Rodents and humans always had an interesting relationship toward each other . While we consider them grievous and destructive , it is always inevitable to give them protection through our dwelling house . It is also quite hard to winnow out them after they have found themselves in our living spaces .
But did you sleep together that there are other type of rodents out there ? In this Emily Post , we shall look at some of the most common types of rodents as well as some substantive FAQ to help in mitigate the problem of their presence .
In this article
What are rodents?
rodent are mammalian that are describe because of their single - paired teeth that continuously grow throughout their life .
Due to their endurance instincts that provide them to make it in the wild and in man - made environments , they are consider as the most diversified mammalian species out there .
Some rodents are nonextant because of predators present in the living areas but are still high in population as they have dissimilar types and species which can be happen anywhere throughout the world .
Rodent facts
Rodents , though small , have a immense , interesting fact that you belike still do not know . So , we lined up some interesting facts you take to know speak about rodents .
1.Rodents are lurkers
Most gnawer enjoy their life outside . Some enjoy the clay , the waters and some enjoy the company of humans .
Mostly nesting out of doors , on stocky shrubs , grasses , fields , and other areas . They are very active animals , can be well-disposed and unsafe depending on the type , but they are most likely to be just lurking around .
2.Rodents are crazy about chewing
Whatever they feed on , they are crazy chewer . They destroy papers , wiring , cement , brick , Ellen Price Wood , apparel and other more through their continuously grow teeth . Plus , with their agility , you may not charm them even if you see them .
3.Rodents reproduce like crazy
Rodents are excellent when it come to reproducing . They grow their clan many clock time a year so it is really a challenge to get rid of them . mouse can have litter of five or six babies every three weeks and rats can produce litters 15 times per twelvemonth .
4.Some rodents can swim
Rodents though not all types , can float and are water lovers . Not a lot of people know about this interesting fact . So , if you are one , you may search the eccentric of rodents which are first-class swimmers . gnawer who are doting of water survive pot flushing and can walk in H2O for a upper limit of three days .
5.Rodents don’t throw up
Rodents physically can not vomit or belch . Unlike humans , Rodents can not take what they eat and drink especially those that are found at home that is why toxicant is the most efficacious at killing them .
Rodent lifespan
Rodent lifespan is strung-out on their type . Some are just more short - live than others because they are outdoors and in constant photograph to prey . On the other hand , some may live for a year or two while some celebrated others could live for up to 10 years if the environment is viable or if they are adaptive to their changing environments .
Types of rodents
There are a lot of case of Rodents . Depending on their home ground , features and characteristics , here is the list of the types of rodents which can make you tell apart one from the other .
1.Agouti
This type is equate to ginzo slovenly person . They are so much likewise but take issue in the size of it of their leg and mintage size .
This one has longer legs , larger in size , and come in dissimilar colors ( red , brown , orange , greyish , black and more ) . They are also best discover through their two tones in their bellies .
2.Arvicolinae
This type of gnawer is moot to be the most thickly settled one . They are pop with owls and birds because they bung on them .
This character is normally found in archeological sites , mostly , on the bodies of creature predators . They include Ondatra zibethica and lemming as their subtype .
3.Apodemus(wood mouse)
This type is known to be a long - tail subject field mouse . They live feed on grass and other plants but during bad time of year , they move to edifice like that of a menage .
They feed on seeds , root , fruit , and insects and are considered nocturnal and they can be very belligerent during the night .
4.Beaver
This one is a more conversant one but we might not know that it is a rodent . They are seen in wild forests and can be determined because of their diverse appearance . They have a flat , hardtail , with hunched backs and protruding noses .
unluckily , they have been considered jeopardize due to extravagant hunting through the old age . They are mainly run for their pelt .
5.Blesmol(mole-rats)
This type is also known as the seawall rat and is ground in tunnels and holes . They are identifiable for their cylindrical bodies and scant limbs .
Just like others , this too belongs to the small home of rodents . They have small oculus , ears , can , loose skin , and velvety fur .
6.Cane Rat
This character belongs to the pest species and are reckon most dangerous to crop .
They hold out in waterlogged areas and are easily identified because of their large forefront , have bristly dark-brown pelt , which is speckled with jaundiced and grey-headed spot and the absence seizure of tail in their bodies . At 6 months , they can already multiply two or four litters more than once a year .
7.Cavies(Caviidae)
This type of gnawer which includes the largest living rodent which is called the Capybara and are found in thorny forests and scrub comeuppance .
They are identified by theirbrown fur , which is speckled with yellow and grey spots . Also , They have dense bodies and large heads , and almost none of them have tails . cavy attain adulthood at 6 months and can multiply more than once a twelvemonth to liters of two or four .
