Rats vs. Mice
Differences between rats and mice may seem obvious to many, but some are subtler than you think. Of course they each fall into the rodent family and can cause considerable damage if they invade your house, but when you have them on your property, would you be capable of determining which one you have? Which one you may have in your home makes a huge difference when it comes to treating the infestation.
If a property owner has a sufficient amount of time to observe the rodent, they may be capable of determining whether there are rats or mice present. However, when you’re in your kitchen and see something scurry across your floor, your fear and shock may overtake your ability to observe the rodent. Then you’re left wondering, “was that a mouse or a rat?”
It may be easy to distinguish between the two if both are at adult size, but a juvenile Norway Rat that has not reached full size can look similar to an adult House Mouse.
Appearance
Although the coloration of mice and rats is similar, there are a few differences in other features that would help you distinguish between the two. Starting with the snouts of both mice and rats, mice will have more of a triangular nose whereas a rat’s nose is blunter.
In terms of ears, mice have huge, floppy ears. However, rats have larger ears in size compared to mice, but their ears are much smaller compared to their frame length. Mice additionally tend to have lengthy, skinny tails with hair while rat tails will normally be hairless and scaly.
Damage
If you have either one of these rodents in your home, the damage can be significant and it is imperative that you have a professional come in and address the situation.
Both rats and mice can gnaw on various structures and wires in your home, which can lead to fire hazards. Mice have weaker enamel than rats, this means that any food supply that is properly stored in glass or metal can prevent the mice from contaminating it, but that might not be the case with rats. Rats are an awful lot stronger than mice and have been recognized to gnaw through numerous constructing materials, consisting of aluminum, wood, glass, sheet metal, and even cinder blocks.
Conclusion
All rodents have a pair of incisor teeth within the upper jaw. They tend to have short legs and a long tail, but a closer look at their frame traits and behavior shows that there are easily distinguishable features that you may use to discover which pest is invading your house.
Not only can the rodents cause structural damage to your home but they are also a public health nuisance.
Rodent infestations can become huge headaches for homeowners, so it is best to prevent them as early as possible.