Many people think the differences between mice and rats are evident, but some of them are more subtle than you think.
While they do look alike, they’re both rodents and carry diseases that may cause you and your family serious harm. They bite on electrical cables, ducts, HVAC equipment, walls, and foundations. In addition, they consume your food and leave droppings all over the place.
Understand that when it comes to pest control methods, what works well for one may not necessarily work for the other. And that is why it is critical to know the differences between the rats and mice.
Physical Appearance
When determining if you have a mouse or rat infestation, the physical qualities of the rodents might assist you in distinguishing between the two.
Rats are often larger than mice. Mice’s heads appear to be abnormally little compared to their bodies, but rats’ heads are more appropriately proportioned.
Looking at their eyes and ears can also help you distinguish between them. Rats have tiny, beady eyes, but mice have large eyes compared to their face. Mice have substantially more oversized ears than their head size, but rats’ ears aren’t quite as massive.
Short heads, pointed snouts, tiny paws, and huge hairy ears are common characteristics of house mice. An adult house mouse weighs around half an ounce and has a black tail and a light brown body with some gray tones.
In addition, rat tails are usually hairless and scaly, but mice have long, thin tails with fur.
Behavior
Simply listening to the sounds that rats and mice produce is one method to identify whether you need rat or mouse control.
Mice more commonly inhabit the spaces between ceilings and walls, and their squeaking and scratching may be heard (especially at night). However, rats are significantly noisier than mice, and you may occasionally listen to them fighting over food.
In addition, rats are far more cautious than mice. If they come upon something new in their route, they will avoid it until they have acclimated to it. So, if you’re going to set traps for them, you’ll have to put unset traps in their way first, followed by set rat traps.
Take note: mice have a habit of looking at anything new they come across. So you’ll want to set a trap for these intelligent animals right away and position it in their route. Unfortunately, if you don’t catch a mouse in the first couple of days, you’ve probably placed your trap in the improper area because of this behavioral trait.
Both mice and rats are nocturnal creatures. That said, mice are considered “friendlier” but more territorial compared to rats.
Lifespan & Breeding
In terms of breeding and lifespan, mice and rats are very different. For example, a female mouse can have up to 10 distinct litters of mice every year, each containing five or six pups.
In around two months, these newborn mice will be able to procreate, and they will last for about a year. Rats have fewer litters every year (four to six in total), but they can birth up to 12 offspring at a time. Rats may also survive for more extended periods than mice, with some making their way up to maturity in two years.
Movement
Mice can leap, swim, and climb, but rats prefer to navigate through sewers. They can even climb up and down steep, vertical slopes and sprint quite quickly.
Rodents leave black, oily markings on your walls as they move through your home. You can even determine if it’s a mouse or a rat by looking at them.
The most typical places to see rat rubbing traces are beneath ceilings. Unless the infestation is severe, mice seldom leave recognizable marks.
Property Damage & Diseases
Rats and mice may gnaw on various things in the home, posing dangers such as fire, PVC pipe leaks, and electrical short circuits.
Mice’s teeth are weaker; hence they will seek out food sources. Food properly kept in glass or metal jars is protected from infection.
On the other hand, Rats are far more potent than mice and have been found to chew through various construction materials, including wood, glass, metal sheets, aluminum, and even cinder blocks.
Rodents can transmit bacteria and other disease agents. In addition, rats spread serious infections through their feces or urine that infect people. Rat-bite fever, leptospirosis, and Weil’s disease are the most prevalent diseases carried by rats.
A bite or scrape from an infected rat or simply swallowing food or drink contaminated with rat droppings or urine can produce rat-bite fever or streptobacillus.
Likewise, leptospirosis and Weil’s disease are spread by coming into touch with rat urine or drinking water polluted by rat urine.
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A Final Word on Rats vs. Mice: How Are The Rodents Different?
Many people aren’t sure what the difference is between mice and rats and whether or not it matters. The good news is that mice and rats will not interbreed, meaning they cannot produce offspring, so they will not become hybrid species.
So, all you need to do is make sure you are not catching the wrong animal, and you will be in the clear!
If you think you have a mouse or rat problem at home, you can count on top-notch, comprehensive, and eco-friendly pest management from our Pest-Be-Gone team. Give us a call today at (916) 257-4942.