7.Chinchilla
Likened to rabbit in appearance , this type of rodent is considered to have the thickest fur compare to any other mammal animation on land . They are considered uncommon nowadays because of uninterrupted hunting .
They last in holes or tunnels and can jump vertically for up to 6 ft . It is a prey to mortarboard and falcons , pot , felines , snakes and cuspid . They are eff to be playful and very active animate being .
8.Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)
This type of rodent are smaller members of the squirrel family unit . With their characteristics having chubby cheeks , large , sheeny eyes , streak , and bushy , it is no admiration as to why they were chosen as the franchise rodents for Alvin and the Chipmunks .
9.Coypu
This type of gnawer can be very dangerous to humans as they cause infective diseases . They are identified through their dark black fur with blanched patches around their mouths and have orange tooth . They are herbivores , live in burrow , semi - aquatic and are known for overweening feeding .
10.Cricetidae
This eccentric of gnawer is also know as the New World Mice . Some of its large species are considered nocturnal and can live above ground , underground or even intrees .
They are also very warm of the water . They are considered herbivores , carnivores and omnivore .
11.Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus)
This type or also known as Peromyscus is a part of a new reality black eye because they are find in newly discovered continents in the United States of America .
They are also considered dangerous as they are virus carriers ( i.e. hantavirus , Lyme disease , and ehrlichiosis ) . They are primarily identified for their large eyes and two - tone colors . They are faster than vulgar mice and they are high jumpers too .
12.Degu (Octodon Degu)
This one is described as small than a bum but big than a golden hamster . As the name suggests , from the word Octo ( which means eight ) , it is identified by the teeth which are numeral eight in contour .
It has yellow - dark-brown pelt and has creamy icteric fur below the belly . Its tail is thin , with a tufted , black tip , and dark , sparsely furry ear .
13.Dipodidae
This eccentric go to the large number of metal money which has 50 species , including jerboas , jump mouse and birch mice .
They are found mainly on the deserts , forests , and grasslands and they are identified because they only have two legs but have exceedingly prospicient tails .
14.Dormouse
Unlike the lemmings , this eccentric stays inactive in the cold for a period of time . Dormouse are usually sleep with because of their tenacious periods of hibernation . It has hit popularity for the dormouse character in Alice in Wonderland .
They are make out for their lightsomeness and are considered omnivorous as they survive in eat up plants and beast ( e.g insect ) .
Unlike others , this type does not have thick furs which makes them lightweight . With this , they have the power to run tight and can cling unto plant because they are not backbreaking .
15.Echimyidae
This type is also sleep with as burry rats . This means that they have spiny fur on their backs and rump which they use for protection against predators and the similar . They are regain mostly in rainforests and describe as nocturnal rodent .
16.Gerbil
This type is likened to hamsters and can also be occupy as house darling . These are easy to take care of and are very sociable . They also do not sting unless provoked .
They have a very specialised excretory scheme that has arise to conserve fluid and minimize waste . They are mainly identified for their thick fur , small pinna , minuscule toes and long after part which make up almost their sizing .
17.Gopher (Geomyidae)
This case can also be found in barbaric forests and has a life sentence span of 3 - 5 years although some would say that they get to live for more than 7 years .
They populate in tunnel or holes and are recognize because of their impertinence pouches and pocket-size hairy tailcoat . They are also known for their brown coats of fur , exactly like the people of color of soil .
18.Groundhog (Marmota monax mouse)
This type of gnawer is also known as the woodchuck . They are known for being destructive to gardens .
Groundhogs fiddle an important function maintaining tidy soil inwoodlandandplainareas . They are very shy , run straight off when they feel they are seen . They are also very large rodent and are known as first-class swimmers .
19.Guinea pig
This type of gnawer is so sociable that they require daily interaction . They live domestically and can convey to humans by making sounds .
When design to have one , verify to put a mint of crusade in taking care of it as it feeds on high - tone dago cop food , hay and limited amounts of vegetables and yield and needs clean water regularly . Their bodies are accustomed to a house temperature making them worthy as a house dearie .
20.Gundi
Unfortunately , this one has also been tagged as endangered . On the shiny side , they have various metal money , although rare , so it is a relief to know that they could still be around for the generations to add up .
They are desert rodents and are herbivores . They do not drink water and would just consume body of water from plants .
They are identifiable for their small and portly height , with large ears , four toes on each foot and have comb - like bristle , hence , their other name , comb rats .
21.Hamster
Hamsters are very democratic as business firm pets . They are considered as the cutest character of rodent as it is minuscule and chubby which has many different colors .
