Rats VS Mouse?

Have you wondered what are the differences between mice vs rats living in NJ? Let me just tell you that I cannot tell you enough how many times I got those midnight frantic calls from customers.  While working or studying for their exam or finishing a project in the middle of the night they first heard something gnawing around the stove or under the cabinet, or while sitting on the kitchen table and trying to relax you see something scurrying across the kitchen or the living room.  The most amusing story I overheard today was about a man who traveled to be with relatives for the holidays and  returned home to find a rat walking down the stairs from the bedroom to the living room. The guy could not run fast enough from his house when he saw the rat.

Mouse VS Rats Size makes a big difference

The thing is when we are talking right now and in full control, with no fear or shock making us speechless we can easily tell that they are both rodents and rats may be bigger than mice in the size. However, when you see them scurrying into your kitchen or living room you become speechless, do not have any energy to think,  and want to completely run away from your house.

Rats vs Mice in NJ

New Jersey is very famous for its Norway rat or Sewer rat.  The Norway rat is brownish or greyish in color and can grow to be 7-9 inches long. The underside of Norway rats tends to be lighter, with white or light gray coloration. Norway rats tend to be heavy and round in shape and have small ears and eyes and very poor vision. Their tail is shorter than their body length. Norway rats tend to penetrate lower levels, crawl spaces, and basements.

 I won’t be entirely shocked if I also find them in attics, though. Norway rats are able to start fires by gnawing through wiring.  Their propensity to contaminate food with excrement and urine is well recognized. They can spread a variety of diseases.

Roof rats can also be discovered in New Jersey, but they are generally uncommon because they probably arrived by truck from other states. They are black or dark brown in color with lighter undersides. They can grow to be 6-8 inches long. Roof rats are long and skinny rodents that have large eyes and ears with pointed noses. They got their names because they prefer to live in attics and elevated buildings. It is well known that roof rats spread illness. When the bubonic plague (also known as the “black death”) raged through Europe in ancient times, sickness became well-known and attributed to roof rats.

The house mouse is very common in NJ. The body is around 2 inches long without the tail and 5.5 -7 inches with the tail. House mice can be distinguished from other rodents by their small size, long tails, and big ears. The house mouse is greyish or brownish in color. Fur covers the ears and the long tail. 

The Deer Mouse and White-footed mice: The deer mouse got its name from the “deer ” as they have deer-like colored fur. Deer mice are greyish brown with a white underbelly and feet. It weighs around an ounce for an average adult and is about 3 inches long. On the other hand, the white-footed mouse is very similar to the deer mice except that it has larger hind legs. Hantavirus is known to be carried by white-footed mice as well as deer mice. Hantavirus is a dangerous disease that spreads through rodent waste. Lyme disease is also known to be spread by white-footed mice.

Mouse VS Rats in NJ  Life Spam and reproduction

In the wild, most mice do not live beyond 12-18 months. Most rats live up to 2 years in the wild. Rats and mice have relatively similar breeding cycles and reproductive patterns, with a few minor exceptions.  In rats, sexual maturity occurs between 8 and 10 weeks for females and 10 to 12 weeks for males. For mice,  males reach maturity at 6-8 weeks of age and females around 4-6 weeks.

Mouse VS Rats in NJ  Behaviors

Both rats and mice are nocturnal rodents. A mouse or rat will rarely be seen in broad daylight unless walls are overrun with them. Although both rats and mice are considered rodents, there are considerable behavioral distinctions  between the two. Despite being smaller than rats, mice have a tendency to be a little brasher. Mice are typically inquisitive and will investigate novel objects, including traps. To deceive a rat, though,  will require more than a baited trap. Rats tend to be quite careful around unfamiliar objects and won’t explore like mice because they normally live in dread. Rats study novel objects far more slowly than mice do, which can occasionally make catching challenges.

Mouse VS Rats the droppings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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