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Rodent Control : Rats, Mice and Squirrels


 
Mouse Control Products |Rat Control Products| Squirrel Control Products

Rats and mice cause a huge loss of food worldwide. We will mostly be discussing the type of rodents called "commensal rodents". The word commensal means"sharing one's table". The word rodent means to "to gnaw".

Rodents will gnaw through many types of materials in order to reach a location including lead sheathing, cinder block, aluminum siding and some concrete.

 

We will be covering the three most common type of commensal rodents :

The HOUSE MOUSE, the NORWAY RAT, and the ROOF RAT.

We also have a section on SQUIRRELS, INSPECTIONS, RODENT EXCLUSIONS, AND SANITATION

Besides eating our food they spoil it by contamination with their feces, urine, or fur.

They can be found not only in our homes, but supermarkets, restaurants, warehouses, food processing facilities, livestock facilities, and farm fields.

Under stable conditions rodent movement for both rats and mice is limited. A Norway or Roof rat will move within a diameter of 98 to 164 ft. and a house mouse,10 to 33 ft. If conditions are unstable or there are changes such as new building, they may expand the diameter. They may also expand their range in protected areas such as in sewers, in passages between buildings, and under groundcovers.

RODENT PESTS:

  • Rodents reproduce rapidly with major activity at night. Rats tend to be cautious and mice are more curious.

  • Rats tend to eat most of their food at one time, where mice will nibble a little at a time.

  • It is important to remove rodents food sources, but do not disturb the rodent habitat.

  • You will want a complete rodent elimination to occur before they could move to another area.

  • A successful rodent control program includes a combination of baiting and trapping for the highest rate of success.

  • You may also want to consider integrating your program ,with exclusion techniques and a general cleanup ,removal of their hiding places(harbor aging areas.)

  • If the rodent population is large, you will want to begin with a high quality rodent bait, to quickly knock down a population and prevent rapid growth.

  • Their are different types of baits to choose from: blocks, pellets, liquid ; each rodent population is different in their preferences, so a little of each is a good choice in bait selections.

  • When baiting initially , try not to disturb their original habitats or they may run to another area. After baiting has begun, continue with sanitation procedures, food source removal, and harborage removal to ensure additional rodents from nearby areas are not attracted to your location.

  • They also cause damage to our buildings by their burrowing and gnawing activity.

  • They are able to squeeze through very small openings:1/4 inch for mice and 1/2 inch for rats.

  • uv tracker light UV Tracker Light to help detect presence of rodent urine for easier inspection.

Field Identification of Domestic Rodents


Click on image to enlarge
Courtesy of CDC, Atlanta, Ga.

*Table I Characteristics of commensal rodents

Characteristic Norway Rat Roof Rat House Mouse
General Appearance Large, robust Sleek, graceful Small, Slender
Adult size
weight(oz/g)

  length(nose to tip of tail)

  head and body(mm)
  tail(mm)
7-18oz/200-500g

7-9.5in/18-25cm

6-8 in/15-21cm
5-9oz/150-250g

6-8 in/16-20cm

7-10in/19-25cm
0.4-1 oz/12-30 g

2-3.5 in/6-9cm

3-4in/7-10cm
Snout Blunt Pointed Pointed
Ears Small, covered with short hairs;do not reach eyes Large, nearly naked;can be pulled over eyes Large, some hair
Eyes Small Large, prominent Small
Tail Dark above, pale beneath Uniformly dark Uniformly dark
Fur Brown with scattered black; abdomen -gray to yellow-white;shaggy Gray to black ; abdomen, gray, or black;smooth Light brown, light gray; smooth
Droppings Capsule shaped, 2cm/3/4-1 inch Spindle shaped, 1 cm/0.5 inch Rod shaped, 3-6 mm/0.5 inch
Senses
 sight  smell, tast, touch, hearing
Poor,color blind
Excellent
Poor, color blind
Excellent
Poor, color blind
Excellent
Food Omnivorous(22-30grams/day)
0.8-1 oz.
Omnivourous, especially fruits, nuts,grains, and vegetable
(15-30 grams/day) 0.5-1.0 oz/day
Omnivourous, prefers cereal grains(3 grams/day) 0.1 oz. day
Water 15-30 ml/day 15-30 ml/day 3-9 ml/day;can subsist without water
Feeding habits Shy(new object reaction);steady eater Shy(new object reaction);steady eater Inquisitive, nibbler
Climbing Readily climbs;limited agility Very agile, active climber Good climber
Nests Usually burrows Walls, attics, vines, trees;sometimes burrows Within structures, stored food; burrows
Swimming Excellent swimmer Can swim Can Swim
Home range radius 30-50 m/98-164 ft. 30-50 m/98-164 ft. 3-10m/10-33 ft.
Age at mating(months) 2-3 2-3 2-3
Breeding season Spring and fall peaks Spring and fall peaks Year long
Gestation period(days) 22 22 19
Young per litter 8-12 4-8 4-7
Litters per year 4-7 4-6 8
Young weaned/female/year 20 20 30-35
Length of life 1 year 1 year 1 year
* From Truman's Scientific Guide Sixth Edition
Note: Data are averages and not representative of extremes.
Sources: Compiled from J.E. Brooks and F.P. Rowe, Commensal Rodent Control(World Health Organization,WHO/VBC/79.726, Geneva,1979);W.E. Howard and R.E. Marsh, The Rat:Its Biology and Control(Univ.of California, Division of Agriculture Sciences, leaflet no 2,896,1976); H.D. Pratt and R. Z. Brown, Biological Factors in Domestic Rodent Control( U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare , Centers fo Disease Control, bulletin no 76-8144, 1976);R. E. Marsh and W.E. Howard, The House Mouse: Its Biology and Control(University of California, Division of Agricultural Sciences, leaflet no. 2,945, 1977);W.B Jackson, "Norway Rats and Allies," in Wild Mammals of North America, ed J.A. Chapman and G. A.Feldhamer(Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982)

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