The Pest Advice

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roofer

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I hear sounds like someone is running on my roof after dark usually at midnight. It's quite scary 🙁

Where can the rats live in my house? I can hear the gnawing noise and scuffing steps in the early morning (between 5am~6am) on the first floor bedroom (our house is a 2-story house). My husband and I went to the attic and found no sign of rat / mice droppings … Confused.
What professional help can I get?
Thanks!

Hi

The borer holes in our weatherboards are too small to get the injector nozzle into. Can you buy really tiny nozzles, or is there another way we could treat these?

Patrick

Hello Patrick,

Thank you for your comment. The NO Borer Aerosol Injector (which I assume you are referring to) has a nozzle which one end fits into the can spray head, the other end is tapered and has a flange to prevent product blow back. The tapered end should push into the flight holes of common and native borer beetle. It may appear too large but you will find the flight holes are larger just inside the surface. Push the nozzle in and the hole will open up. This means a good seal is created when injecting and one is more able to see which holes have been injected.

if the holes are still too small, I wonder whether the holes have been created by something else.

Get back to me and I may be able to advise further.

David

Hi David, Will a borer fumigator in a roof space make rodents leave or are they unaffected by it? If they do leave I imagine they'll come back when the smell goes.

Trevor

Hello Trevor,

Despite suggestions to the contrary, Borafume fumigators or any other fumigators are unlikely to make rodent leave an area permanently.

It is much more important to both prevent rodent access and to control those that are already using the roof space using rodenticides such as Kiwicare NO products.

Check out http://www.kiwicare.co.nz/pest/products/

David

We can hear this constant scratching noise in our wall. We have a brick house and this is on the second floor It's noisy, constant and when we bang the wall nothing scurries it just keeps going. It sounds like a scratching. Thoughts?! It's freaking me out!

Hello Nb,

Where in the world are you? Is the noise there day and night? If there are timbers in the wall there are insects that can make a constant noise that is often mistaken for scratching. Other possible explanations include a tree or other object scrapping the outside, is the noise still there on very still days?

Hi I hear scratching mornings between 7-9 never ever at night but it also sounds like something running across the roof. Is this likely birds? Thanks jaime

Thanks, David, for your great post. Would you please also let us know the solutions to the problem (mice or rats in the roof)?

Hi, I would refer you to this page on the Kiwicare website http://www.kiwicare.co.nz/pest/pest-advice/animal-pests/

I hear 3 or 4 loud clicks come from my wall in rapid succession then a break of a few seconds and similar noise at night. Any ideas what this could be

Hi David,

Hearing sounds of scratching in the rafters of a vaulted ceiling. Starts around 10pm. Nothing in the attic though. When we bang on the ceiling, it stops for a few seconds and continues, but stays in place, does not move at all. It doesn't matter how loud we bang, it keeps on making noise. Thanks. Jeff

Hi David,

I was woken at 1:30am this morning to a loud scratching sound in what appeared to be the loft and then moved to the wall above the window. We have had squirrels before but repaired all facia boards and I cannot see where anything would now be able to get in. Do you think it may be squirrels again or some other type of rodent? What should my next course of action be?

Dear David
I live in Australia in a semi-rural location. I live in a big house with a flat roof. The last few months I have been awaken at 5 or 6am by loud gnawing for about 15 minutes and then it stops. There is no other noise. It is hard for a human to get into the very limited roof. A relative unscrewed part of the roof and put some rat bait there. He saw a few rat droppings. It appears the animal has not taken the bait. It appears to .be a solitary animal. What to do? I believe a rat can get into a ceiling through a tiny gap….Vicki

Hello,

Give it a few days for the rat to take the bait. Rodents are neophobic and may ignore the bait for a few days then it will take a further few days for the bait to take effect. You could also put some bait in bait stations outside and around the house. The rat/s is likely to be moving in and out.

As you are hearing the noises not long before dawn I would also check that the noise is not caused by birds.

David

I live in New Zealand and I have a noise in my roof consisting of scurrying noises and rustling about only at night time this happens and its rather loud. I have had this noise in my roof for awhile now at least 4 months. Its starting to concern me

Hi there,
I live in Sydney Australia single story house steel frames no insulation at all between walls or roof cavity we, we have been hearing scratching in our wall behind our bedhead but we never hear it in other parts of our house we usually hear this at 10pm or 2am etc have not notice the scratching in the day, but then we have noise sometimes that sounds like something is rolling a rock through our roof sometimes it sounds like banging it's always so loud but I'd say that's because of the steel.frames these sounds can be about 6am again late at night, we also have a solid concrete raised foundation all, no trees or overhanging branches our bedroom wall shares its wall with our garage my husband did put baits up there along with traps, it would eat the cheese the trap didnt go off whatever it was stopped or didn't visit for about 4 weeks but is now back :/ our roof is hard to manoeuvre due to the location of the noise does any of this suggest anything?

