Rodent Identification San Diego Attic Cleaning

What kind of rodent is it?

Are you experiencing a rodent infestation or worried that you may need rodent proofing for your house. Here is a simple guide to rodent identification to determine what type of  rodents are living in and around your property.

House Mouse

• House Mouseweighs only 1/2 to 3/4 of an ounce.
• Average body length is 2-1/2inch to 3-1/2inch.
• their tail is approximately 3 to 4 inches in length.
• Ears are large and prominent.
• The house mouse is gray on it’s back and lighter gray on it’s belly.
• The droppings are pointed and average 1/4 inch in length.

The house mouse prefers meats, grains, cereals, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and will eat almost anything a human will consume. The house mouse consumes 1/10th an ounce of food per day and 1/20th of an ounce of water. Droppings produced are around 50 per day. Their are 6 young in a litter, and 8 litters per year; adults live about 15 – 18 months.

The house mouse only has an average range of 50 feet from the nest and they will nest in any portion of the building near food.

They are active mostly at night. Instead of consuming a large meal they primarily just nibble small amounts of food. They are extremely curious.

Norway Rats

• Average body weight of 10 to 17 ounces, their body is heavy and broad, average body length between 7 to 10 inches.
• The head is long and has a blunt nose.
• The Norway rat tail is usually about 6 inches long and is never as long as the body.
• The ears are typically small and held tightly against the body.
• The color is brown to black on the back and sides, and gray to yellow on the belly.
• Droppings are blunt and have an average length of 3/4 of an inch.

The Norway Rat prefers to feed on meats, fish, flour, Grains, fruits, and vegetables. It will eat almost any human consumed food. They consume about 1 ounce of food per day and about 3/4 of an ounce of water and produce anywhere from 30 to 180 droppings. There are from 6 – 18 baby pups in each litter, and 3 – 7 litters per year; adults live about 18 months.

The Norway rat usually nests in basements & lower portions of buildings. They often burrow in the soil and have extensive runs. The Norway rat is active primarily at night and they are decent climbers and excellent swimmers. Rats are suspicious of changes in the environment or new foods. This makes it difficult to trap or poison them. They are generally nocturnal in nature with heavy activity at dusk or before dawn.

When competing for food and shelter due to a large population increased activity can be seen during the day.

Roof Rat

• The Roof Rat average body weight is 6 to 12 ounce, and has a long slender body, usually 6 to 8 inches in length.
• The nose is pointed compared to the Norway Rat and the ears are large and very prominently displayed.
• The tail is long and uniform in color, and can usually reach the tip of its nose.
• The color is black on the back and grayish white on the underside.
• Droppings are pointed and an average 1/2 inch in length.

The roof rat typically eats seeds, fruits, vegetables, grains and eggs. The roof rat will consume about an ounce of food and an ounce of water each day, producing 30 to 180 droppings per day. There are 6 – 14 baby pups in each litter and 3 – 7 litters per year. Adults live to about 18 months.

Roof Rats usually enter and nest in upper portions of buildings. They can nest outside in trees, especially in palms and ivy. They rarely burrow and are excellent climbers. Roof Rats are very active at night and just like the Norway Rat they are suspicious of changes in the environment and new foods.

We also offer rodent clean up, animal proofing, attic cleaning & insulation installation in Orange County & San Diego.

Outside Southern California? We offer attic decontimination, insulation installation, and insulation removal services in Phoenix, AZ as well!

Written By Joseph Sheiner

Joseph Sheiner is a construction industry professional with over 15 years of experience. He began his career in the insulation industry in 2012, and co-founded Attic Construction Inc in 2013. As CEO of the company, Joe oversees all operations and is in charge of training and product knowledge.

Under Joe’s leadership, Attic Construction has become the largest leading Attic Restoration Company in San Diego, Orange County and Phoenix. He has personally performed and supervised insulation work in over 7000 homes. He is certified by Owens Corning as a CEE (Certified Energy Expert) and is a licensed contractor by the CSLB.
Most recently, Joe has helped expand Attic Construction to two additional locations – Orange County and Phoenix. He is currently working on expanding to additional locations in the near future.

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