Mice and Rats

Two of the most common rodents found in upstate New York are Mice and Rats. The house mouse, is one of the most troublesome and costly rodents. These mice can be found in a variety of structures like your home, commercial buildings, even in fields and farm land. They are known to quickly adapt to changing conditions and tend to breed frequently. Rats, also damaging and troublesome rodents, burrow under structures gnawing their way into basements or lower levels of buildings. Both the rat and mice are very prone to damaging properties and possessions, spreading diseases and jeopardizing ones health. Mice and Rats can become more of a problem during the cold winter months where they seek the warmth shelter of your home or business.

Characteristics

Mice: They are light brown, gray or black in color with lighter coloring on their bellies. As adults their size ranges from 3 to 5 inches in length and their tail can reach to be as long as their bodies are. Mice are nearsighted and need to rely on their sense of smell to move about.

Rats: Larger in size than mice. Adults can grown to be 16 inches in length (that is from nose to tail). Unlike Mice, their tails are smaller than their bodies. They are gray-brown to black in color.