Rodent Rundown: Keeping These Dangerous Pests Away From Your Rhode Island Property

Common Rodent Species: Identifying Different Types Of Rodents

Rodents are warm-blooded mammals with fur. While this blanket description covers animals from bats to cats, the rodent category belongs to mammals with a pair of upper and lower incisor teeth. These teeth grow constantly requiring the rodent to gnaw on available objects to keep them trim. While maintaining a comfortable length is necessary for the animal's survival, the chewing keeps their long incisor teeth razor sharp allowing them to grind through roots, nuts, and small trees.

Beavers, squirrels, voles, chipmunks, and groundhogs are rodents, but rodents that affect most Rhode Island homeowners are rats and mice. Rats and mice rodents are commensal animals, which means they are comfortable living in the same space as humans and sometimes depend upon humans for survival. Since effective rodent control methods are different for rats and mice than other rodents, we will focus on them in this article.

There are over 50 rat species worldwide; fortunately, only two species, Norway and roof rats, are problematic for Rhode Island homeowners. Norway rats, known as street or sewer rats, have a brown 7 to 9 1/2-inch body interspersed with black hairs on the topside and a grey or white belly. These round-bodied rats have a blunt muzzle, small eyes, ears, and a tail slightly shorter than the same length of their body. Norway rats infest the lower levels of houses nesting in the basement, crawlspace, and first floors where they burrow underneath undisturbed debris.

As the name suggests, roof rats invade the upper levels of houses, primarily the attic. Roof rats have slightly shorter bodies (6 to 8 inches) and noticeably longer tails measuring 7 to 10 inches than Norway rats. Large ears, eyes, a grey, black or white belly, and a slender body are additional features distinguishing them from Norway rats.

Mice are the other rodent species that infests many Rhode Island homes. Of the 70 North American species, house mice are the most common invaders of houses. House mice have a dusty grey 2 1/2 to 3 3/4 inch round body (not including the tail) with a cream-colored belly. Unlike the blunt muzzle of Norway rats, house mice have a pointed muzzle and large ears.

House mice create infestations in Rhode Island homes due to their ability to breed rapidly and adapt to the environment. One female mouse can produce up to 35 offspring annually.

The other common rodents in Rhode Island may not affect homeowners inside the house as rats and mice, but they cause problems on the property. The long bushy tail is an easily identifiable characteristic of a squirrel. These 6 to 15-inch rodents prefer to live in trees but will climb into the attic due to falling temperatures.

Chipmunks are a type of squirrel, but instead of living in trees, these 5 to 6-inch creatures (not including the 3 to 4-inch tail) borrow into the ground under the patio, stairs, and foundation. Gophers, voles, and porcupines also damage Rhode Island lawns. Voles have a chestnut brown 5 to 7-inch short, stocky body with short legs and a short tail. Gophers have a 5 to 14-inch brown body (depending on the species), small ears and eyes, and short tails. They live 95% of the time underground feeding on tubers, roots, and plants. While voles, chipmunks, and gophers live and work underneath the soil, two to three-foot-long porcupines roam in the yard feeding on plants, tree bark, and evergreen needles.

Big Blue Bug Solutions removes all types of rodents from Rhode Island properties. We have the tools, training, and experience to end a rodent infestation inside the home or around your property.