What Can Help You Identify the Difference Between a Rat & Mouse Infestation in Estes Park, CO

It is completely understandable for people to mix up a rat and a mouse. They are both rodents, after all. These rodents can wreak havoc in your home when they are allowed to make themselves comfortable and build their nests in your house. One of the best ways to get rid of unwanted rodents, is to know what rodents you are dealing with. While mice and rats have some similar features, their behavior is quite different. Effective Pest Services is here to talk about some of the differences between rats and mice so you know what you’re dealing with.

How Do You Tell if it’s a Rat or Mouse?

You need to compare mice and rats side by side to see that there are actually many differences between these two rodents. Here are some comparisons to refer back to when you need them:
– Size: The first distinguishable difference is in their size. Mice are going to be quite a bit smaller than rats. While mice are going to be about 5 inches long on the larger end of the spectrum, rats are going to be closer to 9 inches long. This is quite the difference. When you’re dealing with adult sized mice or rats, it can be easy to distinguish a difference. When they are babies or juvenile, it is a different story. The difference is much smaller during those stages.
– Tails: Surprisingly enough, mice have much longer tails than rats do, as a general rule. When it comes to their tails, you will also notice that mice have fur on their tails while rats’ tails are hairless and more on the scaly side.
– Ears: Mice will also have much larger ears when compared to rat ears. The ears on mice are going to look too large for their bodies.
– Droppings: Because their actual size is much smaller, mice are going to leave behind droppings that are much smaller than a rat’s. Mouse droppings are usually less than ¼ inch long. Rat droppings are ½ inch long or longer in some cases.

Why Knowing the Difference Between Rats & Mice is so Important

Some of the differences that were mentioned above might seem like they are hard to see when you aren’t used to working with rodents. While this might be true, it is Important that you know what type of rodent you are working with. These rodent behave quite differently so getting rid of them might require different approaches. Mice tend to be more curious than rats are. Rats are far more cautious. This simple fact will make exclusion tactics drastically different from one another.

Mouse & Rat Rodent Pest Inspections, Exclusion, Control, Removal & More in Wellington, Fort Collins, Timnath, Greeley, Longmont, Boulder, Johnstown, Berthoud, Estes Park & Loveland, CO | Northern Colorado

If you have signs of mice or rats in your home, you can turn to Effective Pest Services to help you get the problem under control. We know what it takes to successfully remove any rodents from your property so that you can avoid the damage that they cause. Call us today!

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