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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:
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Rodents reproduce rapidly with major activity at
night. Rats tend to be cautious and mice are more curious.
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Rats tend to eat most of their food at one time,
where mice will nibble a little at a time.
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It is important to remove rodents food sources,
but do not disturb the rodent habitat.
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You will want a complete rodent elimination to
occur before they could move to another area.
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A successful rodent control program includes a
combination of baiting and trapping for the highest rate of success.
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You may also want to consider integrating your
program ,with exclusion techniques and a general cleanup ,removal
of their hiding places(harbor aging areas.)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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They also cause damage to our buildings by their
burrowing and gnawing activity.
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They are able to squeeze through very small openings:1/4
inch for mice and 1/2 inch for rats.
Field Identification of Domestic Rodents
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Click on image to enlarge
Courtesy of CDC, Atlanta, Ga.
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*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
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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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