The Difference in Mice and Rats

There are plenty of similarities between mice and rats. Both are rodents, both have whiskers, and each sports a pair of incisors that never stop growing, which is why they chew up and destroy everything they can. However, there are also plenty of differences in these unwanted houseguests, and recognizing those differences can help when exterminators are removing them from your home.

Size Matters

Typically, the easiest way to see the difference between a mouse and a rat is by looking at the size of the animal. In general, mice are considerably smaller than rats, measuring between 12 and 20 centimeters compared to 40 centimeters for an average rat. However, simply trying to identify rodents by size can become complicated when dealing with baby rats or full-grown mice. Depending on how close you can get to your unwanted houseguest, you can also tell the difference by the size of the rodent’s head and ears.

Multiplication

Both mice and rats are incredibly fertile, which means that you need to act quickly when you see one in your home. For instance, a female mouse can produce more than 300 offspring over the course of her life, while a pair of mating rats can become up to 2,000 rodents within a one-year span. Identifying their presence and contacting exterminators in Henderson can ensure that you stop the problem before these rodents take over your home and do irreparable damage.

The Difference Between Catching Mice and Rats

Not only does a full-grown rat require a larger trap than a fully grown mouse, the placement of these traps in your home also has to be taken into consideration. Within a day or two of setting a mouse trap, your Henderson exterminators will know how to reposition it to improve the odds of catching the mouse. However, rats are wary of new objects and can require more patience to remove.