Big mouse or small rat? Photo included

[Hfjshdhs]

Urgh urgh urgh. Found this in the middle of the living room this morning. Obviously exterminators are going to be called as soon as is reasonable. Is it a rat or a mouse? Child’s Farm Detangler shown for size reference.

I also thought mouse

I'd suspect there are far more rats than mice in london - I'm sure there's a statistic like you're never more than two metres away from a rat in london

It's a wood mouse, definitely not a rat. Our cats frequently catch them, we live in a rural area.

It’s a fat mouse. I wouldn’t panic if you are not seeing lots of droppings. You need to block all holes up in skirting boards etc even the very tiny ones. Some people use steel wool but I always found parcel tape very effective. If you have air bricks they need covering with very fine mesh. Then see how it goes.
Behind kitchen units is a common place for mice.

Thanks so so so much. Will get onto the exterminators this morning.

We don’t have a cat. We have an old house with lots of holes that we apparently haven’t sealed up properly.

Don't be upset!
I think some people think they are dirty if they get mice or rats. That is not the case!
It's an increasing problem and not uncommon.
If a dead one is the first sign you've had, then make sure food is containerised, re-think having a fruit bowl out, regularly clean kitchen surfaces, and try to keep on top of crumbs on floors.

I'd go for mouse, we've had both in London flats years ago! The main difference I noticed was the noise, rats were so much louder scurrying around. Can you borrow a cat for the weekend until your DH is back to sort? If not try peppermint oil on cotton wool buds around the room, they hate the smell.

Definitely a mouse!

Someone upthread suggested poison, but be careful. Once they ingest it they can literally wander off anywhere and keel over.

If they die somewhere hidden in your house, the stench will be unbearable.

If they die outside, hedgehogs might eat the body and die too (happened to me - I didn't poison the rat but did have a garden full of dead hedgehogs next to a half eaten rat body)

It's very cute, whatever it is.

Or was.

Nice tend to have lighter colour on their bellies whereas rats are same colour all over-

The stench of dead rodent ( and potentially the flies afterwards) is horrific.
I would never use poison as a choice - always deterrence.

No idea how big the detangler bottle is, but that does not look like a rat to me. It's a wood mouse

As others have said, it's a mouse. My cats bring them in all the time.

We had a live one recently which one of the cats brought into the lounge. I won't kill anything furry so I have a humane trap but it kept taking the food without the trap going off. We had it in the lounge for 5 days and I even put a little ramekin of water out for it! DS then had a bright idea to leave our lounge window open late at night. We did this and set up a motion camera and within an hour we saw Mr Mousey go out of the window to run free again 😄

Looks like a chunky mouse
You can tell rats and mice apart by their tails. Rats have banded tails where mice are more smooth..
The smell of a dead mouse in your house is really awful. We had one in our hall (cat gift) and couldn't actually find it for a few days. The smell got worse each passing day.

Mouse.

The thing to do is to seal up all holes. I'd recommend using wire wool first and then depending on the size of the hole either fill with poly filler or expandable foam. With the foam, once it's dry you can sand it smooth. Leave no food out and make sure you don't have any leaks that could provide a water source.

Once every hole is blocked, only any mice inside need to be dealt with. New mice can't get in. But remember that mice can get through any hole that you can stick a standard Biro through.

In theory mice like to stay close to walls, so you could put tracing dust along the floor wall junctions and see if you get paw prints. Then you can tell where they're coming from. Talc would also work.

MOUSE! I have a cat and see a dead mouse twice a day at the moment.

From the fields and beyond I hasten to add. You can tell by the cute ears. Rats look evil. Mice look cute. (Apologies to rat fans)

An exterminator will be able to identify any scent trails (often through quiet parts of the house), you'll be able to smell it as soon as you start moving stuff away from walls if you have frequent visitors.

I was also recommended some specialist cleaning solution (virkon s) after the holes were blocked up, and gave everywhere a good wash down.

Big mouse! It’s probably been poisoned by one of your neighbours - do you know them to ask?

I also think it's a mouse.

We had a good sized infestation prior to getting cats. Pest Control put down poison and they were gone after a few weeks. There was absolutely no smell whatsoever - the guy said they mummify (Nice!)

We got cats and had the air bricks covered with fine mesh after that and have never had a problem in the house since. There are clearly mice around but they stay out of the house.

@BonnyEm

Rats tails are thicker at the body and get thinner at the tip. The face looks like a mouse too. It's a mouse, a big one. Not a baby rat.

This!

Looking at this I think it is a mouse. White belly, long tail, big ears, small head and feet.
www.rentokil.co.uk/mice/rats-vs-mice/

It’s a mouse and I’d say it’s been poisoned.

Can you get a cat? Brilliant excuse to get a cat!

Definitely a mouse!