If you are Googling the words “Arizona Rodents Identification” while looking for the most common Sonoran Desert Rodents or indentify what kind of mouse or rat you are dealing with, this guide should help!
The most common rodents found in and around homes in Arizona are pack rats, mice, roof rats and black rats.
Although rodents will vary in nesting habits and sizes, all of them have the ability of causing havoc and damage to your home. Additionally, they can spread various diseases. Rodents tend to chew on things frequently, with important things being common targets, such as pipes and electrical wiring. Many rodents in Arizona are nocturnal, which means most activity will occur during the night, and during the day they’ll sleep in the nest. This can make it more challenging for a rodent infestation to be identified by homeowners.
When homeowners in Arizona begin suspecting rodents are living or visiting their home, a pest control professional should be contacted quickly as possible to ensure the situation remains under control. When a home has children, it is even more important to get exterminations, as rodents often leave various opportunities for diseases to be transmitted, including life-threatening diseases such as Salmonella, Hanta Virus, rat-bite fever, and tapeworms to name a few.
Arizona Rodent Identification Guide
Pack Rats
Also known as a wood rat, a pack rat is more commonly found within central Arizona desert regions. There are three main types of pack rats within central Arizona homes, including the Whitethroat pack rat, Mexican pack rat, and Stephen’s pack rat. A pack rat, unlike most others, has fur on the tail. Key factors to identify a pack rat include the furry tail, white underbelly, and white feet. In addition, the pack rat is often larger, between six and eight inches. Due to feces and urine left behind, these rats are a health hazard, as they are often found in communal living spaces and storage areas.
House Mouse
A house mouse is a common rodent within Arizona homes and buildings, because they depend on humans for shelter and food. They can be identified as they are much smaller than a rat in size. They are generally a musty gray color, while the underbelly is off-white. Although a house mouse only eats about one-tenth an ounce daily, they can produce up to 50 droppings daily. Their droppings often contaminate stored products, and carry harmful bacteria and diseases.
Roof Rat
Also known as a black rat, roof rats have dark brown or black characteristics. Also, roof rats are popular for having longer and hairless tails which are longer than their body. When measuring a roof rat, including the tail can reach 18 inches in length. They are called roof rats due to frequently making a nest within the top levels of homes and buildings, including ceilings and attics. Within nature, these types of rats create nests within trees, woodpiles, dense vegetation and debris for protection against the elements. The roof rat often uses tree limbs or electric wires to gain entry to the building.
Black Rat
The black rat (Rattus rattus) goes by several names, including roof rat, ship rat, and house rat. They are typically long-tailed rodents that come from genus Rattus (rats), within the sub-family known as Murinae. This species had originated within tropical Asia, spreading during the Roman period in the Near East prior to spreading to Europe. By the 1st century, the black rat had begun spreading worldwide by nesting on ships as Europeans traveled explored.
The black rat is a generalist omnivore, which means they eat a various range of crops. Therefore, being a major issue for farmers.
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