Quiz Rodent Biology Florida

A rat pup can be about the same size as an adult mouse, making identification difficult, but mice have much smaller ears in relation to their heads.  True or False

Rats have a tail that is longer than their bodies, especially in the young, but mice have a tail that is almost always equal in length to their bodies.   True or False

While mice usually don’t stray more than 10 – 30 feet from the nest on average, they can in some cases go as far as 100 feet for food.  True or False

Mice, unlike rats, do not require a water source. Mice receive water from the food they eat and are sustained even from the driest foods.  True or False

Interior treatments for the house mouse should focus on trapping the majority of the population, applying liquid baits, and excluding areas of entry into the structure.  True or False

Norway rats are relatively large blunt nosed rodents that most often make burrows outside, with food and harborage close by.   True or False

Roof rats on the other hand are slightly smaller, forage much larger areas, and have pointed noses.   True or False

The forage area for Norway rats is roughly 100 – 300 feet from their nest with roof rats foraging up to 1000 ft.    True or False

Rats can generally get through a hole as small as 1 inch, and mice holes as small as ¼ inch.   True or False

Rats also chew regularly on items of little consequence to them such as electrical wires, and prefer food that is crunchy such as dog and cat food.   True or False

Rodents can also carry many types of diseases, bacteria, and viruses. The first of which is Hantavirus.  True or False

Hantavirus is zoonotic, which means that it is a pathogen spread from animals to people. It has not been shown capable of transferring from human to human, and the HIPS causing strain is not limited in which species of rodents can be carriers.    True or False

Exposure to rodent feces, urine, blood and saliva are the most common means of transfer from rodents to humans for hantavirus.   True or False

Rat bite fever symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, joint pain, muscle pain, headaches and rash, as well as localized swelling and even ulcers in the areas of rodent bites or scratches.    True or False

While many insects are considered vectors of disease, fleas are of particular importance with regards to rats. Rats and several other urban animal species are known carriers of the bacteria that causes endemic typhus, sometimes referred to as murine typhus (Rickettsia typhus).  True or False

As rats enter a structure or sometimes nest close to it, they bring fleas with them. The fleas then enter the structure, or get onto those that come outside. These fleas that get onto unsuspecting people have often contracted the typhus causing bacteria and can spread it to those unsuspecting people.  True or False

Murine typhus (Rickettsia typhus) symptoms include headaches, fevers, muscle pain, joint pain, nausea and vomiting.   True or False

Rat and bird mites are secondary pests that can often cause grief for a home owner and a pest control technician. When rodents and birds leave a structure these insects are sometimes left behind. They then move into the human occupied portion of the structure and attack unsuspecting people and pets.  True or False

Spirillary RBF is most associated with swelling around the bite or wound, ulcers in the infected area, and a fever that may come and go. Rat bite fever however is not a major medical concern except in the United States where it is frequently found.   True or False

Mice and rats need a constant source of water to survive.   True or False