, our rat removal for DFW homes starts by finding where they get in, then seals and traps. Homes near our Aubrey office can set this up through rat control in Aubrey.
Rats and Rabies FAQ
Can a rat give my dog rabies?
It's very unlikely, since rats almost never carry the virus. Keep your dog's rabies vaccine current anyway, which Texas law requires, because bats and skunks are the real rabies threat in DFW yards.
Do you need a rabies shot after a rat bite?
Usually not. The CDC treats rat bites as negligible rabies risk, but a doctor should still check the wound for infection and decide on a tetanus shot.
Can mice carry rabies?
Almost never, for the same reasons rats don't. The same study found no rabid house mice in ten years of testing.
Droppings, gnaw marks or scratching indoors mean rats have found a way in. Ask for a price online or on the phone, and a technician will find how they're getting inside.
