Mammalia Order Rodentia
Pest Info
Appearance
Rats and mice belong to a group of mammals known as rodents.
There are over 1500 species of rodents world-wide, including squirrels, rats, mice, beavers and guinea pigs.
They are all characterized by a pair of sharp incisor teeth in their top and bottom jaws. These teeth continue to grow throughout their life, so rodents must continually gnaw and chew on tough materials to keep them worn down.
In Australia, we have many native species of rats and mice. However, several introduced species of rodents, such as the Black or Roof Rat (Rattus rattus) and the House Mouse (Mus musculus) have established themselves as major pests in urban environments.
Rats and mice have large, well developed eyes and long, highly sensitive whiskers. They are generally nocturnal and use these features to help forage for food in the darkness. Their bodies are covered in a sleek layer of fur. They have long tails that can be used to assist in balance, as many species are highly agile climbers.
Black rats are generally not pure black, with their fur more grey-brown in colour. They can be identified by their enormously long tail, which is longer than the combined length of their head and body, which can be up to 25 centimeters.
The house mouse is much smaller in size, with a body length of up to 10 centimeters. It is highly variable in colour, ranging from yellowish-brown to almost black.
Breeding
One of the factors that contribute to the pest status of rats and mice is their ability to rapidly grow and reproduce. For example, native mice generally have just 2 pairs of teats, so can raise litters of up to four young. The introduced house mouse has 5 pairs of nipples, allowing them to support litters of up to 10-12 pups.
Rats and mice build shallow nests or burrows, which they line with shredded plant material. Sheltered within this nest, the female will give birth to live young & then feed them on highly nutritious milk, resulting in rapid growth. House mice take just over two weeks to become weaned and are sexually mature in just 55 days.
In man-made shelters such as houses and barns, rats and mice often live together in small family groups, living and foraging within a set territory.
Habitat
Mice and rats have been introduced to every continent – even Antarctica, where house mice have set up homes in heated, man-made shelters. Generally they are introduced to other countries by stowing away on ships, where they can survive for many months on limited food. It is likely that rats and mice were introduced to Australia when the first fleet landed in 1788.
The house mouse is well established in towns and cereal growing areas throughout Australia. If food and water is abundant, mice populations can explode, resulting in huge plagues with as many as 500 animals to a single hectare of land.
Rats are just as widespread, however unlike mice, rats also survive well in undisturbed bushland and have extended their populations into our forests and bushland. They are also found in sugar cane and cereal crops, fruit orchards and around river banks and sewers.
Diet
The diets of rats and mice are highly omnivorous – that is, they will eat just about anything. They mainly target stored food and cereal crops, but will also consume fruit, living plants and insects.
Pest Dangers
In addition to being a social nuisance, rats and mice cause extensive damage through their feeding & nesting behaviours.
- Males often have an unpleasant, musty smell that is obvious with larger infestations.
- They will nest in wall cavities, roofing, under corrugated iron and amongst equipment and machinery stored in sheds.
- Rats have a fondness for rubber and plastic, and will gnaw on hoses, pipes, electrical wires and telephone cables, often resulting in system failures.
- Rats are agile climbers, and will steal ripe fruit from trees in your garden.
- Rats and mice require shredded material to line their nests. In your house, they will shred insulation, wall sheeting, carpet and upholstery to gather this material.
- House mice are extremely tough and can survive and breed in extremely adverse temperatures. They can survive freezing cold and will happily live in cold-rooms and refrigerating units.
- They scatter droppings around your home and have strong, unpleasant smelling urine.
- Rats act as a reservoir for infectious diseases such as bubonic plague and infectious fevers. These diseases can be picked up by blood sucking parasites such as ticks, mosquitoes and fleas and transmitted to humans.
- Rats can also directly infect humans with bacterial diseases such as leptospirosis and salmonella if we come into contact with their saliva, faeces or urine.
Pest Prevention
The key to reducing rat and mice infestations is to limit their access to both food and shelter within your home and garden.
- Keep your counters clear of food and crumbs.
- Store food in air-tight containers within your pantry.
- Store dry dog food, bird seed and other pet foods in air-tight containers.
- Vacuum regularly (especially under cupboards and refrigerators) to remove crumbs.
- Wipe down benches, sinks & close toilet lids to limit access to water.
- Keep storage areas free of clutter and avoid stacking things on the ground.
- Keep your garden well maintained, lawns regularly mowed and prune any branches that are in contact with the roof or walls of your house.
- Remove any piles of rocks, wood or other debris that may serve as a shelter.
Pest Response
Trying to eliminate rodents from your home can be quite difficult. Traps have limited success, must continually be reset & you are stuck with disposing of the bodies of any you may catch. Baits and poisons may harm household pets or put young children at risk. The best option is to call in the professionals, who will locate hidden nests and provide you with safe and effective treatment options.
Did you know?
- A female house mouse can produce up to 11 litters each year, each containing as many as 12 pups. That’s a lot of mice!
- Rats and mice belong to the order Rodentia, from the Latin word rodere which means “to gnaw”
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
It looks like we have rats or mice in our home as for the last few nights we have heard at least 2 rodents scurrying about late at night. We run an at-home day care service and as their are young children here we are concerned about the type of rodent control that you are able to offer.
Hi Kali,
The rodent boxes that we use are commercial grade boxes with key entry only and therefore of a superior standard safety-wise to the cheaper cardboard variety that you can purchase through hardware retailers. The pest control products we use are also non-transferrable, meaning that if the rodent is consumed by a secondary animal (such as your pet dog), then the poison will not transfer to this animal. Many DIY products do not offer such protection. Our pest control products and procedures comply with all current Australian Standards for professional pest control and our technicians are fully trained, licenced and are familiar with sensitive environments such as child care centres, retirement villages and food premises so rest assured we will be able to control your rodent situation safely and effectively. I hope this helps.