Do I Have Mice Or Rats In My House?

Nobody wants to find rodents in their house. It can give anyone a feeling of unease. However, it’s important to find out which type of rodent you have, as that determines your course of action. So, you may ask, do I have mice or rats in my house?

You most likely have rats in your house if you discover a nest in your crawlspace or basement and find banana-shaped droppings. Rats are black or brown and mice are white with big ears, small feet, and hairy tails. Conversely, rats have long, thick, hairless tails, large feet, and long teeth that leave thick marks behind. 

Both mice and rats are nocturnal, so you’ll likely only hear them at night when they search for food. Follow along as we highlight ways to determine whether you have mice or rats in your house. 

How To Tell If You Have Mice Or Rats

Droppings aren’t enough to know if you have an active mouse or rat population in your house. Sometimes, mice and rats pass through, and you may never see them again. However, it doesn’t take long to figure out that you have an active rodent population if you look for several signs, like:

Activity

No two rodents share the exact same habits, and the difference in activities between mice and rats shows this. Rats are less brazen and curious than mice, as rats typically explore familiar areas in a house. Mice are more curious and leave traces behind in surprising areas, like your medicine cabinet or food pantry.

They can also fit through tiny holes, so you may find their dropping and footprints in unexpected places. Rats are larger than mice, and they eat between 15 and 30 grams of food per day. You may have rats if large volumes of pet food and your food scraps go missing each day. 

Mice are small and in many cases, only eat 3 grams of food per day. They typically eat the same food as rats, just not as much of it, unless there are many mice in the house. Mice nest in attics and ceilings while rats commonly nest in crawlspaces and basements. 

Scratch Marks

Many homeowners discover their rodent problem because they hear scratching and gnawing. Such sounds go hand in hand with scratch marks throughout your home. Both mice and rats leave signs of damage behind, but they vary. 

For example, small scratch marks typically indicate that you have mice. You can often find mouse scratch marks in the ceiling, attics, and between your walls. They can even gnaw through wires and the drywall in your house.

Rats also scratch and gnaw wires and drywall, but the markings differ from mice in size. That’s because rats have much bigger teeth than mice, and they often create 1/8” long teeth marks. You may understandably not want to investigate the scratches and bite marks closely, but an exterminator can help you. 

Droppings

Rodent droppings are the last thing anyone wants to find in their house. Not only are they unsanitary, but they are also an invasion of your privacy and comfort. Luckily, the droppings you find can indicate a lot about which rodents have taken up residence in your house.

For example, mouse droppings are small, typically measuring ¼” long, and are shaped like pointed ovals. Rat droppings are sometimes triple the size of mouse droppings, depending on the rat's age and diet. They resemble ¾” long cylinders in many cases, and some people refer to them as banana shaped. 

The location of the droppings also varies between mice and rats. Mice leave droppings in pantries, cabinets, kitchens, and common areas. Conversely, rats typically leave droppings behind in concealed locations like crawlspaces and the space between walls. 

Sounds

There isn’t much of a difference between mice and rats regarding the sounds they make. After all, mice and rats are both nocturnal animals and are built similarly. You may hear gnawing and scratching sounds whether you have a mouse or rat in your house. 

Mice and rats both squeak to each other, but mice are often more vocal than rats. Even still, you can hear rats if they’re active and you’re close to them. Rats often communicate ultrasonically, so you won’t always hear them besides their scratching claws. 

However, rats become more vocal and squeak or hiss when they’re being aggressive. Rats and mice are both prone to conflict, and you may hear them fight one another. 

Appearance

Rats look more intimidating than mice, or at least many people feel that way. After all, even a common rat can grow up to 6” to 15” long. Granted, common household rats rarely exceed 6” to 11”, but it depends on their diet and surroundings. 

Common mice are much smaller as they rarely exceed 3” to 4” long in most households. The white mouse is the most common household mouse, and they look much different than brown and black rats. Brown rats are naturally darker, bigger, and have large teeth compared to common mice. 

Despite being smaller, mice have bigger, more pronounced ears than mice. Rats have long, thick, hairless tails whereas mice have thin, hairy tails. You can always refer to Google Images or ask an exterminator to help you identify which rodent you have. 

Are Mice Or Rats Harder To Get Rid Of?

In many cases, it’s harder to get rid of rats in your house than mice. That’s because rats are less likely to trigger some traps than mice. Rats can even eat the food in the trap without setting the trap off if they’re quick and careful enough. 

However, it is harder to get rid of mice than rats if they consistently reproduce. Mice can give birth to up to 16 pups per litter up to 8 times per year. That’s why it can take a while to get rid of all the mice in your house if they continue to reproduce.

Otherwise, it’s relatively easy to get rid of a small group of mice with a handful of traps. Snap traps are the most humane way to eradicate mice in your home. However, you must buy special traps for rats, as they’re larger and harder to kill. 

Will Mice Or Rats Leave On Their Own?

Mice and rats can leave on their own, but it’s quite unlikely. That would only happen if your home has no food and water sources for them. Sometimes, homeowners mistakenly believe the mice and rats in their homes are gone because they don’t see or hear them.

Instead, they may have simply moved to a more discreet location where they eat and reproduce. Their nocturnal nature means that you may not ever see or hear them. That’s why you must look for droppings, scratch marks, and bite marks if you suspect you have a rodent problem. 

However, they definitely won’t leave on their own once they start reproducing. Mice may reproduce faster than rats, but both of them can quickly grow to a large population. In that case, you must hire an exterminator to get rid of them. 

Summing It Up

You can tell you have mice if you find droppings in common parts of your home, like your pantry, cabinets, and kitchen. Rats are larger than mice and sport brown or black fur whereas mice are small and white in most cases. Mice have smaller teeth and feet than rats, so the scratch marks you’ll find are smaller than what rats leave behind. 

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