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RESOURCES: RODENTS White-Footed Mouse  White-footed mice are structural pests in rural, summer/vacation, outbuilding, and shed-type structures, as well as suburban homes located near wooded areas. They are a health concern because they are carriers of hantavirus, which causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). The head and body length of adults is usually between 3 9/16" and 4 1/8", with a 2 7/16" to 4" tail. Their ears are small, and usually less than 1/2" long. They are bi-colored; upper parts are grayish to reddish brown, with white feet and bellies. 
Females have two to six young per litter, with two to four litters per year. Females begin breeding at 10 to 11 weeks of age, with an average life span of two to three years. White-footed mice are often a source of hantavirus, which causes HPS. This virus is primarily transmitted by inhaling dust particles contaminated with urine or feces from infected white-footed mice. The incubation of the disease is up to 30 days. There is a fatality rate of 40% for HPS, which usually strikes by respiratory failure (lungs fill up with fluid) or heart attack. White-footed mice are nocturnal. They build their nests in any concealed location, such as old bird and squirrel nests, abandoned burrows of other small animals, stumps, logs, and buildings. They feed on seeds, nuts, fruits, beetles, caterpillars, and other insects. They have a home range of 1/2 to 1 1/2 acres, and their populations range four to twelve mice per acre. They are active year round, but they may remain in their nests during very cold weather. During colder months, they frequently enter homes, garages, sheds, and occasionally, stored RVs and other infrequently used vehicles. They may damage furnishings and stored food. Cotton Rats  Cotton rats are primarily agricultural pests, which can cause considerable damage to crops. Occasionally, they invade structures, where they feed on stored materials. The hispid cotton rat is a health concern because it is the carrier of Black Creek Canal virus. Adults have a head and body length between 5 1/4" and 8 3/4", and a tail between 3" and 6". Their fur is coarse and grizzled, grayish above with mixed buff and black, and whitish below. These rats are very prolific breeders. They begin breeding at 6 weeks of age and may produce up to 9 litters each year. Each litter usually consists of five to six young; the young leave the nest and become sexually mature in 40 days. Adults rarely live more than a year in the wild. Hispid cotton rats make surface runways; they nest either on the surface or in shallow burrows. Their burrow system is relatively extensive and contains many openings to the surface. They typically inhabit areas of tall grass, sedges, and weeds, preferring moist areas. These rats often move from cultivated or uncultivated areas into home gardens and landscaped areas, and occasionally into structures. They feed primarily on green vegetation, including row crops, tomatoes, melons, sweet potatoes, field crops, sugar cane, cotton, alfalfa, and grains. They will also feed on the eggs and chicks of ground nesting birds, such as quail. The hispid cotton rat is a health concern because it is sometimes infected with plague or murine typhus. It has also been found to be a carrier of Black Creek Canal virus, which is transmitted from host rodent waste, and dust stirred up by those contacting the virus. Norway, Brown, House, Wharf, Sewer Rats  The Norway rat is the largest of the commensal rodents and the most common commensal rat in the temperate regions of the world. It not only damages and destroys materials by gnawing, eats and contaminates stored food, but it is also a carrier of diseases. It is found throughout the Unites States and the world. Adults have a head and body length between 7" and 9 1/2", and a tail between 6" and 8". Their fur is coarse, shaggy, brown with scattered black hairs, with a gray to yellowish white underside. Their muzzle is blunt; they have small eyes, small years, and are densely covered with short hairs. Signs of infestation include the following:
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