Do rats kill mice?

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There is actually a technical name for the act of rats killing mice, and it is ‘muricide'. Mice are actually quite afraid of rats, because they know that if the rat gets hungry, they are going to be first in line for prey. Mice are smaller than rats, with quite a big difference in size in many cases, and rats will eat everything. Quite literally everything. They will eat live or dead animals. They will eat roadkill, often becoming roadkill themselves during the quest to find good food. They'll eat stuff that humans throw in dumpsters, as well as feeding on the carcasses that other animals have left out for the retrain. That's what has given them the name "scavengers", alongside opossums, raccoons, coyotes, and other wild creatures.



Experts have seen mice physically turn and run in the opposite direction to certain rat territories, particularly those that have been literally sprayed with rat urine. Of course, we don't advise that you use rat urine in your bid to get rid of mice. Rat urine actually contains pheromones, and those communicate to other rats to come a'flocking. This is most certainly not a wanted side effect.

Rats do kill mice, although do not rely on one to get rid of the other. A rodent infestation is not pleasant, and it is not easy to get rid of either.



For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does rat removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of rats - my main rat removal info guide.
Example rat trapping photographs - get do-it-yourself ideas.
Rat job blog - learn from great examples of rat jobs I've done.
rats in the attic - the steps to get them out.
Rats in the walls - what to do to solve the problem.