how can you tell the difference between a baby rat and a mouse?

Question

We recently caught a mouse or what i think is a mouse in our kitchen. But i want to know if this is actually a mouse or a baby rat. It was 2 inches big and brownish black. At night we hear loud scratching in the walls and in our basement there would be a lot of dead crickets lying around. I want to know if thats the work of rats or mice and if there are any signs to tell them apart.

Answer 1

Most likely, it's a mouse. As far as I know, neither mice nor rats kill crickets and leave them lying around. I've had great success with this trap in my house:

http://veganstore.com/index.html?stocknumber=266

I've caught over ten mice with it so far. Yes, it's $12, but it can be used over and over indefinitely. Or, you can try making the free homemade humane trap described here:

http://www.helpinganimals.com/wildlife_livingWithMice.asp

If you do live trap mice, please be sure to check the traps several times a day and release the mice promptly, approximately a mile away from your home. It is much more cruel to allow a mouse in a live trap to slowly starve to death than to kill it quickly with a snap trap. Also, if you use the live traps outside, put a little bedding (paper towels or cotton balls) inside the trap so the mice won't freeze to death during the night. When you release the mice, do it in an area with some sheltering bushes or plants. If you are a kind person, you might also leave a little bird seed or oatmeal for them.

The absolute cruelest traps are glue traps. Mice have been known to gnaw off their own limbs and tear off their skin in an effort to escape, as they starve or dehydrate to death or suffocate in the glue. Poison isn't any better, as the mice die slowly over a long period of time from internal bleeding.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I'm leaning towards a mouse; it looks a bit too small and fuzzy to be a baby rat. I've never seen a baby rat, so I may be wrong. I think it's a white-footed mouse, but I don't know where you live so I could be wrong. You did the right thing by saving it. Just release it nearby the place you found it (and away from the dog, hehe) and it should be okay on its own. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling it!!!

Answer 3

Rat is the term generally and indiscriminately applied to numerous members of several rodent families having bodies longer than about 12 cm, or 5 inches (Smaller thin-tailed rodents are just as often indiscriminately referred to as mice).


Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Superfamily: Muroidea*
Family: Muridae
Subfamily: Murinae
Genus: Rattus
Fischer de Waldheim, 1803 In scientific usage, a rat is any one of about 56 different species of small, omnivorous rodents belonging to the genus Rattus.



A mouse (Plural mice) is a mammal that belongs to one of numerous species of small rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (Mus musculus). It is found in nearly all countries and, as the laboratory mouse, serves as an important model organism in biology; it is also a popular pet. The American white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) also sometimes live in houses. These species of mice live commensally with humans.

Although they may live up to two years in the lab, the average mouse in the wild lives only about 3 months, primarily due to heavy predation. Cats, wild dogs, foxes, birds-of-prey, snakes and even certain kinds of insects have been known to prey heavily upon mice. Nevertheless, due to its incredible adaptability to almost any environment, and its ability to live commensally to humans, it is regarded to be the second most successful mammalian species living on earth today, after the rat.



Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Superfamily: Muroidea
Family: Muridae
Subfamily: Murinae
Genus: Mus
Linnaeus, 1758


As you can see, mice and rats come from the same family of animals, but they're of different genus, like humans and monkeys.


Young, weaned rats are still larger than adult mice, weighing around 100 grams at six weeks. However, to the casual observer, very young rats and adult mice can be difficult to tell apart.

Here's what to look for: baby rats will have more juvenile proportions than adult rodents. Their heads and feet will be large relative to their bodies, their faces will be stubby and blunt with wide noses. Adult mice, on the other hand, will have adult proportions: a small, triangular head with a small nose and little delicate feet as compared to the body. In addition, mouse ears are very large relative to their heads, rat ears are smaller relative to their heads. Rats also have thicker tails than mice.


If you want to know the exact physical differences between rats and mice, go to this website

http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatsMice.htm#Differences

Answer 4

Here's what to look for: baby rats will have more juvenile proportions than adult rodents. Their heads and feet will be large relative to their bodies, their faces will be stubby and blunt with wide noses. Adult mice, on the other hand, will have adult proportions: a small, triangular head with a small nose and little delicate feet as compared to the body. In addition, mouse ears are very large relative to their heads, rat ears are smaller relative to their heads. Rats also have thicker tails than mice. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

That's a mouse. A pinky rat would be that size. You typically need mouse problems for a while before rats come in. I use those ultra-high frquency rodent repellers that plug into your outlet. The work well.

Answer 6

I don't know, but if you have children you should maybe think of hiring an exterminator who can get rid of mice, rats and crickets in a way that is not harmful to childern. Mice ard rats can carry disease.

Answer 7

i live in the country i get little fat round mice well i go a rat family the babies are bigger and longer and they are not afraid like mice and when i pounded the wall they kept scratching we fed them poison corn from a co- op you can also set out pop caps with pop in it kills them

Answer 8

rats have smaller ears. Also, check for feces size. IF it is a baby rat, there is a mom and you will see the feces. Mice feces are the size of rice, rat feces are about the lenght of a nickle.

Answer 9

Do something naughty in front of it. If it tells....it's a rat!

Answer 10

Does it matter, its not like u wanna keep it. Toss it out a window. MAKE SURE IT DOES NOT DIE