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How can you tell if you have rats or mice?

We have seen little rodents running into our garage right before dark - they run so fast you can't tell if they are rats or mice. How can I tell?? How can I best get rid of them - I am freaking out!

7 Answers

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  • kat
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Rats are much bigger than mice and have much larger droppings. If the droppings are the size of rice then you have mice. If they are more like raisins you have rats.

  • ruthie
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    The size of the rodent. If they are big they are rats. Mice are smaller. I clean offices and one office they had rats. They had to call a professional in to get rid of the rats. Any source of food is what attracts mice or rats. A professional can determine if there are a nest of them.

    I hope this helps.

    One time I was sweeping in one of the rooms of the office that had rats, I was coming around a corner the rat got scared and ran into my shoe. He ran so fast I could not tell where he went. I could actually feel him running into my shoe. What happens is the office help had food at their desk and the rats were helping themselves.

  • 1 decade ago

    They are probably mice, if they were rats you would probably know it. You can get rid of them with glue traps by setting them along the walls where you have seen the mice.

  • 1 decade ago

    The first clue is that you said 'little'. Sounds like mice, prob babies. Check the droppings too. Not to sound gross but big droppings, prob rats, little....mice.

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    probably mice.. rats are much bigger.

    Set mouse traps with peanut butter and a half if a peanut tied to the trip lever.. very effective.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    You can tell if they are mice or rats by how big their chit is.

  • 1 decade ago

    You need to go buy some traps, if you are an animal lover even rats, they have some "non-lethal" traps available. You will have to trap or kill one to see what it is.

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