This is a seasonal ritual at our house. I hear the mice move in with the cool weather and I get out the mousetraps. A tiny bit of peanut butter in the bait cup and they are caught. If I don't get all of them with the trap the rest seem to move on to safer pastures somewhere else after enough of their buddies have been killed.”

I would like to thank your company for making the "perfect" mouse trap. I have tried at least 20 other trap brands and they have all had various degrees of success, but none work as well as yours. My daughter bought me six (6) of your mouse traps for my birthday and after setting all of these traps around two of our properties, I was amazed at the response. Best traps I have found on the market.”
- Duane Schenck

Within thirty minutes or less of placing the Snap-E® Mousetrap, I had a dead mouse. I used some candy a mouse had eaten into as bait. I am ordering six more. These traps work! I have had about twenty of the old wooden ones sitting out around the house for three week and caught NOTHING!”
- Anne Smith

I'm catching mice every night in my greenhouse with these Snap-E® Mousetraps. They are so easy to set that I don't even flinch any more as I reset them - they never snap while they are being set. I've tried lots of different brands of mousetraps and these are far superior to the rest.”
- Mark Parsons

I love being able to catch multiple mice with one setup. This way I can let it sit for a couple days and catch multiples. The Ketch-All® Multiple Catch Mousetrap is the best mousetrap I've found. I'll be buying several more.”
- David Benn

You guys are great! Just a note to say 'Thank You' for the 2 Metal Lid Replacements for our Mousetraps. A great benefit was when I saw 'Proudly' made in America. That is what America is made of and we need to get back on track with showing the world! Great products, made by great people who back up what they produce! Look out mice... 2 traps back in service. Thank you!”
- Janine Hatt

I have set thousands of these traps while running Thoroughspect and have never found a better trap ever. The traps are exactly what a mousetrap should be in that they are fast-reacting, easy to set and release. In addition, they have a visible yellow bar that can be seen in crawl spaces and attics to see if they have been triggered.
- Brian M. Sweig

Latest News

Mice vs. Rats: What’s The Difference?

Mice and rats have more differences than you might think.

We know that the differences between mice and rats might seem pretty self-explanatory, but there are more distinctions between these two rodents than you’d expect. And when you’re facing a rodent infestation, knowing how to properly identify what you’re up against is key to understanding how to solve a pest problem.

Physical Differences

While both mice and rats may look similar, they have varying physical characteristics that you can use to help determine what type of pest you might have.

Mice

Size: 12-20cm (4.75-7.80 inches) from nose to tail

Weight: 12-30 grams (0.42-1.05 oz)

Head Shape:

Smaller heads in proportion to their body
Have a more triangular-shaped face
Bigger ears relative to their head
Long whiskers

Color/Fur:

White, brown, or grey
Commonly have a darker toned belly

Tail:

Long, thin, hairy tails
Characterized as smooth

Droppings:

Smaller but are more pointed
Around 4-7mm long
Produces 40-100 droppings per day

Rats

Size: 16-40cm (6.30-15.75 inches) from nose to tail

Weight: 1 pound on average

Head Shape:

Larger head in proportion to their body
Small ears relative to their head
Blunt snout

Color/Fur:

White, brown, grey, or black
Leave grease marks on the surfaces they touch due to oily fur

Tail:

Long tails that are generally hairless
Scaly rings

Droppings:

Larger and tend to have more rounded ends
7-19mm long
Produce 20-50 droppings per day

Dietary Differences

Rodents, in general, are opportunistic omnivores, but the two species do have some food preferences. Mice are more likely to eat plants and grains, while rats prefer foods with higher moisture content, such as fruits. Knowing this can help with baiting traps for these pests. A good middle-ground for bait is peanut butter; mice and rats love it. Plus, peanut butter is easy to apply and lasts for several days.

Behavioral Differences

Mice and rats share many behavioral similarities, such as being nocturnal, timid, and territorial with other rodents. However, mice tend to be more curious about their surroundings. They’ll often explore items that are newly introduced in their environment. This natural sense of curiosity is what makes mice somewhat easier to trap. With rats, they are much tougher to catch because they are very cautious and avoidant by nature. This trait makes rats less inclined to interact with changes in their environment or along their desired paths.

These two rodents also have different behaviors when it comes to making shelter. Mice build dome-shaped nests out of scavenged material such as vegetation, paper, etc. Nests are often close to food sources and tend to be located in undisturbed areas both indoors and outdoors. Rats are more nomadic and burrow under buildings and natural structures to build their nests.

Damage Potential Differences

Both of these pests are capable of creating a lot of damage to homes and buildings. Mice and rats will gnaw on soft material, such as wood and wiring which poses a fire hazard. However, rats have significantly stronger teeth. They can chew through harder materials like aluminum, glass, sheet metal, and even cinder blocks.

How Kness Can Help With Mice And Rat Problems

Now you know what type of rodent is lurking around, it’s time to take care of the problem with effective traps. That’s where Kness Pest Defense can help. For over 95 years, Kness has been at the forefront of making pest and rodent trapping solutions that get the job done.

For mice, Kness makes the following traps:

Get rid of rats with these Kness pest solutions:

For more helpful pest tips and solutions, visit Kness.com/Pest-Control-Center.