Is This A Mouse Or A Rat?

[simonas]

I have a problem with what I thought were mice in the loft, the pest control seem to think they are showing signs of rats not mice but I;ve only ever caught small things about 3 inch long in body
heres the only pic I have of a caught one, is it a mouse or rat

cheers Simon

 

[coldcazzie]

mouse. definitely a mouse. but that doesn't mean you couldn't have rats as well... (sorry to sound pessamistic!)

 

[TigerJack]

It looks like a rat to me. The face seems a bit long and pointy. It is really small for a rat though...I change my mind. It looks more like a mouse

 

[simonas]

I;ve caught 19 now but can still here them, the pest control people have just put down more poison food in loft but nojoy yet

she thinkscos we here them at night and as they have not been in house that they must be rats rather than mice but the largest has been 3 inches

 

[TigerJack]

When I was a kid I lived in Alaska. We had a shrew infestation in our house. We had just moved so I didn't have my bed frame yet, just the mattress, so I used to sleep on the couch cause I was terrified of them! I couldn't sleep cause I kept seeing movement out of the corner of my eyes! Sooo creepy. Good luck getting rid of them all!

 

[seffieuk]

Certainly looks like a mouse to me - I also had them several years ago, couldn't get rid of them no matter how hard we tried until we got a cat, they were gone in a week!!!

Seffie x

could you borrow a cat?

 

[simonas]

I could but I would be tooworried about the cat getting trapped in the loft somehow

 

[lljdma06]

Why would it get trapped? Unless by the mouse/rat traps. That would not be good.

 

[seffieuk]

Oh and just thought, dont suppose Flash would like a cat in the house for a week!!! Fur would probably fly and I suspect it would be his!!!

SEffie x

 

[Carlovel1]

Looks like a mouse to me. I've recently had a mouse infestation too. So far I've managed to catch 2 3 mice (not kill them, just capture and release-they look identical to your mice Simon) I'll upload photos of them so you can see them

 

[William]

Sounds like you have a big mouse infestation, but you will be able to get on top of them with trapping. You really need to find out how they got/are getting in to the loft though. I personally have had greatest success with the "Little Nipper" traps, I have the one you used there, which I believe was from B&Q but the little nipper is the best, albeit a little 'messy'(!). Avoid ones from the "Big Cheese Company" which in my experience are very poor build quality. What are you using for bait, I would be running quite a few traps at the same time, how many have you got at the moment?. With half a dozen (and ideally more) traps you will soon thin them out, may be worth trying a few different baits on them, cheese, chocolate and sunflower seeds or peanut butter are three of the favourites.. Poison will kill them (they are neophobic (scared of new things) and so may take some time to eat it), but with poison you won't be able to dispose of the bodies and the smell is horrific.

p.s. you can buy 5x little nippers for £5 (including delivery) here: http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/X-5-LITTLE-NIPPER-MOUSE-TRAPS-NEW-/120523784858?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Garden_Plants_Weed_Pest_Control_CV&hash=item1c0fc7029a

 

[simonas]

Hi William

It is an infestation the noise at night is horrific

we've found the hole in the garage that they have gone in from, I have a trap and poison there now

In the loft i HAVE 6 TRAPS but we only ever trap one at a time and nothing for a few days. Ive had most success withflapjack, they didn;t touch the peanut butter. I;m concerned about the dead body smell as they are getting about through the cavitys in the vertical walls at the side of the house and theres no way of getting in there

 

[Warehouse]

Looking at the tail it seems to be a rat to me.

 

[Joshwainwright]

BOOM, HEADSHOT!

Rat, I think.

 

[Carlovel1]

Sounds like you have a big mouse infestation, but you will be able to get on top of them with trapping. You really need to find out how they got/are getting in to the loft though. I personally have had greatest success with the "Little Nipper" traps, I have the one you used there, which I believe was from B&Q but the little nipper is the best, albeit a little 'messy'(!). Avoid ones from the "Big Cheese Company" which in my experience are very poor build quality. What are you using for bait, I would be running quite a few traps at the same time, how many have you got at the moment?. With half a dozen (and ideally more) traps you will soon thin them out, may be worth trying a few different baits on them, cheese, chocolate and sunflower seeds or peanut butter are three of the favourites.. Poison will kill them (they are neophobic (scared of new things) and so may take some time to eat it), but with poison you won't be able to dispose of the bodies and the smell is horrific.

p.s. you can buy 5x little nippers for £5 (including delivery) here: http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/X-5-LITTLE-NIPPER-MOUSE-TRAPS-NEW-/120523784858?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Garden_Plants_Weed_Pest_Control_CV&hash=item1c0fc7029a

I started to use poison 2 days ago. Around an hour ago, there was a dead mouse on the bedroom carpet.
I'm scared there are dead rats under the bed...and the smell