Some species of rats like roof rats prefer to nest up high in attics trees and dense vegetation while others like norway rats burrow and nest underground.
Difference between roof rat vs mouse.
Some scientists speculate that mice evolved from rats to fit situations that did not require ferocity or large size but instead offered shelter by entering through small holes.
As you can see the biggest difference is size.
A mouse can slip through inch holes and gaps.
The norway rat is an omnivore that will consume almost anything it can find.
A rat s body in general is bulkier while a mouse s body is more slender.
There are a number of physical differences between mice and rats that help to identify them.
Tail a mouse s tail is about the same length as its head and body combined while the tail of a rat is shorter than its head and body combined.
Next is color and rats tend to be gray with white bellies turning more brown as they get older.
They are also nocturnal in nature.
Rats grow to a body of 8 inches and a tail of 9 inches and a weight of almost a pound.
The difference between mice and rats.
Mice rarely grow more than 3 inch body 3 inch tail and a couple of ounces.
Their nests are usually made from shredded paper and fibrous materials.
However their eye sight is very poor.
The norway rat can weigh nearly twice as much as a roof rat and be many times larger than the common mouse.
A black rat s tail is dark above and pale beneath while a house mouse s tail is uniformly dark.
Rats may be associated with squalor and poverty but the truth is that they can flourish as well in a penthouse as they can in an outhouse.
They have grayish brown fur.
A rat only needs a whole inch wide to enter your home.
House mice these little rodents are lightweight and measure about five inches in length.
Like mice these rodents are also found throughout the world in varying environments.
Rat behavior one of the most important differences in behavior between mice and rats is that mice are curious and rats are cautious.
With an average weight of about 11 ounces norway rats have acute hearing and a great sense of smell.
Long tails that are commonly hairless and scaly.
Mice also tend to have long thin tails with hair but rat tails will usually be hairless and scaly.
Norway rats roof rats and house mice are the most common types of home invading rodents.
Read all about rats.
The snout of the rat is more blunt than that of the mouse.
Rats typically have a larger territory sometimes going as much as 100 feet in search of sustenance.
Rats are very careful and will choose to avoid new things in their path until they have had time to get used to them being there.
