Feature | Roof Rat | Norway Rat | House Mouse |
---|---|---|---|
Length | ~8 inches | ~9.5 inches | 2 - 4 inches |
Tail length | 6 - 8 inches | ~6.5 inches | 2 - 4 inches |
Litter Count | 5 - 10 | 7 - 8 | 4 - 16 |
Litter Annual | 3 - 6 | 3 - 6 | 7 - 8 |
Ears | Small and flat against head | Small and flat against head | Large and protrudes upwards |
Body | Large | Large | Small |
Color | Black | Brown | Grey / Brown |
Head | Proportionate to body | Proportionate to body | Large compared to body |
Tail | Thick hairless & scaly | Thick hairless & scaly | Long thin with hair |
Food Requirements | 15 - 30 g daily | 15 - 30 g daily | 3 g daily |
Water Requirements | 15 - 60 ml daily | 15 - 60 ml daily | 3 ml daily |
Daily Poop Count | 40 daily | 40 daily | 60 - 80 daily |
Poop Size | 1/2 inch | 1/2 inch | 1/4 inch |
Depending on the species of rat, rats can grow between 7 - 9 inches long. Roof rats and Norway rats share a lot of similarities as well but are also slightly different in appearance and behavior. That being said, rats generally share these features:
Mice are typically much smaller than their rat cousins. They are generally between 2-4 inches long, but sometimes adolescent rats may be mistaken for adult mice due to size similarities. The other primary differences in appearance include:
Both rodent species are largely scavengers and opportunists. They will find food and generally eat whatever it is to avoid starving. Each species has their preferences but when populations get out of hand there is no food source that they won’t consume.
Rats:
Mice:
Rats:
Mice:
Rodents have had to adapt to living in close quarters with humans. They are found just about everywhere you see people.
Rodent droppings can look similar with the primary differentiator between mouse vs rat poop being the size of the feces. Rat’s droppings are generally about a ½ inch long, roughly the length of a grain of rice but much thicker. Rats will poop about 40 times in a day while mice poop as many as 80 times in a day. Mouse droppings are usually no longer than ¼ inch long which resembles a long seed or grain.
Mice: are generally able to reach sexual maturity earlier and produce more litters faster than rats. They typically have up to 8 litters a year with litter sizes reaching 16. The time it takes for mice to reach maturity is between 8-12 weeks which means that mice populations can reach terrifying levels of exponential growth in a short period.
Norway rats: generally reach maturity between 10-12 weeks and produce between 3-6 litters a year with only 7-8 rats per litter.
Roof rats: mature in about 8 weeks and produce between 3-6 litters a year with up to 10 rats per litter.
Both rodent species can cause a significant amount of damage that will require expensive repairs. They are both known to gnaw through cables, wiring, other various building materials. Chewing through wires and cables can be very dangerous because it can cause short circuits and electrical fires. Rats have much stronger teeth than mice which allows them to gnaw through much stronger materials like glass, metal, plastics, wood, and concrete. They can cause serious damages to plumbing and are much more likely to gain access to food sources that are stored properly. Mice on the other hand will shred through your upholstery and insulation while making nests in your walls. Both are vectors for some serious infectious pathogens which is extremely dangerous if there is food contamination.
Determining if you are dealing with a mice vs rats has serious implications on the strategy that will be used to target and trap them. Knowing what, where, how, and when to treat for a specific rodent is critical in ensuring that the problem can be effectively treated in a time frame that doesn’t allow them to breed and rapidly grow in population. Not sure what you are dealing with? Call EcoGuard Pest Management to get a licensed pest control technician out for an inspection.
At EcoGuard Pest Management, we know how difficult rodents can be to get rid of. Our integrated pest management approach offers several rat control and mice control treatment strategies to help combat whatever rodent we find. Our service include:
This treatment plan comes with a pest free guarantee, if the pest return so do we at no additional cost. Call today!
Rats are a little more aggressive than mice but outside of that, they are both carriers of infectious pathogens and both are notorious for causing an unmeasurable amount of property damage. Mice breed faster and can quickly become a problem.
While both rats and mice are considered under the same family of rodents, the deviation that caused the species to separate happened so long ago that they are separate species, each with their own set of subspecies.
Rats may be harder to trap and get rid of because they are more cautious, but they are also easier to prevent. Exclusion strategies will block access points for rodents which are much easier when trying to prevent rats. This is because they travel along the ground and are large enough where they can’t fit through extremely small holes.
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