Rodent Showdown: How to Tell the Difference between a Mouse & a Rat
Rodent infestations are common in Massachusetts during the fall season. As the outside temperatures begin to cool, rodents—such as mice and rats—begin coming indoors in search of food and warmth. Rodents not only damage the structure of your home, but also bring health risks by spreading bacteria, contaminating food, and causing allergies.
In order to treat a rodent issue, your exterminator will want to know what type of rodent is in your house. Discover how you can tell the difference between a mouse and a rat!
The Difference between a Mouse & a Rat
Even though they’re both very common pests, rats and mice do have several key differences that will allow you to tell them apart and fully understand the type of infestation you’re dealing with. We’ll go over a few key ways you may be able to identify a rat versus a mouse.
Rat vs. Mouse: Size & Appearance
Size is one of the easiest ways to determine what rodent you’re dealing with. This can become tricky if you’re looking at a juvenile, but as for adults, it’s fairly easy to tell the two apart.
The adult mouse will have the following features:
- Mice tend to be significantly smaller than rats.
- Mice have a thinner tail that is covered in fine hair. It may appear to be hairless unless you look closely.
- Mice are about 3–4 inches long.
- Mice are very light—an adult only weighs about an ounce.
- Typically, mice are white, gray, or brown. A house mouse is typically greyish brown with a cream or white belly.
- They have rounded, floppy ears that sit straight up on their head—think about the famous character, Mickey Mouse!
In comparison, the adult rat will have the following features:
- Rats are much larger rodents.
- Rats can range anywhere from 5 to 8 inches or longer in length.
- A rat’s weight will depend on the species, but they can weigh as much as a pound or less than 18 ounces.
- Rats have a much thicker tail that is usually hairless and scaly in appearance.
- Rats come in different shades of brown, black, gray, or white. They can even be multiple of these colors.
- Rats have flatter snouts and ears that tend to be more to the sides of their head.
Rat vs. Mouse: Attitude & Behavior
Now that you know what they both look like, it’s easier to study their attitudes and behaviors to see if you’re dealing with a rat or a mouse. They have a few things in common, such as being both nocturnal and excellent swimmers. Both are also excellent climbers—mice are faster, but rats are sturdier and can survive high falls.
The biggest difference between a rat and a mouse is that a rat is more cautious, so they will typically make an effort to avoid unfamiliar places, while mice are curious and will always explore. This is because rats are actually quite intelligent animals—in fact, if they’re aware of a trap in the area, they’re smart enough to avoid it, making them hard to get rid of.
Other ways to tell mice apart are by their fast scurrying and their ability to squeeze through extremely small openings.
Rat vs. Mouse: Lifestyle & Breeding Habits
What Do Rodents Eat?
- Mice will eat most of the same foods, especially grains, fruits, and nuts, that humans enjoy.
- Both mice and rats chew their way through unopened containers of food, contaminating the entire contents.
- Rats will eat any type of food, but they have a preference for meat and grains.
Why & How Do Rodents Get Inside?
- Mice enter a home mostly to search for food or a warm place to birth a litter of babies.
- Rats come inside to search for water in addition to food.
- Mice will chew through whatever is in their way rather than dig.
- Rats burrow their way under obstacles.
What Are Rodents’ Breeding Habits?
- Both rodents primarily breed and bear offspring in the springtime.
- Rats can have as many as six litters each year. Each litter can have up to 12 babies.
- Mice can have between five and 10 litters each year, averaging six babies per litter.
What Do Different Rodent Droppings Look Like?
- A rat produces around 40 droppings daily, but a mouse can easily produce twice that number.
- Mouse droppings are normally about 0.25 inches long and are pointed on each end. It can almost look like black rice grains.
- Rat droppings are usually three times as long and are more sausage-shaped.
- Mouse droppings are typically found in a pile, but rat droppings are often spread over a wider area.
Call F&W if You Think You Have a Rodent Infestation
Both house mice and rats are very common pests in the Boston area during the cooler part of the year. If you see droppings or other evidence of a rat or mouse infestation, please contact F&W Pest Control right away. Remember, rodents pose a health risk for your family and can cause serious damage to your home. To protect your family, it’s vital to get professional rodent control as soon as you think that you may have an infestation! F&W Pest Control offers real solutions to your rodent problems, so contact us today for a free, thorough inspection of your home.
CONTACT US TODAY!