If you’re experiencing a rodent infestation in your home, you want this solved as quickly as possible. You may not know the exact situation yet and may suspect that mice or rats—or both—are entering your home.
This may lead you to wander: Do rats and mice coexist? Read on to find out.
Do mice and rats live together in the same house?
The short answer is no, they don’t. Rats are predators of mice and will eat them if they ever get close. Even domestic rats will hunt down any mice that cross their path. If you have a rodent problem in your home, then it’s likely that it’s either mice or rats—not both.
There have been cases where both mice and rats are in the same space but only when there are large populations of both, such as in abandoned buildings or places with very severe rodent issues. The other case would be when mice and rats are kept as pets, which isn’t recommended.
Differences between mice and rats
Now that you’ve established that you likely don’t have rats and mice coexisting, it’s time to get to the bottom of your pest problem. Both rats and mice are capable of transmitting disease and can lead to other pests invading the home.
The first thing to know is that, while mice and rats are both rodents (and both need to be exterminated), the two are quite different. Here are the major differences between mice and rats:
- Size: Rats are considerably larger than mice. Typically, you’ll find roof rats or Norway rats in a home, weighing 7 to 11
- Feeding habits: Mice will most frequently eat grains and plants, which should keep them outside. When they come into your home, they may be interested in food scraps, crumbs and garbage. Rats need more food to survive and will leave larger droppings than mice.
- Movement: Mice will wander out into the home, searching for food and building nests. Rats, on the other hand, are more skittish and will be uncomfortable moving through the home. Rats are also more likely to gnaw on and scratch the walls.
Removing mice and rats from the home
One way to address an infestation of mice is to set traps. Mice will come out and explore if they smell food. The most humane traps are those that kill mice instantly.
Rats, however, are much more cautious and may not respond to traps immediately. Introduce the traps to areas where you believe that rats venture most often. Place traps in their path, and they should eventually go for them.
Do you need help addressing a rodent infestation? Excellence Pest Control is here to help. We’re a family-owned and -operated business providing reliable, quality pest control services to residential and commercial customers. We do it all—from mice and rats to ants, spiders, bed bugs and more. Give us a call right now to find out more about our services and request a free estimate.