Rodent Identification

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There are over 2,000 different species of rodents in the world. Luckily, as a homeowner, you usually only have to deal with three main species of rodents invading your home, House Mice, Norway Rats, and Roof Rats, unless your child’s hamster gets loose! Seeing a mouse or rat running through your home can be anyone’s nightmare. After seeing a rodent in your home, it can be important to call an experienced exterminator to ensure your small rodent problem does not turn into a large infestation.

Mice vs Rats

It can be difficult to identify whether it was a mouse or rat quickly scurrying across your floor.  Here are the basics:

Mice

Mice are small rodents that commonly infest people’s homes looking for food and shelter. They are smaller in size compared to rats and are extremely agile, moving quietly and quickly around homes. They prefer to eat grains, carbohydrates, seeds, and nuts. Their droppings are small and rice-shaped with pointy ends. The most common mouse that you will find inside your home is the house mouse. Usually, they are dusty gray in color with a cream belly and round in shape. A house mouse can range from 5 to 8 inches in length, including its skinny long, velvety tail.  Their faces have a distinct pointy nose, large ears, and small, beady black eyes.

Rats

Rats are much larger than mice. They have characteristically scaly tails and large feet. Their heads are slightly large for their body and feature blunt noses, small ears, and little eyes. Rat droppings are larger than mouse droppings and will be rounded on the ends. Most rats like to eat pet food, meat, and garbage but some, like the roof rat, have a diet closer to that of a mouse. There are two species of rats that you may find in your home, the Norway rat and the roof rat.

Signs of a Rodent Infestation

Besides seeing rodents in your home, there are a few other ways to tell if you have an infestation. Some common signs of a Rodent infestation are:

• Gnaw marks: One of the distinguishing factors for members of the rodent family is their front teeth which continually grow throughout their life. To keep their teeth short, rodents will chew on almost anything from packages to get into your food to pipes and wires inside your walls or woodwork in your home.

• Droppings: Both mice and rats will leave droppings as they run around your home. Both have rice-shaped droppings but mice droppings will have pointy ends whereas rats will be rounded. Rat droppings are significantly larger than mouse droppings, reaching ½ inch or more.

• Rub marks: As many people know, rats are dirty creatures. When they invade a home, their dirty, greasy hair will leave marks along their frequently traveled paths.

• Rustling Noises: Rats and mice will travel through your walls and attic space to get around. When it is quiet in your home you may be able to hear rustling noises coming from your walls or ceiling as they travel around your home’s interior.

• Finding nests: Mice and rats will build their nests in quiet, hidden areas of a home. They will collect and shred paper material, fabric, wall insulation, and organic material like dead leaves and twigs for their nests. Finding these materials around your home may be a key indicator that you have a rodent problem.

Calling an Exterminator

No matter what kind of rodent you have in your home, it is important to get rid of the infestation quickly. They are known to leave droppings in your home and can bring a variety of diseases with them. The quickest and easiest way to rid a home of a rodent infestation is by using a trusted exterminator. Rocket pest has been eliminating homes of pests for over 65 years and will be able to quickly rid your home of any type of pest infestation and help keep them from coming back. Contact us today at 864-232-2406 for a free quote!