Brown Rat Or Mouse? How To Tell The Difference

You’ve seen something moving around out of the the corner of your eye but you’re not sure if it’s a rat or a mouse. No problem – here you will find the best ways to be able to distinguish between rats and mice so that a pest company can either implement rat pest control methods or mouse control services control in the best manner and get them out of your home for good. If you still aren’t sure, it wouldn’t hurt to consult a professional in the business who can even come out and take a look at your place to see for sure and provide effective pest control at the same time.

Mice

• Mice are smaller than rats, so size can be a huge factor in determining which is which. Typically, they measure up to 20 cm maximum, and this includes their tails. If you see anything bigger, it is probably a rat
• Behaviour wise, mice are curious little critters. Once they get in a new environment, they’ll explore everything everywhere they go and not think twice about it. Therefore, you can set a trap just about anywhere and you’ll catch them. They’re easier to catch than rats for this reason.
• Mice love eating cereal grain as well as all things plant-based. If you have a bird feeder, or supplies to fill a bird feeder inside your home, you can bet they’re dipping into your stash.

Rats

• As you can guess from the above statement, rats are quite a bit bigger than mice, measuring more than 40 cm in some cases. Their fur is oily, too, making them distinct from fluffy mice.
• Unlike mice, rats are very cautious. They have to learn what’s going on in their environment, and they will take the same paths to and from their nest each time. If you put a trap in their path, they’ll find a new path. So, catching them is often much harder than mice who will go and investigate everything.
• Since rats are so habitual, you can find some peace in knowing that they will stay closer to their nest, around 300 feet at maximum. So, if you see a rat, you can find their nest with relative ease and get all of these unwelcome tenants out of your home.

Rats and mice are both equally pesky and cause problems, but knowing them apart can help you when you call a professional in, and it also gives you a starting point on DIY pest control, too.