Rodent Identification
Rodents are rapid breeders that can easily invade
Mice and rats enter Missouri buildings in search of shelter, food, and warmth, but can easily become an out-of-hand problem. Even holes the size of a dime are no challenge for these little troublemakers to enter your home. Rodents are rapid breeders that can easily invade, contaminate, and cause destruction to homes and businesses in Missouri. Mice will chew on wiring, which is one of the leading causes of structure fires.
Rodent Identification
House Mice
A house mouse is typically gray with a cream-colored stomach. They range from 5.5 to 7 inches in length, including their tail. House mice can adapt quickly to the surroundings of your home or business, and breed rapidly, making them one of the most common household pests in the world. A female house mouse can give birth about every three weeks to six babies at a time, totaling about 35 per year! They can nest anywhere, including attics, basements, inside walls, and behind furniture or appliances.
Meadow mice/Voles
Voles can be distinguished from mice by their short tails, stocky bodies, and short legs. They are brown or gray, have small eyes, and almost hidden ears. They live in colonies and have underground burrows, usually in pastures, fields, roadsides, and other grassy areas in Missouri. They primarily feed on crops, grasses, beans, flower bulbs, roots, etc. The life expectancy of a vole is fairly short—usually about 2 months—because they are a vital food source for predators in Missouri, such as hawks, owls, foxes, snakes, and coyotes.
Deer Mouse
The Deer Mouse, also known as the white-footed mouse, is a small rodent with large ears, large eyes, and long coarse whiskers. They are generally brown with white feet and underbelly. The fur of a deer mouse closely resembles a deer. Deer mice are highly adaptable and can be found in a variety of habitats, including forests, grasslands, and even human structures like barns and sheds. They are nocturnal and primarily feed on seeds, insects, and small fruits. Due to their nesting habits in secluded areas, they often go unnoticed until their populations grow. Their association with hantavirus makes them a health concern, as the virus can be transmitted to humans through contact with their droppings, urine, or saliva.
Norway Rat
The Norway rat has shaggy brown fur with black hairs scattered throughout and a gray to yellowish-white belly. Adults can have a body length of 7-10 inches, with a 6-8 inch long tail. They have a blunt muzzle, small eyes and ears, and a scaly bicolored tail. Signs of a Norway rat infestation in Missouri are the same as those for a house mouse, but Norway rat droppings are about ¾” in length. They are primarily nocturnal and much more cautious than mice, shying away from new objects and changes, making them more difficult to trap if they’re hiding in your central Missouri home. Norway rats prefer to build burrows along river banks, under concrete slabs, and other places outside, but they have been found in attics, basements, roofs, and sewers. Norway rats also carry some of the following diseases that can be transmitted to humans:
- Seoul hantavirus
- Plague
- Leptospirosis
- Murine typhus
Roof Rat
The roof rat has soft brown and black fur with a white, gray, or black belly. They have a pointed muzzle, large eyes and ears, and a long, scaly tail. Infestation signs are the same as other rodents. They have poor vision, but keenly developed senses of hearing, smell, touch, and taste. They are cautious about new objects, although they are constantly exploring their surroundings. In structures, roof rats prefer to nest in the upper parts of the building, hence the name “roof rat”, but they are occasionally found in basements and sewers. Outdoors, roof rats prefer nesting in trees, but burrows are sometimes found in vegetation around buildings. Roof rats carry many diseases.
What’s the difference between a mouse & a rat in my Missouri home?
Rats and mice are similar in many ways. The primary difference is that rats are considerably larger than mice, but they have other separating characteristics. Mice also have skinnier tails, while rats’ tails are thicker and stubbier. If you can’t tell whether the droppings in your home are from mice or rats, rat droppings are banana-shaped, and mice droppings are more frequent with pointy ends.
Basic facts about rodents in Missouri
- Rodent teeth are constantly growing, which leads them to gnaw on materials to trim their incisors.
- Mice and rats are responsible for at least 35 diseases in Missouri homeowners.
- Rats can chew through hard materials like cinder blocks and iron.
- In 2021, approximately 14.8 million rodent problems were reported in the U.S.
- In approximately 6 months, one pair of mice can eat up to 4 pounds of food, and deposit about 25,000 droppings - approximately 70 droppings per mouse per day.
