# Mouse trap - Is this a mouse or small rat **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644 "2016-11-04T21:10:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LiveFree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@LiveFree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveFree)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/1 "2016-11-04T21:10:55Z")
I live in the sticks, and pretty much can’t stop the mice from entering the basement or garage. Usually they are lighter in color and smaller than this one. Is this a darker colored mouse or small rat? ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/2 "2016-11-04T21:23:54Z")
Is there supposed to be a link to a picture? ---
**Author:** ![LiveFree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@LiveFree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveFree)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/3 "2016-11-04T21:24:15Z")
Where the heck do you add attachments. Anyway, here is a link. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/5761/30478974510_be7c0441bf_k.jpg "D. Fo has shared 1 photo with you!") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/146316173@N06/shares/2yN607) ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/4 "2016-11-04T21:27:27Z")
Hard to tell with the head all squooshed but it looks like a black rat to me. The terms “mouse” and “rat” are not scientific terms – generally any smallish rodent is called a mouse by laymen and larger ones are called rats. However most rodents you encounter in your house belong to three species, Norway rats, black rats or house mice. Both kinds of rats are much larger than house mice, but you may have a juvenile rat. You may want to check these links: [http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatsMice.htm](http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatsMice.htm) [http://www.rentokil.com/rodents/rat-vs-mouse](http://www.rentokil.com/rodents/rat-vs-mouse) > **[How To Tell If You Have Mice Or Rats](https://americanpest.net/blog/how-to-tell-if-you-have-mice-or-rats/)** > > What if all of a sudden find yourself eye to eye with a furry rodent how do you know whether are mice or rats? There are actually several different ways... –Mark ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/5 "2016-11-04T21:32:11Z")
> [@LiveFree](#): > > Where the heck do you add attachments. > > Anyway, here is a link. > > [https://www.flickr.com/photos/146316173@N06/shares/2yN607](https://www.flickr.com/photos/146316173@N06/shares/2yN607) Looks like a juvenile rat to me. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/6 "2016-11-04T21:35:31Z")
That’s a snap trap … _Trapious snapi_ … indigenous to North America but have been naturalized world wide (except Antarctica). You’ve caught a sexually mature specimen and it may have some historical value. Don’t try to clean it yourself but have a professional conservator do the work. But seriously … we’ll need to know where this rodent was caught to even begin trying to identify it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/7 "2016-11-04T21:36:35Z")
Doesn’t look like any mouse I’ve ever caught in a snap trap, and I’ve caught many. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/8 "2016-11-04T21:44:16Z")
That looks like a vole. The shorter tail, the size between a rat and mouse. They are more like mice (dimwitted) than rats (smart). They don’t usually get into houses. If you live near fields, that’s where it came from. ---
**Author:** ![LiveFree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@LiveFree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveFree)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/9 "2016-11-04T21:46:45Z")
I’m in Southern New England. Here’s another pic. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/5760/30479300330_dfab013d45_k.jpg "D. Fo has shared 1 photo with you!") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/146316173@N06/shares/24d7mv) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/10 "2016-11-04T21:52:25Z")
Well, I’ll be; a rodent with a quarter! ETA, Google image search “vole”, sure looks like one ---
**Author:** ![LiveFree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@LiveFree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveFree)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/11 "2016-11-04T21:56:53Z")
Yeah, after Googling, it does look like a vole. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/12 "2016-11-04T22:25:16Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > That looks like a vole. The shorter tail, the size between a rat and mouse. They are more like mice (dimwitted) than rats (smart). They don’t usually get into houses. If you live near fields, that’s where it came from. I agree it’s a vole. House Mice and Norway and Black Rats all have larger ears and longer tails. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/13 "2016-11-04T23:28:36Z")
> [@LiveFree](#): > > Where the heck do you add attachments. > > Anyway, here is a link. > > [https://www.flickr.com/photos/146316173@N06/shares/2yN607](https://www.flickr.com/photos/146316173@N06/shares/2yN607) TPTB haven’t enabled attachments on the Dope. Links are the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/14 "2016-11-05T15:30:58Z")
Woodland vole, _Microtus pinetorum_, common, bummer OP/username combo … ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/15 "2016-11-06T01:01:28Z")
I agree that it’s a vole. My cat often kills them outdoors, but I’ve never seen one in the house. They are common in southern New England. They can kill young trees by eating the roots, and probably support arthropod pests (fleas, ticks) but are otherwise pretty harmless. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/16 "2016-11-06T01:16:17Z")
Not harmless at all, they ate my sugar snap pea seedlings down to the ground. Vermin. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-trap-is-this-a-mouse-or-small-rat/770644/17 "2016-11-06T01:22:31Z")
It being a cute lovable vole, rather than a pestilential rat or mouse, are you planning to attempt CPR?