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Rodents (Rodentia)

Mice and rats carry many diseases that should be of concern and they can be transferred to humans via fleas, urine, feces, and saliva.  They reproduce rapidly to compensate for their short life span (usually around one year).  Their teeth grow extremely fast and it is necessary for them to continuously chew on things.  Because of this, they are a serious fire hazard due to chewing the insulation off of wiring among other things. Rats and mice eat the same foods as humans and prefer fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Generally they are nocturnal although you may on occasion see them during the day.  They do not have good eye site and tend to run alongside walls for security.  They rely heavily on sense of smell and touch and use established scent trails.   Other rodents can use these trails to find entrance into your home or business.  Rats and mice can swim, jump and are very intelligent.  They can find shelter in wall voids, attics, crawl spaces, electrical appliance, furniture, and other areas.

Below are the some of the common rodents that can be a problem in the Pacific Northwest.  Please click or scroll down for more information.

Rats

You can tell the difference between a baby rat and a baby mouse by the feet.  The rat’s feet are abnormally large in proportion to the size of their body.  There are two types of rats found in Washington:  The Norway Rat and the Roof Rat.

Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) aka Brown Rat

• also called the Brown Rat, Dump Rat, Barn Rat, Sewer Rat, Gray Rat, or Wharf Rat
• Prefers lower floors of a building but will travel up into the roof
• The scat is oval shaped and blunt on the ends
• A few tested positive for  Bubonic Plague in Tacoma, WA a few years back

Norway Rat

Roof Rat (Rattus rattus)  aka Black Rat

• Slightly smaller than the Norway Rat
• Tend to nest higher in structures such as upper floors, attics, roofs vine covered fences
• Uses its tail a balancing mechanism as travels across wires to and from structures
• The tail is longer than the head and body combined
• The scat is more pointed at the ends

Roof Rat

Treatment for Mice & Rats:   Treatment for mice and rats are similar and can vary from snap traps, live traps, bait stations, tracking powders, and lumitrack bait.  We primarily use snap traps and secured bait stations with rodent bait.  We may also recommend some environmental changes since exclusion is a large part of eliminating rodents from your home or business as they can fit through areas as small as the size of a quarter.  

Moles  (Talpidae)

(We do not treat for moles)

• Voracious eaters - can eat 40 pounds of bugs per year
• Moles use tunneling system to feed and catch bugs as they fall in the tunnels
• Usually no more than 5 adult moles per acre
• As of 2002, the use of mechanical traps that squeeze or pierce have been outlawed
•  Treatment usually consists of reducing the food source or the use of poisoned baits

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Mice

• Population can explode quickly as they can produce 5-6 babies every 21 days due to the very short life span
• Can fit through very small cracks & crevices
• Can get by with very little water
• Mice spread diseases by contamination of human food with their urine, feces, or indirectly by rodent fleas & mites
• Have large ears in proportion to their body

House Mouse

(Mus musculus)

Deer Mouse

(Peromyscus maniculatus)