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Whether you see it crawl across the floor or hear it in the walls, rodents can be a real problem. Not only do many people rightfully dislike rodents, but rodents can both carry disease, bite you and your pets, and destroy property. In New England, rodents usually migrate into homes before the winter begins. They look for homes that have easy entrance and exit points (potentially due to issues with siding, gutters, roofing, etc). They also look for homes that are warm and have access to food. Understanding what type of rodent you have can affect what pest control methods you attempt to get rid of the rodent.

Differences Between Rats & Mice

Often times the most common mistake made between rats and mice is between a small rat or an adult mouse. Many homeowners or business owners assume that the only key detail between rats and mice is their body size. And this can cause confusion as young rats can be smaller than adult mice. Pest control experts can use many different factors to tell the difference. Here are a few defining characteristics between rats and mice.

• Size: Although size can be confusing when dealing with rats and mice of different ages it is a defining characteristic in adult rodents. Rats can grow to 18 inches (or a foot and half) in length, while adult mice generally stop growing past 8 inches. If the rodent is larger than 8 inches, it is likely a rat.
• Tails: Mice generally have thin hairy tails. Rats on the other hand have thicker and hairless tails.
• Nose: A mouse’s head and nose is usually triangular in shape and comes to a point. Meanwhile, a rat has a more square or blunted nose shape.
• Fur Color: Although mice and rats can be grey or brown, black fur usually indicates a rat.
• Droppings: Many of these features require you to see the rodent. Which might not be possible. However, you can examine droppings to determine what type of rodent you have. Mice droppings usually have pointed ends and are about a quarter-inch long. Rat droppings have flat ends and are 3/4 inches long.

Contact Absolut Pest Control

Understanding what type of rodent is in your home can impact how you handle pest control. Many storebought mousetraps may be ineffective against rats or even larger mice. If you have tried to use traps and still deal with rodents, you should consider calling pest control. Absolut Pest Control serves homeowners throughout Massachusetts. Contact us today for more information.