Roof Rat Vs House Mouse

The house mouse mus musculus norway rat rattus norvegicus and roof rat rattus rattus species are in the muridae family which is the largest family of rodents and mammals in the world.

Roof rat vs house mouse.

Rats grow to a body of 8 inches and a tail of 9 inches and a weight of almost a pound. Blunt nose short ears sexual maturity. Roof rat large eyes large ears slender longer hairless tail. Rats live in similar colony structures.

Rats are medium sized to large rodents. 1 2 to 1 lb 10 17 oz length including tail. The most common rats found in or near homes are the norway rat and the roof rat. Small head small feet pointed snout large ears with some hair.

A norway rat has capsule shaped feces while a roof rat has spindle shaped droppings and a house mouse has rod shaped excrement. These mice have a light brown body with some gray shading and a dark tail. Their coats are white gray brown or black in color and are often soiled enough to leave grease marks on touched surfaces. Of these rodent species which one is worse to have in your home.

23 days litter size. Let s explore the rat vs mouse debate and decide. Families of mice consist of one dominant male several females and their young. They are social and territorial and tend to be bolder than rats.

As you can see the biggest difference is size. House mice are nocturnal creatures. The roof rat is the smaller of the two and it is often mistaken for a mouse due to their large ears and pointed noses. These rodents are grayish brown in color with a light yellow underside.

Roof rats this species is agile and slender though roof rats are about the same length as norway rats. 6 12 per litter no. 30 to 45 cm 12 18 body. The snout of the rat is more blunt than that of the.

They reach maturity in about 7 to 8 weeks. While there are several species of rats and mice i will examine the two most common ones the roof or black rat and the house mouse both seen in the above photograph. Rats and mice can squeeze through holes just large enough to pass their heads through as small as for mice and inch for rats. They are curious and will explore new things making them easier to trap.

House mouse small all the way around with a tail as coated with fur as the rest of its body. Steady eater but afraid of new. Thick or stocky body. Also known as brown rat sewer rat water rat gray rat house rat and wharf rat color.

Average 4 7 per year feeding habits. Roof rats typically have litters of 5 to 10 babies. 2 3 months gestation process. A roof rat will be colored brown or black and if you have ever had the opportunity to view one up close or even hold it you would see and feel that the fur is very soft and smooth.

They can have 3 to 6 litters per year. Habits of each rodent. The most common species of mouse found homes is the aptly named house mouse.