Juvenile rats and mice can look very similar, but there’s a couple of features to look out for to help tell them apart. As a general rule, juvenile rats have bigger features relative to their body size and look slightly out of proportion. This includes bigger feet (‘clown feet’), head, ears and also a thicker tail. Whereas, a mouse’s feet, head, ears, and tail look proportionate to its body size.
Take a look at the below images for reference:
Mice are not one of our target species, and are beyond the scope of Predator Free Wellington and Predator Free community groups. If you want to target mice, you can purchase a couple of low-cost mouse traps (supermarket or hardware store ones work well), tucked away next to the fridge or similar – just follow the instructions.
If you are in an area where our teams have eliminated rats and suspect that you’ve seen a rat, or want to check with our team if its a rat or mouse, please fill out the report a sightings form here or call 0800 no rats (0800 667 287).
See a PDF version here.