Despite have sorry eyesight and weak adaptability to change environments , they are still known for their strong sensory faculty of smell in site food and can also differentiate sex among humans .
22.House Mouse (Mus domesticus)
This type of rodent is the most get wind blighter both in domesticated and commercial domain . Just like the Roof Rat , it also damages clothing and other holding and pollute food which can be very dangerous .
These are pocket-sized animals with large , rounded ears , and a longsighted and almost hairless shadower which are found mostly around homo and conceive to be dangerous . They live in the ground but commonly in the ceiling , walls , and dampish , dark locations .
23.Hutia
They might be found almost anywhere but they are actually protected by government agencies . They are herbivore , although they could also eat on minor louse and animate being .
They are identified for their small bum and stout bodies . They are mostly found in Tree , rarely on the ground , and are count as magnanimous rats .
24.Kangaroo Rat
Like the name suggests , this character of rodent is liken to a Kangaroo because it only has two leg and they seem alike in their physical feature . Perhaps , the only difference is that they are smaller than the real kangaroos .
They rise the acquirement of hopping just like the kangaroos but in a dissimilar motion . They store intellectual nourishment in their cheek and can be identifiedwith theirdark gray or cinnamon - buff reckon on the species and great tails that are about the size of it of their bodies . Kangaroo Rats are also pop for its name which is Hopping computer mouse .
25.Lemming
This type loves the cold . They thrive in freezingly frigid temperature field and feed on plants and mosses but sometimes look for berries and bulbs .
These rodent are highly identified by their rounded shape which have small tails , curt legs and short capitulum and are brown and smuggled in color . They belong to the ‘ small ’ rodent household as their verbal description suggest .
26.Lowland paca(Cuniculus paca)
This eccentric is tight relate to the Agouti though they have coarse fur . They can be identified through their sorry brown to smuggled pelt at their back and jaundiced fur on their belly .
It also has a special feature which is having white patch on their sides that are cover with dark grey fur .
27.Muroids
This type is one whole family of rodent . They let in hamsters , gerbils , blackleg , and field mouse . Since they are part of a immense family , they can be constitute almost anywhere ( cold or in the tropic ) and can come through in either water and land .
28.Marmot
This character of gnawer is a enceinte squirrel in the genus genus Marmota . They are active during summer and can not be seen in cold or during winter . They feed on plants , hence , herbivores . Marmots are considered to be the heaviest variety of squirrel .
29.Meadow voles(Microtus pennsylvanicus)
This type is also called meadow computer mouse . These are small mammals who have acquirement in swimming but have never seen climb up .
They are combat-ready throughout the yr and love to outride in moist battleground of grass and sedge or anywhere with thick cover . They feed on grasses , sedges and other herbaceous works .
30.Murids(Muridae)
This type of rodent is consider the largest family of mammals . Since they are the most populous form of rodent , they are found anywhere in the world .
Some of its species are herbivorous and some are omnivorous . key chiefly by their little sizes and long keister which are longer than them .
31.Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)
This case of rodent are mostly found in marshes but are also found in wooded areas , lake , and streams , where they build up sizable lodges of cattail , sedges , and other botany .
They eat grasses and cattail . During their other years , muskrat are hunt down because of their durable , duncish fur which are sell and know as the muskrat sell .
32.Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
This character of rodent can be establish in brushy areas but is also ground in the human universe mostly in drivel dumps , open field , timber or anywhere where nutrient is present .
They are an annual problem in their endemic locations because they can be pesky when commove .
33.Old World Porcupine(Hystricidae)
This type of gnawer can follow instructions well and is submissive but is considered most dangerous when plague .
It is mainly identified by their rounded heads , mobile snouts and a coat of wooden-headed , drop spines which cover their bodies . Also , this type is solely herbivorous .
34.Pack Rat(woodrat)
This type is equate to the typical rat ( in appearance ) but has longer tails , prominent ears and large eye . camp rats are larger than cervid black eye and grasshopper mouse and even larger than cotton rats .
They feed on flora , branchlet , and shoot and can corrode seeds , fruits and acorns too . Also , pack rats are trace having resemblance to overgrown squirrel .
35.Pedetes
This case is a combination of squirrel and kangaroo because of their appearance and features . These are study food for other animals , an animal pestilence , but can also be a pet .
They are in various bod and develop science in foresighted jumping and storing food for thought on their impertinence which are present in domestic and wild surroundings .
36.Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)
This type of rodent is considered most sensitive . They well lose their temper and get upset rapidly . If they do , their bland quills become dangerous as it shoots when feeling threatened .
One extra feature of speech is that new quills always rise after they lose the old ones for shelter or when there is a need to .
