Rookie question - mouse or rat?

Help & Support
#1

I caught my first rodent today. I thought it was a mouse due to it’s size, but my father thinks it’s a rat due to it’s tail. Here’s a photo. Which is it?

#2

I’d go with rat. It’s quite big and the tail looks scaly rather than furry.
Ears look big which suggests a black rat vs Norway rat.
If the tail is longer than the body then that supports it being a black rat too.

I sometimes struggle with juvenile rat vs mouse. I think baby rats have big paws compared to mice of similar size, and the tail looks more scaly.

1 Like
#3

Thanks. I updated my capture report to be a rat.

#4

Dads are always right:wink: