You may not care what type of rodent just scurried across your floor, but you may want to know the difference anyway. That’s because there are different methods used to rid your home of both types. Mice and rats are different in a lot of ways, but mostly in size. Rats are bigger in general. But, they both can cause a lot of damage and carry various diseases.
Mice: Mice have large ears, a triangular head, a tiny nose, small feet, and a long thin tail, covered in hair. They usually weigh about 12-45g and are typically 3-10 cm long. Mice can produce up to 16 offspring per litter (7-8 times a year). Their droppings are small, brown and have pointed ends, and are usually 1-2 mm in length. Mice can produce up to 80 droppings per day and can eat 3g of food daily. Mice like to build their nests in small burrows.
Some Mice Facts:
- Mice like to visit the same areas to find their food
- They don’t need to drink water but will drink 3ml if it’s available to them
- Mice have weak eyesight, but they have supersonic hearing
- Their teeth never stop growing
- Mice are little daredevils who can jump high
- They only usually live about 5 months due to predators, but they can live up to 2 years
- Mice can spread diseases like Salmonella and Hantavirus, but can also carry up to 200 other human pathogens.
Rats: Rats have small ears, a small head, large feet, and a thick hairless tail. They tend to weigh 150-300g and can grow anywhere between 15 and 40 cm long. Rats can produce a litter of 5-10 offspring (3-6 times a year). Their droppings are shaped like a banana and are typically 10-20 mm in length. Rats can produce up to 40 droppings per day and eat between 15-30g daily. Black rats like to build their nests high up while brown rats like to remain close to the ground.
Some Rat Facts:
- Brown rats like to eat cereal
- Black rats like to eat fruit
- Rats drink about 30 ml of water a day
- They are mostly nocturnal and love to live underground
- Rat whiskers are more sensitive than human fingertips
- They constantly like to lick their fur to stay clean
- Their long tail is used to help balance them and to keep them cool
No matter what type of rodent you have in or around your home, they can both cause damage and carry disease. They can cause water damage or even fires (due to chewing up electrical wires). Therefore, it’s really important to get them out of your home. Wildout Animal and Pest Removal can help you with that. Wildout uses a five-step process to detect rodents, eliminate them, and recover any areas that have been damage (which is most often the attic). Wildout can take care of everything for you. All you have to do is give them a call today: 844-945-3688