37.Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)
This type of rodent is mostly found underground . They are also known to be live near the exits of a tunnel as to keep them at stake whenever a predator is good or threatens them .
Also , they are known to be favorable rodent as they share food and greet others of their sort with a kiss and fray through their nose .
38.Roof Rat/black rat (Rattus rattus)
This type is also foretell the smutty rat or ship blabber . As the name suggests , this type of blighter finds a home in upper parts of any edifice . These types of strikebreaker are the ones that destroy textile , dress , and other more .
They are also considered dangerous as they can stimulate life-threatening diseases and can contaminate food which is very harmful when run through . They are bump anywhere in the world as they can thrive both in the coldness and the tropic areas .
39.Squirrel (Sciuridae)
This case of rodent is known to be dotty rodents and can be found in forests and jungle but is also present in park and in the gardens .
There are several species of this type of gnawer which let in tree diagram squirrel , priming squirrel , fell squirrel , chipmunks , and marmots that are found anywhere in the human beings . Squirrels live in tree and eat nuts as their means of living .
Related : Get Rid of Squirrels in the Garden
40.Tuco-tuco
This eccentric of rodent has cylindrical bodies and has very short leg . They also have long forefoot which they use to burrow and bristled hind feet which they use for neaten .
They have large head , minor ears , and hairy tails . They bed the ground and spend almost their lifetime in it . They represent around 45 % underground rodents around the universe .
41.Vole (Microtus spp.)
This type is found on grassy areas as they prefer areas that are moist but can also be constitute in wooded area . They are known to occupy area tightlipped to roadway and anywhere where grass is present .
They are mostly dynamic 24 hour a day and their sort of activity only changes in terms of temperature , time of year and other more . Since they are a very fighting eccentric of rodent , they postulate a lot of food for thought that have them a destiny of dyspepsia .
42.Zapodinae(jumping mice)
This type is also called the jumping mouse . They can survive in piss as they are considered first-class swimmers . They are normally found in abandon tunnel or holes by other brute , in heavy bush , in trees and other more .
spring mice provender on fungi , fruit , seeded player , invertebrate , mollusks and small fishes . When it is cold , they go inactive for a full stop of time .
Rodent prevention tips
FAQs
apart from what we have just embrace , there are also some famed FAQs that you should be cognizant of when it get to the case of rodents out there . This could help you in further preventive tips and in getting to know the ones that call for to be immediately oust .
How many types of rodents are there?
Mostly non - flying mammals , there are more than 1500 recognize species of rodent in the world . They compose 25 % of all the overall number of known living mammals out there . They are categorized into different subspecies , from destructive ones , to house pets , and the like .
What animals are classed as rodents?
yield their reach and number , there are more popular rodents because of their figure and behavior . Some of these include mouse , git , squirrel , prairie Canis familiaris , hedgehog , beavers , guinea pigs , and hamsters .
What looks like a rat but bigger?
Nutria or mostly call Coypu . From features to behaviors , they are the most like to rats . As a subject of fact , they are mostly called the big rat as they grow from 28 - 42 - inches in length . They are also burlier and with long tail end .
Are lagomorphs rodents?
Historically , they are considered rodents because like rodents , they also have continuously grow teeth . But today , they are already considered two unlike species , with a farseeing , separated evolutionary histories and now have many make out differentiations which admit the act of incisors present in lagomorphs .
What is the largest rodent alive today?
The largest considered gnawer alive up to this date is the capybara or theHydrochoerus hydrochaeristhat is find in South America which weigh about 130 hammering . Some honorable quotation in this class would be the coypu , muskrat , the Patagonian mara and the mantle porcupine .
What time of the day are rodents most active?
There is no specific fourth dimension but they are known to be most combat-ready during dusk , former night and dawn . you could spy them or get it on that they are there through their dung but it would really be backbreaking to catch them on your own . You would also not want to do that because they contain with them infectious disease .
What time of the year do mice infestations usually happen?
During the colder months . Their scavenging is specify during the cold month and the rough outdoor surround could kill them . Hence , during these periods , they see their way into the humid home , and take recess in secluded areas , in the basement , in the ceiling and take food from pantries . This is also the time when they are most fertile in reproduction .
Conclusion
Rodents are very interesting mammals . Indeed , they are on two slope of the extremes since there are types that are to a fault severe while some can be kept as menage favorite . The variety that they have and their individual behaviors are enough to keep them strike , always .
Much pastime is given to those with great sizes and those that can be destructive . The destructive one almost always require professional help . They are corking in facts of life and you might not know the extent of their universe sizing without help . Also , be hygienical always if you want to evade their wrath .
