What To Do If Rodents Are Scurrying Through Your Walls

Your home used to be a little heaven for you but all you hear these days are unending noises coming from the walls. You suspect rats are making the noises and you just don’t know what to do. Well this is for you.

Below you’ll find answers to these three questions: How do you know for sure if those noises come from rodents? How did they get in? And how can you get rid of them? Enjoy!

How do rodents sound in walls?

You have to note that many tiny creatures can get into walls. It can be raccoons, rats, mice or squirrels. Even worse for an attic, it could be bats. The thing about rats is that they are habitual chewing creatures and this could make noise. Another noise source is their scratching- they do this while creating a home for themselves.

Here are some extra pointers that could help you establish what’s in your wall:

As rodents move across baseboards, drywall, and floorboards, you are likely to hear the light pitter-patter of footsteps. Typical rat and mice noises include grinding gnawing, scurrying, scratching, and scuffling.

Many mouse and rat sounds are produced by their claws digging into surfaces to get a better grip, or when they scurry from one place to the next. Additionally, rodents will chew wooden baseboards to create larger holes for entrance or new pathways. Lastly, mice are known to make squeaking or even high pitched singing sounds, especially when babies are present or when the males are trying to find a mate. At night, when everything is silent, rodent sounds appear amplified.

While rodents can be crepuscular or nocturnal, they are also intelligent, purposely adapting their movements and activities to the time you are likely to be in bed or away from home.  Read more from Critter Control…

How do rats get into the wall?

Rats are small creatures that can easily squeeze through any space-no matter how tiny it is. They could get into the house through cracks on the wall, holes in the roof, the vent, or even through the chimney.

Whether you live in a studio or standalone dwelling, Carrillo notes that every residence has small structural openings, which contractors typically make to accommodate your water, gas, electrical, and data lines. Mice, from either the dirt or sewer, can actually travel through these lines into wall and floor cavities and pop out into your house. Believe it or not, they’re capable of squeezing into spaces as small as a quarter of an inch (yikes). Read more from Country Living…

How do I get rid of the rats in my wall?

When you know why rats got into your house then you can easily stop them from further intrusion. Most rodents come in looking for shelter, food and warmth. The most common reason is food. So if you remove their source of food, they will have to seek a different source.

You can also use traps to capture those that don’t want to leave. These extra tips will also come in handy:

Start by making your home an unattractive crash pad for any tiny guests.

“It all boils down to food, water, and shelter,” Niedermeier says. Cut off those three things, and you’ll make your home a lot less attractive to mice.

The problem is that mice are resourceful. For water, they can take advantage of leaks that you might not even know exist, and for shelter, they can make use of just about any kind of clutter or hole. That makes food the most important factor to tackle.

“Eliminating food is paramount to getting rid of a mouse problem,” Niedermeier says.

Start by cleaning up any crumbs or food debris on surfaces and floors. When you cook, promptly clean dirty dishes instead of letting them sit out. Store food in places mice can’t reach, like the refrigerator, or inside containers they cannot nibble through, such as glass or sturdy plastic. Read more from Popsci…

After shutting the food supply, the next step should be to lock down any entry points. By tracking their entry points, this should be easy to handle.

Have you conducted your investigation and found you’re dealing with an infestation? The danger of trying some DIY trick on a full blown infestation is that it could backfire on you. So, let the professionals deal with them. If you are in Maryland, don’t just let any company handle the problem for you. Let Backyard Bug Patrol deal with this. We offer quality rodent control services at friendly prices. Reach out to us today.