If you see a small furry creature with short legs and a long hairless tail in your home, it is usually a rat or mouse. They may look the same when they blur across your floor, but there are many differences if you know what to look for.
In addition to appearance, they also live, eat, and behave differently. Knowing which you are dealing with has serious implications for your treatment strategy.
Note: Adolescent rats may be mistaken for adult mice due to similar sizes. Check ear size and tail thickness for confirmation.
Both species are scavengers and opportunists. They will eat whatever is available to avoid starving, though each has preferences:
15-30 g/day. Balanced diet of grains, nuts, fruits, proteins. Forage in trash. Chew through metal, drywall, and plastic.
15-30 g/day. Eat anything but prefer fresh fruit. Commonly found in attics after climbing fruit tree branches.
Only 3 g/day. Omnivorous: grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables. Devastate gardens. Raid trash for scraps. Small needs add up with large infestations.
Very intelligent and suspicious of new elements. Leave traps unset for a few days to let rats acclimate before setting. Norway rats stay grounded, are excellent swimmers, often found in sewers. Roof rats prefer climbing and exploring trees.
Excellent jumpers, climbers, and swimmers. Standard traps work well because they explore new elements. Can climb vertically and run along cables at fast speeds. Nocturnal and avoid well-lit areas.
Get a professional inspection to identify and treat effectively.
Call (866) 326-2847Rodents have adapted to living near humans and are found just about everywhere people are:
Prefer ground level in burrows. Found in basements, crawlspaces, sewers. Burrows get extensive as families grow, causing damage to plumbing, piping, and sewage lines.
Strong climbers seeking elevated nesting areas. Found in attics, barns, trees. Enter homes via rooftop access from low-hanging branches.
Live on the ground in quiet, undisturbed locations: wall cavities, kitchen cabinets, utility closets.
The primary difference between mouse vs rat poop is size:
1/2 inch
~40 per day. Like a thick grain of rice.
1/4 inch
60-80 per day. Like a long seed or grain.
Mature in 8-12 weeks. Up to 8 litters/year with up to 16 per litter. Populations reach exponential growth quickly.
Mature in 10-12 weeks. 3-6 litters/year with 7-8 per litter.
Mature in ~8 weeks. 3-6 litters/year with up to 10 per litter.
Both species cause significant damage requiring expensive repairs. Both gnaw through cables and wiring, which can cause short circuits and electrical fires.
Stronger teeth gnaw through glass, metal, plastics, wood, and concrete. Cause serious plumbing damage. More likely to access properly stored food.
Shred upholstery and insulation for nesting in walls. Both are vectors for serious infectious pathogens, especially dangerous with food contamination.
Our integrated pest management approach offers multiple treatment strategies for whatever rodent we find:
No Pest Guarantee: If pests return, we come back for return treatment at no extra cost.
Not sure what you are dealing with? Call EcoGuard Pest Management to get a licensed pest control technician out for an inspection. We know how difficult rodents can be to get rid of.
Rats are slightly more aggressive, but both carry infectious pathogens and cause significant property damage. Mice breed faster and can quickly become a problem.
Both are in the rodent family, but the species separated so long ago that they are now distinct species, each with their own subspecies.
Rats may be harder to trap because they are more cautious, but they are easier to prevent through exclusion since they travel along the ground and cannot fit through extremely small holes.
