The word Mouse comes from an old sanskrit word meaning "thief." They are a nocturnal animal in the wild, but when living in a house, they may come out at ANY time of the day or night. They do not see very well, which explains why they may come out in plain sight of humans. They have very sharp front teeth, which they use for gnawing into food, furniture, and walls. They will eat just about anything, and their diet may include meat, plant materials, seeds, roots, glue, leather, paste, insects, and even soap. They will live just about anywhere that they can find food and shelter, but prefer dark, warm, quiet areas. The common house-mouse can give birth every 20 to 30 days, producing a litter of 4 to 7 young. They're primary defense against predators is hiding. Deer mice are similar, but have larger ears, may be brown or gray, and may have white on their underside and feet.
The two common rats in our country, include the "black rat", and the "brown rat." There are several varieties of both of these, but in the midwest we usually find only the brown rat. Other names for the brown rat include: barn rat, gray rat, houserat, Norway rat, and sewer rat. Females give birth to 3 to 6 litters a year. Rats are known to carry diseases that can be harmful to man. The primary concerns are plague, food poisoning, and typhus. Unlike mice, rats may band together to go in search of food, and have been known to attack farm animals, chickens, and even a baby in a crib.
The best methods of control of these rodents include such things as: snap-traps, glue boards, poisons, and a few types of live traps; most of which catch a mouse, and are automatically reset to catch the next one. The two types of poison include such things as "DeCon", and other rat & mouse poisons available at most stores. They carry a weak poison that must be ingested by the rodent for 4 to 10 days before building up enough cumulative effect to kill the rat or mouse. The other type contains an "infertility" drug that breaks up their cycle of reproduction.
Trying to use CATS running loose to control rat and mouse populations is futile, at best. Contrary to popular belief, (Or Old WivesTale) cats are not efficient preditors against mice or rats. They'll thin out some of the slow, sick, and stupid ones; but that only serves to make the rest of the pack smarter, and more adept at hiding.
