whats the difference between a rat and a mouse??

Answer 1

If there is a furry, long-tailed rodent in MY backyard, I refuse to even consider the remote possibility that it may be .... the "R" word. Nope, nope, nope, nope. I don't care if the little sucker is the size of a chihuahua, the "R" word traumatizes me and, therefore, it MUST be a mouse.

Mickey Mouse. Minnie Mouse. Mighty Mouse. These are friendly, happy descriptions. "Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...." See? Isn't that warm and friendly???

Our inside kitties had been spending an inordinate amount of time STARING for HOURS at the silk plant arrangement hanging on our bedroom patio above our small fountain. Eventually, my husband and I determined that there must be a mousie in there. He had awakened one night to see a mousie drinking at our fountain, in fact. Anyway, the thought of an outdoor mousie just two feet from our sliding glass door screen was just too close for comfort, so we decided to take down the silk plant/hanging basket arrangement and to replace it with a picture.

So, I was relaxing in the swimming pool, watching with interest as my husband went through the process of gingerly removing the plant arrangement on the wall, ready to dump it in a large plastic bucket for transporation to our large trash cans. Things were going smoothly until he uttered an ominous "uh oh" and a distinct rustling sound was heard. Ever the quick thinker, he RAN to the edge of the swimming pool and FLUNG in the planter with wild abandon.

Did I mention that I was IN THE SWIMMING POOL while this was occurring????

The sight of my husband thundering toward me brandishing silk foliage was a bit daunting, but at least I had the foresight to duck when a green blur went hurtling inches past my head. We both turned to watch the planter bob menacingly in our sparkling aqua pool. Just as we were about to sheepishly conclude that our mousie fears were unfounded, the world's largest mouse emerged from the sodden arrangement and swam (at shark-like speeds) underwater the ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE SWIMMING POOL, to emerge triumphantly on the pool sweep hose.

As we pondered what to do next, the giant mouse (ok, ok, maybe I am exaggerating a wee bit), came swimming back TOWARD ME and disappeared into the place where the skimmer basket is. Suddenly, we saw a mousie nose sticking up out of the air vents!! EEEEEEEK!!! I shrieked and my husband stomped on the skimmer cover to scare the mousie back down. My husband ran to the garage, returning with a rake and a shovel, and I finally got my wits together enough to scramble out of the pool and go for the long-handled pool leaf skimmer baskety thing. Eventually, I caught the mousie and my husband manfully dispatched him.... all while I complained loudly that this was "too much nature! too much nature!" and wondered why all the neighborhood cats weren't busy catching mice!!!

Ummmm.... WHAT WAS THE QUESTION?

Answer 2

Now that would depend on who you asked.
If you asked a Mob boss, a rat is someone you trusted only to talk to the feds and cause you 30 years in the can where as a mouse won't say sh*t when he gets busted.
You ask a snake and he'd say (translated from hisss hisss) it's the difference of a snack or a weekly meal.
You ask a pet store and they would say the difference is in the type of cage you'd buy, the type of food and cost.
You ask a farmer/homeowner and its the difference of laying a couple traps of calling the exterminator.... Maybe

Answer 3

size n genetics mostly, but rats make awesome lil pets! They r somewhere between a cat n dog in their habits but way cleaner. They have cool lil individual personalities too.
P.S. Harvie Ruth u have some serious issues n shrieking chix like u give the rest of us a bad name!! Fair dinkum it was a bloody mouse not a deadly bloody poisonous creature!! u n hubby must be bald as new born babies if thats how u react to a lil fur.!!!

Answer 4

Rats (big) wake up when you enter the room to see you and have treats but mouse-mice (small) sleep all the time until evening and wake you up

Answer 5

Rat and mouse are actually not scientific classifications. These words are common names for rodents that look alike to the casual eye.

Rat is used to describe medium-sized rodents with long thin tails. There are many species of rodent that are called rats -- kangaroo rats, cotton rats, Norway rats, black rats, African pouched rats, naked mole rats, wood rats, pack rats, Polynesian rats, and many others. These different rodent species may not be closely related to each other at all!

Mouse is used to describe tiny, sparrow-sized rodents with long thin tails. As with rats, there are many species of rodents called mice which may or may not be closely related to each other: house mice, field mice, deer mice, smoky mice, spiny mice, and dormice are all called mice.

So, which rats and mice are you talking about? Generally, people are referring to the domestic or pest rats and mice, which means Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), black rats (Rattus rattus), and house mice< http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatsMice.htm

Answer 6

A Rat is much bigger than a Mouse and can be mean.

Answer 7

A rat is someone who would not hesitate to inform on you while a mouse is a timid character who would not say boo to a goose

Answer 8

Rats make better pets. They are more clever and more sociable. Rats's tales are way more scaley. Rats have sort of humpbacks compared to mice.

Answer 9

I expect you're referring to the 4-legged type, in which case they come from the same family but a rat is the bigger. They both give me the shivers.

Answer 10

Size and rats are more bold. Mice run from people and a rat will chase you. Rats are also nastier and are carries for a lot more germs and sickness.