Mid-Atlantic IPM staff will help your staff deal with commensal rodent situations. The basics they will need to know include:

The Norway Rat, Rattus norvegicus (Wharf rat, Sewer rat, Brown rat, Common rat) can be recognized with a tail shorter than the body. Its body is heavy and thick with small ears, eyes and blunt nose. Its average weight is 10 - 17 ounces, the body is heavy and broad about 7" to 10" long with a blunt nose on its head. The tail is 6" to 81/2" long with a lighter fur color on the underside. The ears are small and close to the body. The fur is brown to black on the back with grey to yellowish on the underside. Norway rats eat meat, fish, flour, fruits, vegetables - almost any human food. The Norway Rat eats ¾ to 1 oz. of food and ½ to 1 oz. of water each day. Thirty to 180 droppings which are blunt and about ¾ inch in length are produced daily along with 15 cc of urine. An adult female produces three to 7 litters each year of 6 to 18 young. Norway rat life expectancy is 18 months. They are usually active at night burrowing in soil, living in the lower parts of buildings, occasionally climbing to higher areas. They are fair climbers and good swimmers.

Roof Rat, Rattus Rattus (Black rat, Fruit rat, Ship rat) can be recognized with a tail longer than the body. Its body is slender with large ears, large eyes, and a pointed nose. Its average weight is 6 to 12 oz. The Roof Rat body is slender about 6 to 8 inches long with a pointed nose. The tail is 7 to 10 inches long with a brownish back and white underneath. Roof Rat ears are large and prominent. Roof Rats each seeds, fruits, grains, eggs, and other exterior foods. The rat eats ½ to 1 oz. of food daily and 1 oz. water. Roof Rats produce 30 to 180 droppings each day and about 15 oz. of urine. Each female produces 3 to 7 litters each year with 6 to 14 young in each litter. Life expectancy is about 18 months. Roof Rats are excellent climbers. They live in trees or the upper areas of buildings. They are usually active at night.

The Center for Disease Control reports that rats carry many diseases to citizens of the United States. Murine typhus is carried from rats to humans by fleas, especially in the warm seasons in riverine environments. Rat bite fever has been a problem in Philadelphia. This is a bacteria acquired through the bite or scratch or eating food or water contaminated by rat feces. Salmonella is transmitted by rats. Infections in the elderly may be fatal if not treated. Rats carry a lung worm which affects humans, Eosinophillic Meningitis affects blood production. Other rat borne diseases can be brought to our country by air travelers.

House Mouse, Mus musculus, (French - Souris domestique, German - Hausmaus, Spanish - Raton comun) can be recognized by their size with small feet and a small head and large, prominent ears. Mice weigh ½ to ¾ oz. with their bodies about 2.5" to3.5". Their tail is 3" to 4". Feeding about 20 times they eat about 10% of their body weight daily. Mice live beneath large appliances or inside walls, each in its own nest. In general, mice do not travel far from their hiding places. They select hiding places offering large amounts of food and water. Interior dwelling mice have a home range of about ten feet. They live in social groups with dominant aggressive males controlling a territory marked by their scent. Females produce litters of 3 to 10 about 5 to 10 times each year with a gestation period of about three weeks. They can expect to live 1 to 2 years. Mice can be a health hazard since they carry bacteria and viruses like bubonic plague, spotted fever, typhus and salmonella. In developed countries allergies and asthma from mouse excreta constitute a greater hazard. University research in multi-family housing revealed that 95 to 100 percent of all houses had mouse allergen in at least one room. Children's allergies are increased by increased exposure to mouse allergens.