How to identify a rat in your home
If you noticed a rodent running through your home, you may be wondering, “What does a rat look like?” Rats can pose significant risks, including transmitting diseases, causing property damage, and contaminating food supplies. Recognizing signs of rat activity, such as droppings and gnaw marks, is crucial for early detection. Terminix technicians can help with rat identification and create a targeted rodent control strategy to help prevent infestations from escalating.
What does a rat look like?
While a rat’s appearance can vary depending on the species, there are a few traits that most rats share, including:
Size: Adult rats measure about nine to 11 inches in body length, not including the tail.
Feet: Rats have four toes on their front feet and five toes on their larger hind feet. Their toes have sharp claws that help them climb, dig, and hold onto their food. Norway and roof rats' hind paws are never less than half an inch long.
Tail length: Their tails are usually as long as their bodies and are hairless and scaly.
Color: Rat fur can vary in color, commonly appearing brown, gray, or black. Norway rat fur is usually coarse and dense.
Body characteristics: Norway rats have relatively small ears compared to their head size, and their heads are large in proportion to their bodies.
Identifying the different species of rats
As mentioned above, rats are a diverse group of rodents with physical characteristics that can vary across species. Understanding these differences is important for accurate rat identification. Here are a few common species and their features:
Norway Rats
Rat size: Body length of nine to 11 inches, with a tail slightly shorter than the body.
Color: Brown or gray with a lighter underside.
Fur: Coarse and dense.
Ears: Small and covered with fine hair.
Roof Rats
Rat size: Body length of six to eight inches, with a tail longer than the body, around seven to ten inches long.
Color: Black, gray, or dark brown with a lighter underside.
Fur: Smooth and fine.
Ears: Large and nearly hairless.
Pack Rats
Rat size: Body length of seven to eight inches, with a slightly shorter tail.
Color: Varies, typically gray, brown, or reddish-brown with a lighter underside.
Fur: Soft and fine.
Ears: Large and covered with fine hair.
Identifying rats vs. mice
What does a rat look like compared to a mouse? Understanding these two common pests' distinct physical characteristics can help determine which rodent is present in your home. Rats and mice have several key physical differences, including:
Rats are larger, with body lengths ranging from six to 11 inches. Mice are smaller, typically two to four inches long.
Rats have larger feet. This is especially apparent when comparing a juvenile rat to a mouse of a similar size.
Rats have thick, long, scaly tails, while mice have thin, hairy tails.
Rats can weigh around one pound, and mice typically weigh less than an ounce.
What to do after you’ve found a rat
Professional rat control offers numerous advantages in both eliminating and preventing infestations. Terminix professionals possess the knowledge, tools, and experience to accurately identify the type of rat, assess the extent of the infestation, and implement safe and efficient control measures.
Rats1 are one of the 25 pests covered in our ongoing pest protection plan, PestFree365. Our expert technicians will conduct thorough inspections, both inside and outside your home, to identify potential entry points and help eliminate existing infestations. Schedule an inspection with one of our technicians today!
1Coverage includes: "House" Ants, Bird Mites, Indoor Ticks, Cockroaches, Carpet Beetles, Fabric Moths, Overwintering Insects, Ground Beetles, Centipedes, Crickets, Earwigs, Firebrats, Millipedes, Clover Mites, Pillbugs/Sowbugs, Psocids, Scorpions, Silverfish, Paper Wasps, Springtails, Spiders, Stored Product Beetles, Stored Product Moths, Mice, and Rats.