Is it a rat or a mouse in my attic?
Deciding whether a rodent is a rat or a mouse from old droppings or sightings makes it difficult to know what is currently in the house. This uncertainty stops people from figuring out the right approach or understanding how the pests are getting inside.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
- This comes up 46.0× more often in r/Pestcontrol than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1relying on pest control professionals to inspect the propertyDid this help you?
- 2setting traps to catch the rodent for physical identificationDid this help you?
- 3Setting traps in the attic and inspecting the physical characteristics of the caught rodents.Did this help you?
- 4Trying different baits like peanut butter, coconut oil, cooking fat, and dog food.Did this help you?
- 5Using glue trapsDid this help you?
- 6Setting snap trapsDid this help you?
- 7Using humane traps and releasing them further awayDid this help you?
- 8Getting a catDid this help you?
- 9Examining physical characteristics such as the hairless scaly tailDid this help you?
- 10Asking online communities for identification helpDid this help you?
- 11Using humane traps and sticky trapsDid this help you?
- 12Avoiding the kitchen at nightDid this help you?
- 13Waiting for another sightingDid this help you?
- 14setting trapsDid this help you?
- 15asking for help on online pest control forumsDid this help you?
- 16Googling 'rat vs mouse' to compare featuresDid this help you?
- 17Examining the tail for hair or the nose shapeDid this help you?
- 18Posting pictures online to ask exterminatorsDid this help you?
- 19Comparing the size of the rodent to the trap or surrounding baseboards.Did this help you?
- 20Posting photos to online pest control forums to ask others to identify the rodent.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“This thing is so smart.”source ↗
“The current trap that’s present is a rat trap, is this a mouse and will the trigger plate not be sensitive enough to work if it’s a mouse?”source ↗
“Unfortunately had a mouse problem for a bit and I can't figure out if this is deer mice or house mice I'm dealing with.”source ↗
“In the UK. Rodents in attic space. Droppings look pretty large. Caught 3 in traps, of which this was the biggest. Still working on how they’re getting in. I presume this is a pretty big mouse?”source ↗
“Just wondering if this is a mouse or rat so I can tailor the strategy moving forward!”source ↗
“i have no clue what the difference is but i would like to know if i have a rat problem.”source ↗
“Am in the process of finding out how they get into the house to plug it up but I’m curious as to what this is. Looks large for a mouse, but too small for a roof rat unless it’s a juvenile?”source ↗
“We've found 2 of these in plain sight in our basement.”source ↗
“So I'm not sure why they would seem so unresponsive unless they are babies.”source ↗
“What did I catch? 7ish inches from end of tail to snout. Looks way too big to be a mouse but was caught on a standard mouse trap.”source ↗
“Is this a mouse or a Rat?”source ↗
“We're discussing whether this rodent I caught ist a mouse or a Rat. Im thinking Its a mouse. What you think?”source ↗
“Saw a rodent in my kitchen. How can I tell if it is a rat or a mouse so I can get the right traps?”source ↗
“Could barely see it, but it seemed bigger than a mouse and pretty dark.”source ↗
“Is there anyway I can tell the difference between small rat or big mouse without seeing it again?”source ↗
“Got a little rodent coming into the kitchen at night.”source ↗
“Avoiding all traps - has done for the last three days. Is it rat or mouse?”source ↗
“But does it not have very mousy ears?”source ↗
“I was wondering if the tail could be an indicator.”source ↗
“Is this a mouse or a rat?”source ↗
“Is this a rat or mouse?”source ↗
“Am having the loft treated by pest control who found evidence of Rats and Mice droppings but as they are old droppings, unsure what is currently up there”source ↗
“however my initial impression was it's not a rat. But would like opinion of someone more knowledgeable”source ↗
“I’ve had the same experience when my dog brought me a dead rat she found in the backyard.”source ↗
“Based on where I live it’s very likely to be a baby rat! I was hoping for mouse.”source ↗
“This is my biggest f fear however I suspect that they're too mice because they live in the exact same wall.”source ↗
“I'm dealing with an a an infestation currently. I caught these two critters about 5 days apart in the exact same part of the house. One is about twice the size of the other. I'm suspecting an adult mouse and a baby mouse.”source ↗