They may seem as though they look a lot alike (especially if one is scurrying across your floor! Sometimes you can hear the sound of nuts rolling around. The main difference i can see is that the baby squirrels hind leg thigh appears to be longer in proportion than that of the baby rat. APPEARANCE. The female on the left, the male on the right. Figuring out what you are dealing with is extremely important since rats and squirrels are expelled from a house through very different processes. How can you tell the difference between a small rat and a large mouse? You won’t feel guilty about tossing a “poor, defenseless baby animal” out of your home when you know that the “baby” is actually a fully-grown, adult mouse. Squirrel poop is larger than rat poop, and you’ll find their droppings scattered about the home. The female on the left, the male on the right. It’s easy to tell their age based on visual clues found in pictures. In the case of the California ground squirrel, sexual maturity is reached at 12 months. The most prevalent breed of squirrel in North America is the Eastern gray squirrel. 7-day-old baby rats. Conversely, you can calm yourself with the knowledge that the animal you saw in your attic or garage was a normal-sized squirrel— not an enormous rat! There isn't actually that much difference they can be both fairly hairless. Outside of baby season squirrels don’t vocalize much. Most people can spot the difference between a male and female baby rat by the third week because that is when the scrotum becomes more visible on males. A mother squirrel can give birth to up to six babies twice a year. This process is known as whisking. There are some definite distinctions between these two common house pests. However, they also have a great number of differences. Also the tail appears to be longer in the squirrel in proportion to its body. You can see physical differences in baby rats within the first couple of days following birth, if you know what to look for. Because of this possible evolution, rats and mice do have a number of commonalities. You can see that they had just eaten and have full tummies (white patch). Rat: A rat has coarse fur that can be red, brown, gray, or black, depending on the species, while their underbellies are usually lighter in color (think white or pale yellow). The gestation period in squirrels can be between 30 days (California ground squirrel) or 44 days (Eastern grey squirrel). I thought these were baby squirrels when I first saw them but when I went online to look at baby squirrel pics and then came across baby rat pics I was confused. At first glance, a young rat could be mistaken for an adult mouse. The offspring of the Eastern grey squirrel take 15 months to reach sexual maturity. We followed the sound and discovered a baby rat or squirrel laying in the flowers around a … It’s the one you see running around the park in the spring. Rats are more sexually active compared to squirrels. They are fast and scurry or run in the attic. The first thing you need to do when sorting out squirrel poop vs. rat poop is pull up a droppings identification guide on the internet. They can also get into the roof or chimney. Unfortunately, squirrel and rat droppings look pretty similar, but there are a few key differences to help you determine whether you’re dealing with squirrels or rats in walls. A while back around 9:30pm or so, we heard a loud screeching noise that sounded like a rat or something outside and couldnt figure out where it was coming from. 2-day-old baby rats. The main difference between squirrel and mouse infestations is the time of day that they are active. The black spots are their belly buttons. A. Here are a few quick ways to tell the difference between a rat and a mouse. If you find a baby squirrel and want to take it home, consider that it’s not legal to keep a squirrel … They are, after all, both closely related rodents but there are visible differences between the black or Norway rat (our most common rat) and the house mouse, regardless of their size. Squirrel and Rat Poop Identification. ), but if you are able to look closely, you will see distinct differences between rats and mice—as well as between different species of each. 7-day-old baby rats. 13-day-old baby rats. The female on the left, the male on the right.