Your Guide to: Arizona Rats vs. Arizona Mice

Life in Arizona is pretty great. We get to enjoy gorgeous weather around the year as well as some truly stunning views thanks to  Mother Nature. But no matter where you settle down in Arizona, one thing is almost virtually a certainty: exposure to rice and mats.

While these fuzzy rodents are far from a big deal, it can help to properly understand them should they ever manifest in our home or on our property. Mice and rats can be handled with a heavy dose of information and the assistance of a reputable rodent control and removal team, such as the local favorites at Buzz Tech Pest Control.

Let’s introduce our readers to an introductory primer cover the most common rats and mice found in Arizona. After learning how to identify these creatures, we will discuss their potential dangers as well as how they can be appropriately removed from your home.

Arizona Rats vs. Arizona Mice: Understanding the Rodents That Roam Arizona

There are more than 53 species of small rodents found throughout North America. The most notable among them is the mouse and the rat, common pests in every nook and cranny of the country.

House Mouse 

The common house mouse will be found in and around homes throughout Arizona. House mice are pretty common inside of homes, but they are almost impossible to avoid in outbuildings. These mice are typically much smaller than their rat counterparts, as we will delve into later, but that doesn’t mean that they cannot create a problem.

• The average house mouse can create up to 50 droppers every single day.
• The common house mouse in Arizona will eat 1/10th an ounce of food per day
• Common signs of contamination can be found in the pantry and anywhere food is stored.

Deer Mouse

Deer mice can be found all over North America from Canada to Panama all the way to the tips of Alaska. These smaller rodents are known for having soft fur and a small body, typically weighing anywhere from 15 to 110 grams. Deer mice can carry the hantavirus which is spread through the inhalation of dust that has been tainted by deer mouse waste, such as feces, saliva, or even urine.

• Deer mice are commonly found in rural areas.
• The most common places to find deer mice are inside storage boxes, cabinets, and drawers.
• Deer mice also use trees and burrows outdoors for nests.

Pack Rat

The first rat that we want to highlight is the pack rat, also known as the wood rat. The pack rat differentiates itself from the more common black rat via its fuzzy tail and white feet. Pack rats are often upwards of eight inches in length before their tail is included. Pack rats are often corrosive to human health thanks to the hazardous nature of their waste. Pack rats tend to leave layers of feces and urine near their nests, storage areas, and communal living spaces.

Most commonly found in central Arizona’s more desert-dense areas, the pack rat manifests into three variations:

• Mexican Pack Rat
• Whitethroat Pack Rat
• Stephen’s Pack Rat

Black Rat

One of the most notorious members on our list is the Black Rat, also known as the roof rat. The roof rat is most commonly known for its dark black or brown fur and a long, hairless tail.  Measured snout to tail, a roof rat can exceed 18 inches in length. The black rat has earned the roof rat moniker due to its affinity for nesting in trees, attics, and ceiling spaces.

• The Black Rat most commonly enters homes through electric wires and tree limbs.
• Common entry points are along the roof and attic.
• When outdoors, black rats will often nest in woodpiles and areas of dense vegetation.

As we’ve detailed above, there are more than 50 different rodent species currently known in North America today. The four species we highlighted above are most commonly found in Arizona and as such are important to understand. With rodents offering problems to homeowners around the clock, now is the perfect time to bring in a pest control team to get your home whole and healthy again.

Common Dangers That Come With Mice & Rats

While we often categorize mice and rats under the same umbrella when speaking generally, there are more advanced notions that we must understand. Mice and rats in Arizona offer vastly different personalities as well as dangerous and potentially hazardous conditions. To better deal with these rodents, we must first understand them.

Mice in Arizona tend to be smaller than the average rat, measuring in at roughly 6 to 8 inches including their tail. Mice weigh only 1 to 2 ounces and they consume roughly 1/10th of their body weight daily. Due to their small size, mice can find their way into just about any entrance near to the home, squeezing and flattening their bodies with ease.

Typically, mice are curious animals which means that they behave rather boldly, proudly exploring every corner of our home or workplace. This means that we can end up finding mice in just about every section of the home, making it harder to identify an infestation without the help of a professional.  Mice can carry potentially dangerous pathogens and viral agents such as the hantavirus, due to human inhalation of mouse fecal matter.

Rats are very easy to get confused with mice when rats are still early on in their lifecycle. Young rats are often mistaken for fully grown mice, but adulthood will always betray them. Fully grown rats in Arizona can reach over a foot in length with a weight exceeding 1lb. This means that rats are sizable creatures that can prove difficult to corral and remove.

The common rats that Arizona residents will face are likely to be shy, skittish, and hard to find. Roof rats are often going to be found in elevated areas within the home, such as an attic or roof, while pack rats are more beholden to dens, constructing nests in and around homes as well as vehicles.

With rats, there are very real concerns about the passage of deadly pathogens as well as physical danger. Large rats can bite, gnaw, and otherwise work their way through metal, glass, wood, and sometimes even concrete. It stands to reason that those same sharp teeth would become quite problematic for any human or pet in the household.

Remove & Prevent Rat and Mice Infestations with Buzz Tech Pest Control

While rats and mice are easy to dismiss as furry cute creatures, nobody wants to wake up to an infestation in their home. If you or someone else in your household identifies potential signs of a rat or mouse infestation, it is important to call on a professional team of rodent control and removal experts.

Buzz Tech Pest Control is a family-owned and family-operated business that prides itself on offering quick responses, customer satisfaction, and a true eye for detail. The team at Buzz Tech has more than 20 years of combined experience in the Rodent Control industry with more than 3,000 completed rodent extermination calls to their belt. Buzz Tech can work with warehouses, residential homes, or giant commercial spaces and infestations of all sizes.

With all of the dangers associated with rodents, now is the right time to call on a professional rodent control team for help. Bring back whole-home comfort and safety for you and your family by calling Buzz Tech for a 100% free in-home inspection!