What You Need To Know About Rats, Mice and Rodents

What you need to know about rats, mice, and rodents. There are two types of rats commonly found in the city of Memphis and surrounding Mid-South areas. One is the Norway Rat it is also known as a "brown rat" and the other is the Roof Rat also known as a "black rat." The most common mouse found in the Memphis area the House Mouse .  The rats and mice share several things in common. Both species front teeth continue to grow and that's why they are constantly gnaw on wood, aluminum siding, cinder block, and even concrete.  They carry some 55 different types of diseases.  The more well known diseases these rodents transmit are the Plague "Black Death", Murine Typhus, and Rickettsial Pox.  Their droppings and urine have been known to cause asthma in children.  Unfortunately, the need for these critters to gnaw on everything in sight and the diseases they carry cause a big problem for homeowners.

Rodent dropping found in a Memphis house.

Rats crewed through brick and mortar to get inside this building. 

Rodents have crewed through the cinder block wall and are using the pipe as a highway.

The first step in taking care of the nuisance critters is to identify them.  If you catch a glimpse of one it can be quickly be I.D. by size and the color.  So, let quickly go through the characteristic of each type of rodent.  The House Mouse is small (1-3 inches), light (1/2-1 oz), with lager ears, black and white coloring. The Norway Rat is larger (6-12 inches), heave (12-16 oz),and with brown hair.  The Roof Rat is smaller (4-8 inches), lighter (5-9 oz), and with black hair.

A family of House Mice

Brown Rats running around on tiled floor.

 This mouse is not native to North America.  It originated in the plains of central Asia and was transported by boats west.  They were introduced to the Americas during 1700s. There are very few animals that reproduce as fast as mice. So it is important to quickly take care of the problem when you first see signs of mice.  Snap traps are effective and with the help of a professional you can get rid of your critter problem. Here






This rat is not native to North America but came from Mongolia.  Following the trade routes it made its way to Europe and finely to the United State in the mid 1700s.  The Norway rat is larger, stronger, and more aggressive then other species.  They are social animals.  So if you see one you can be sure there are others.  To remove the animals and the seal the entry points you should contact a company that deals with rats and other rodents issues. Here

Baby Roof Rats

Roof Rats are not native to North America originally from South Asia. Following trade routes and finding their way aboard ships the made their way west to the U.S. with the first colonist. These rats are the most agile of these types of rodents.  If you want to remove these animals you will need more than just rat traps.  You will need a professional to identify the point of entry and the best place to set the rat traps. Here