Discover if you are facing a Mouse infestation or a Rat infestation.

 If you hear creepy crawling sounds at night or see chewed paper and little droppings in the corners of your home, you can be sure that either a mouse or a rat has made its way into your space and it's time to control these rodents. 

But some of us still live under the impression that both these rodents are the same. Well, let me tell you that they are entirely different animals. While your read on about the differences between the two, be assured that professional rodent control services can deal with them quite easily:

1. While a mouse's growth is between 12 and 20 cm, a rat can grow up to 40 cm and more. A baby mouse and an adult rat are the same size. 

2. The tail is a distinguishing feature of rodents. The rats have longer tails with black scales but the mouse's tail is smooth and seems longer than its body. 

3. When it comes to food, both these rodents are omnivores in nature. But since the rat is heavier it seeks out larger portions of food including non-veg things like fish. A mouse prefers eating healthy food like nuts, fruits and vegetables. What's disgusting is that mice can eat other dead mice and rats.

4. While a rat has a dark-toned belly, a mouse is often more brownish than a rat. 

5. A rat has longer feet and ears compared to a mouse. 

6. Talking about personality traits. Rats are braver while seeking food and are not afraid to eat new food items. This is why it's easier to trap a rat. A mouse, on the other hand, is cautious and investigates everything in its path. 

7. Mice like to build their homes or nests near food sources and rats are more likely to hide under burrows found under buildings or plants.

8. Both rats and mice have the same reproductive capacity and make babies during the same season i.e spring. However, out of them both, mice start reproducing early- at around 6 weeks and rats only start reproducing only at three months.

If you have either a mouse/rat infestation in your home, it can lead to several health issues. Let us take a look at a few-

1. Leptospirosis 

If a person is exposed to food, water or soil contaminated by rodents, their mouth, nose and eyes can become sources for the bacteria to enter the bloodstream. The symptoms appear in the body from 2 days to 4 weeks. The symptoms go down and reappear weeks later. The second time is very severe and can lead to liver/ kidney failure or meningitis. 

2. Salmonellosis 

If you have rodents, your house will also have droppings. These faecal droppings are the source of a bacterial disease called salmonellosis. People can also get this disease if they handle dead/alive infected rodents. Short-term symptoms include vomiting and diarrhoea and long-term effects include arthritis. 

3. Hantavirus

There are three  ways in which you can catch a hantavirus:

• Eating food infected by rodents

• Touching dead rodents

• Getting bitten 

Some natural components like urine, faeces or saliva turn to dust and the virus present in them travels through the air. Hantavirus leads to terrible flu symptoms and can prove fatal to those who have respiratory issues.

It is vital that you contact leading pest control services in Dubai, at the first signs of infestation. Do not depend on internet-researched DIYs. Only a professional with the right equipment can help you deal with the issue without causing any harm to the resident of the space. Get a free consultation today.