Skip to Content Top

The Difference Between The Mice And Rats In Collegeville

Serving Families Throughout Collegeville
a mouse crawling in trash
|

Mice and rats share pretty similar traits. They are both classified as rodents and can cause serious damage to your home and bring in a number of health risks that can harm humans. These dangerous rodents require professional treatment to safely remove them from your property. Fortify yourself with accurate information about rodents and the best measures to prevent them from gaining access to your home. With reliable pest control in Collegeville from Terra, you can consider your pest problem handled the moment you schedule an inspection with us.

How Mice And Rats Differ In Appearance

Mice and rats may seem interchangeable; however, they have slight differences in appearance. Mice are commonly smaller than rats in length but rounder in width. Norway rats grow to be about nine inches long, while house mice grow no longer than four inches and have a tail roughly the same length. A mouse has gray fur with a cream-colored underbelly. Rats are darker brown, with black mixed through and a light underbelly.

Other differences in their appearances are in their faces. Rats tend to have small ears and eyes with a rounded snout. Mice have large ears with hair and a pointed nose. You'll most likely see signs of a rodent before you see a rodent unless the infestation is large. Typical signs of rodents include droppings, grease trails, and holes in your ceilings and walls. Making one call to Terra to evict these pests from your Collegeville home is all it takes to get your home back to its pest-free state.

Both Rats And Mice Are Dangerous To Have In Your Home

Rodents in Collegeville, such as mice and rats, have incisors that continuously grow. To help combat the growth rate, rodents chew through many materials without stopping. Materials such as wood, plastic, cardboard, and paper don't stand a chance against a rodent infestation. Rodents will also chew through any wires they come across, meaning the ones hidden from sight inside your walls could be faulty and cause a fire. Mice and rats cost homeowners significant amounts for repairs after an infestation.

If that wasn't bad enough, a rodent infestation will take a toll on your health. Mice and rats share many common traits, and among them is the fact that they frequent sewers, dumpsters, and other unsanitary places to devour matter. As unclean as rodents are to have in your home, they play a huge role in helping to keep the environment clean. Mice and rats not only play host to bacteria, but also bring fleas, lice, ticks, and mites with various diseases into your home.

Some illnesses that rodents can expose to humans are:

  • Salmonellosis
  • Rat-bite fever
  • Jaundice
  • Cowpox virus
  • Trichinosis

We don't recommend attempting rodent control and removal by yourself. It can have drastic results on your home and health. We do recommend seeking immediate medical attention if bitten by a rat or mouse for close observation. Close off your home to rodent access and live peacefully with the help of Terra and our effective rodent control services in Collegeville.

Prevention Tips For Mice And Rats Are Very Similiar

You can't go wrong with reliable pest control measures from the experts here at Terra. Unfortunately, rodents enjoy your home for the same reasons that you do. However, sharing your home with rodents simply isn't an option.

The best prevention tips and advice that we recommend are:

  • Close off any holes or gaps along your foundation and exterior walls. 
  • Remove outdoor food sources and sweep leftover crumbs from the table and floor.
  • Remove clutter from storage rooms and pick up items from off the floor.
  • Seal packaged foods in sturdy, airtight containers made of glass or metal. 
  • Eliminate sources of standing, dripping, leaking, or clogged water for rodents to hydrate themselves. 
  • Secure your trash cans with tight-fitting lids away from your home.

One extra tip for rats is to remove piles of wood and debris from around your home. It helps to store your firewood away from structures and off the ground. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us for answers.

Professional Rodent Control Is The Best Way To Get Rid Of Mice Or Rats

Rodent control is not an issue you should tackle on your own. Pests like rodents have a place in the world, but we'll be the first to tell you that place is not your home. At Terra, we seek to serve the residents of Collegeville, PA, with safe solutions that protect you, your home, and the environment. Reach out today, to schedule an inspection from one of our highly certified experts and learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Collegeville.

Our certified pest experts will work with you to find the best solution for your needs. Simply fill out this form for a free, no-obligation estimate.