Rats vs Mice — What Rodent Is In My House?


It's good to know exactly the kind of rodent you're up against when you believe you have a rodent infestation in your home. You'll need to deal with the situation the same in both cases, but mice are considerably smaller than rats are. This means they are likely to fit through holes that are much smaller than what you would consider to be rat holes. The smaller the hole, the harder it will be for you to spot and the easier it will be for you to miss it.


Rats vs Mice: Size

There are three popular types of rodent across North America (and most of the world) — the black rat, also known as roof or ship rat; the brown rat, also known as the Norway or common rat; and the house mouse. These are technically known as rattus rattus, rattus norvegicus, and mus domesticus. You will find other species of rat and mouse in North America and other parts of the world, but the three we have mentioned are the three that you are most commonly going to encounter in towns and other highly populated areas.

You'll know the difference between an adult rat and an adult mouse, because they are very different sizes. A rat can be double the size of a mouse and sometimes more, and they both have tails that are the same length of the body again. A mouse will have a body of around 10cm long, and then a tail of 10cm long. Rats, on the other hand, are at least double this where food in no object — 20cm long bodies, with tails that are 30cm long or so. Their tails are usually a little bit longer than their bodies are.

Younger versions of each species can make life a little difficult. A smaller, younger rat can look very much like a slightly larger mouse. A larger mouse can also be easily mistaken for a very young rat. Mice usually have slightly larger ears in all cases, and they also have a head that is slightly larger proportionately, and the same for its paws, too.


Rats vs Mice: Droppings

An easy way to distinguish between rats and mice is to take a look at the droppings they leave in their wake. Just remember not to get too close; they have a number of disease threats attached to them, some of which could prove fatal.

Mice create more waste than rats do, and they also leave much smaller ‘pellets' behind. The 3-8mm long pellets are also usually a bit darker in colour than rats' droppings, much closer to black. As a final note, the shape of mouse droppings is frequently described as banana-like, whereas rat feces is shaped more like grains of rice.



Go back to the mousecontrol.org home page.