Washoe County, Reno Rat Control Situation:
Which is easier to trap- mice or rats?
These are very confusing animals. They look the same and the only major distinction is that one is big while the other is very small. They are enemies; one will hunt down the other and destroy it.
How do you tell you are dealing with a mouse or a rat?
Rats are medium-sized rodents that are classified to be having a long and thin tail while a mouse is a small sized (sparrow-sized) rodent that also has a long but thin tail. Rats are different from the mice in several areas. They have genetic differences, morphological differences, growth differences, and anatomical differences. All this will help us know the real rodent and the ease of catching them.
Genetic differences
It is proven that the rats have 22 chromosomes but the house mice have 20 chromosomes. The genes of a rat have some counterparts while that of a rat has a genome.
Morphological differences
In general the rats are much stronger, larger and heavier than the house mice. The body parts of the rats are much developed than those of the mice.
Growth differences
The mice will generally take a shorter period of growth than the rats. Rats will generally take longer to develop than the mice. Rats' gestation takes an average of 24 days while the mice take 20 day.
Anatomical differences
Rats have six nipples while the mice only have a pair of five.
Which are easier to trap?
Without knowing what you are dealing with, it might be difficult to hold/capture the rodent. Now that we have looked the differences, we can now determine which is hard to trap.
Rats are very hard to trap believe it or not. This comes because of the fact that the mice are very curious to know about new things while the rats are cautious of the new things they find their way.
Therefore, the rats will tend to avoid the new things and therefore not be trapped easily. Mice go for it and get caught in the process.
Therefore, you need to unset the traps in the paths of the rats and place them in unusual places. For mice, you can just set the trap in the path and they will get caught. Therefore, rats are very hard to trap due to their curiousness.
Finally
Before embarking in any trapping, you need to first of all understand the kind of rodent you are dealing with. Then afterwards decide on the method of trapping to use.
Reno Rat Control Tip of The Week
Symptoms Of A Sick Rat
In most cases, a sick rat will not show any obvious symptoms at the early stage of an illness. But if the rat in question is a domesticated rat, you might notice some physical changes in the rat if you are very observant. Here are some of the common symptoms that you might notice in a sick rat:- Restlessness and irregular breathing
- Eye and nasal discharge and continuous sneezing
- Rapid reduction in body weight
- Body exhaustion and excessive sleeping
- Lack of appetite and crouching behavior
If you notice any of these in a rat, it is an indication that the rat is sick and it needs urgent medical attention. After noticing any of these symptoms, the first thing you need to do is to avoid any form of contact with the rat. Rats are carriers of diseases, so it is best to avoid touching it.
Although, not every sickness of a rat is a result of viral, bacterial, or parasitic infection. Their sickness could also be as a result of physical injuries such as a sprained bone, a broken tail or toenails, or a bite wound from another rat or animal.
Just like other animals, rats are also affected by diseases. If you wish to keep the rat alive, the best thing you can do is to seek medical attention. Rats are very sensitive animals and will not do well when administered the wrong medication. Having shared this, you need to avoid the use of medication that is not prescribed by a veterinary doctor.
