If you travel the world, you’ll have a hard time finding a community that doesn’t struggle with rodent problems. Rodents are opportunistic survivors that, unlike many wildlife species, have thrived and multiplied due to the rise and expansion of human civilization. Various species of rodents, like rats and mice, use our buildings for shelter and raid our sources of food and water at every opportunity.

There are several species of rodents in Wisconsin that can become a nuisance to local homes. Continue reading to learn more about rodents found in the area and how to identify them.

Nuisance Rodents in Wisconsin Homes

• Mice

Mice are some of the most common rodents that often invade houses in Wisconsin. The smallest local rodent species, mice can slip into your home through incredibly small gaps, often infesting attics, basements, and the insides of walls. There are two common species of mice found in Wisconsin: house mice and deer mice. Both types of mice grow to be 3″ to 6″ long from nose to tail tip, though deer mice are slightly larger. They can be more brownish or greyish in color, but house mice tend to be one color across their body, while deer mice have white bellies. As their name suggests, house mice are more likely to move into your home, but deer mice will also invade your home for food or shelter.

• Rats

Rats are much larger than mice and can be even more destructive if they manage to invade your home in Wisconsin. Oftentimes, rats gain access to homes by gnawing on existing holes to widen them, before seeking shelter in basements, attics, and garages. Local homeowners must contend with two species of rats, both of them invasive: roof rats and Norway rats. Both species grow from a foot to a foot-and-a-half long, counting their tails. Roof rats are often longer while Norway rats are usually fatter. You can also tell these rats apart by color; Norway rats have light brown or gray fur, whereas roof rats are dark brown or black. Norway rats are better burrowers, more likely to invade your basement or crawl space. Roof rats are adept climbers that most often invade attics of local homes.

• Squirrels

Squirrels are most notorious for their tendency to ransack bird feeders and garbage cans, but these large rodents will also invade your home if given the opportunity. All squirrels are excellent climbers and leapers that can easily access your roof and find a way into your attic space. Several species of squirrels live in Wisconsin, with gray squirrels and red squirrels being the most common. Gray squirrels are much larger than red squirrels, measuring in at up to 20″, compared to red squirrels, which rarely grow longer than a foot. They’re also easy to tell apart by color; as their names suggest, gray squirrels tend to be mostly gray with some brown, while red squirrels are usually bright red or reddish brown. Gray squirrels are easily distinguished from rats by their bushy tails.

• Chipmunks

They don’t invade homes as often as mice, rats, and squirrels, but chipmunks are another rodent species in Wisconsin that can become a household nuisance. Chipmunks prefer to live outside and are usually more of a menace to gardens, but they may enter your garage or basement in search of food or shelter. Chipmunks are sometimes mistaken for red squirrels but they are slightly smaller, usually 8″ to 10″ in length. Also, while both rodent species are primarily reddish brown, chipmunks have white and dark brown stripes along their backs and sides, making them easy to tell apart from red squirrels.

Wisconsin’s #1 Rodent Removal Company

If you’ve been having problems with rodents invading your home, you need to work with a local rodent removal company to resolve these issues for good. Connect with Pest Badger today if you’re looking for the best rodent control services in Wisconsin!