# ID this rodent **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699 "2006-12-11T17:24:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/1 "2006-12-11T17:24:13Z")
I recently put out a bird feeder with a sunflower seed/corn kernel mix. The birds only like the seeds so I scattered the corn on the ground for squirrels and other birds. Lo and behold here come a couple of rodents who came out and chowed down. At first I thought they were rats but their bodies and noses seem more rounded than a rat’s. I feel like I should know what they are :smack: [![](https://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k140/gigisdmb/IMG_0406-1.jpg?t=1165857685) ](https://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k140/gigisdmb/IMG_0406-1.jpg?t=1165857685) I haven’t seen anything like them scampering around the house, but after they ate they headed back toward the foundation so I am curious about who is around. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/2 "2006-12-11T17:38:21Z")
Fat rats? ---
**Author:** ![Mouse\_Maven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@Mouse\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mouse_Maven)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/3 "2006-12-11T17:45:12Z")
I second fat rats. IMO, they’re to big to be field mice. Their tails are nude, so that rules out chipmunks and ground squirrels. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/4 "2006-12-11T17:47:09Z")
They look like big mice to me. I remember putting out birdseed once and getting cockroaches as a result. At least mice/rats are semi-cute. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/5 "2006-12-11T17:48:14Z")
My guess would be [voles](http://www.voles.com/). It’s hard to say from that photo, particularly since you give no indication of where you are. Wildlife changes by region, y’know. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/6 "2006-12-11T17:49:03Z")
Rats. If they are New York Gangster Rats (or Hollywood Gangster Rats, the two breeds are related), you may refer to them as Doidy Rats. Yeah-yeah, **doity** rats, see? Yeah! 😉 😃 ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/7 "2006-12-11T17:49:55Z")
p.s. forgot to mention - voles look pretty much like giant mice, at least the ones around here. Not as pointy and lank as rats, but way too big for field mice. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/8 "2006-12-11T17:54:22Z")
Another vote for voles. (“Vote for Voles! Vote for Voles!”) ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/9 "2006-12-11T17:55:25Z")
I go for fat mice. Rats have bare tails; a mouse tail is furry. A vole’s tail is furry like a mouse’s, but short in length. Them mice are livin’ the life o’ Riley… ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/10 "2006-12-11T18:04:29Z")
I’m in Vermont. Rats, eh? I guess I’m trying not to be weirded out by that, since as I mentioned they haven’t come to visit in my living space. Voles sounds cuter though. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/11 "2006-12-11T18:06:15Z")
Oh, but the tail looks too long for a vole. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/12 "2006-12-11T18:12:35Z")
Off to **General Questions**. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/13 "2006-12-11T18:14:11Z")
Look too big for voles to me – I’d say rats. As an aside, I’m tickled that the voles apparently have their own website. 8:\> Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/14 "2006-12-11T18:17:28Z")
[QUOTE=Sailboat] As an aside, I’m tickled that the voles apparently have their own website. 8:\> [/QUOTE] With google ads up the wazoo about getting rid of voles. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/15 "2006-12-11T18:29:43Z")
Looks like a pair of prosperous field mice to me. The snouts and tails don’t look like any rat I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of rats. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/16 "2006-12-11T18:41:39Z")
[QUOTE=redtail23] My guess would be [voles](http://www.voles.com/). [/QUOTE] If you jump over one, using a long piece of wood, is this called Vole Paulting? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/17 "2006-12-11T18:56:32Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] Oh, but the tail looks too long for a vole. ☹ [/QUOTE] Agreed. In my decidedly non-expert opinion, the critters in the picture appear to be mice. It’s been a while since I spent much time among rodents, but voles are out because of tale length and the snouts and tails (as **Dorjän** notes) don’t look right for rats. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/18 "2006-12-11T19:07:16Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] I’m in Vermont. Rats, eh? I guess I’m trying not to be weirded out by that, since as I mentioned they haven’t come to visit in my living space. Voles sounds cuter though. [/QUOTE] Given the size relative to the cinder block, range, and other key characters, I would say they must be [Norway Rats](http://www.borealforest.org/world/mammals/norway_rat.htm) _Rattus norvegicus._ It’s a little hard to be absolutely sure since the photo is a bit dark and the scale not entirely certain. If they are living in your foundations, it’s probably just a matter of time before they find their way into your kitchen. One thing they definitely are not is voles, which are smaller, rounder, and have much shorter tails relative to body length. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/19 "2006-12-11T19:15:41Z")
Re the guesses as to other kinds of “mice,” I think the size rules out anything but a rat of some kind. The bare tail makes it almost certainly a species of _Rattus_. Black rats _Rattus rattus_ have tails longer than the body; woodrats/packrats \*Neotoma \* have furry tails, and in any case don’t range into Vermont; neither do cotton rats _Sigmodon._ ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699/20 "2006-12-11T19:31:19Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] I would say they must be [Norway Rats](http://www.borealforest.org/world/mammals/norway_rat.htm) _Rattus norvegicus._ It’s a little hard to be absolutely sure since the photo is a bit dark and the scale not entirely certain. If they are living in your foundations, it’s probably just a matter of time before they find their way into your kitchen. [/QUOTE] Yes, that first picture does look very similar. I’ve lived here four years and haven’t seen them in the living area (or scurrying around when I go into the basement). I hope that supplying extra food won’t get them all excited to plunder the house! or attract more than would be there anyway. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-rodent/383699.md?page=2)