Hi David we live in England and can hear a squeaking/cooing noise coming from the wall/roof. We live in a terraced house with no attic. It almost sounds like a squeaky bed – we have asked the neighbour but the room directly next to our bedroom is a play room (they checked for any toys with batteries) so nobody in there at night and in the morning when the noise is at its most frequent and loudest.

Hi, I would first like to say thank you for this post and to others who have commented. I have been able to figure out we have rats in our roof and how they got in. My question is our they able to get through the roof and into the house, our only access point for the roof is currently inaccessible and I'm worried they'll be able to get in. Thanks Laura

Hi!

Your posts are very helpful, but I'm still not sure what It is that we have. We hear it in our ceiling. It seems that my daughter has heard it on and off for about a year, but today I heard it for the first time and it sounds like pitter patter or clicking sounds, kind of like beating your nails on a table rather fast. Also a sound, which was rather loud, like a cross between a frog sound and a bird (?). My daughter has heard the pitter patter sound but the vocal sound was new. We heard it around 3 pm in the afternoon. We thought at first it was a centipede which is common in Texas. Whatever help you can give would be so appreciative! Thanks!

First off, thank you for this informative post AND replying to people! Ive yet to find ANYWHERE else that does this and I NEED help! IDK if this section has a word limit, so know in advance, if it does, it may take 4-5 for me to explain EVERYTHING to you that is going on, what we've done, learned and how we've begun treating. Obviously I am here b/c we STILL have a problem though. Even my wildlife specialists removal guy/exterminator is confused. Thats NEVER good! Ugh! Okay, for starters, I live in Mebane North Carolina. We happen to live in a singlewide mobile home now. When I lived in my house for years, I once had a mouse infestation as I was butted up to a corn field. But when we had that problem, it was easy to know AND TO TREAT! I ridded myself of them pretty quickly. Now? No. For starters, about a year ago, when we still had old underpinning attached at the foundation, I started hearing noises ALL night long. So badly and for so long that I myself, became nocturnal, I slept when they did! It sucked. Also I had NO heat during that time as they had pulled my vent duct out of its place, so they had heart underneath but I did not. We ended up finding out that opossums (a FAMILY) of them had slipped under and were happily living there. WE caught a few in live traps on our own til we learned it was illegal. Then, we hired someone to come in and do the same thing. But! We also hired them to repair the underbelly (vapor barrier, insulation, duct work) of our home once removal was complete. We spent quite a penny repairing AND PREVENTING for future. We even bought new underpinning, tight fitting, sealed holes along A/C outdoor unit, replaced Faschia board AND put up new, deeper, HOUSE gutters all along the home. WE did ALL we could. (Keep in mind too, we are just a couple of women living here, we dont know a lot about this stuff – or didnt. We do now! But getting us under the home to look around? Ugh, NO!) Anyway, so we got rid of a total of 7 opossums! Then 2 more AFTER we thought we were done but BEFORE the repairs and complete structural exclusion. Well, 3 mos passed QUIETLY! Suddenly, I started hearing noise at the corner of my bedroom OUTside, I thought. It really sounded AT FIRST, as if the aluminum siding was maybe heating up and popping lightly. Or that bugs were hitting up against the siding…during the day. Understand, Im disabled so Im in my room A LOT. I hear EVERYTHING. Continued below:

Continued post from Angela Mitchell This is PART 2:



This? A different sound than what I was use to with the opposums. I cannot figure this out. After some close listening and research I learned we more than likely have mice living in our WALLS. None have come inside, that Ive found evidence of, YET. And Ive looked, with a high-powered flashlight, for droppings, behind appliances, in cabinets, etc. But! It SOUNDS like they are inside at times due hearing them thru the vents/ducts and now walls. They are ONLY around my bedroom though! My CLEAN bedroom, mind you. :/ In my walls and NOW running across my ceiling occasionally. :/ My room and bathroom are the ONLY rooms in the home that do NOT have the pitched roof. That means MY space is the only ones where they CAN get into the ceiling and have a roof still, over their heads without being INside our home (yet.) WE have hired someone now and he was convinced it is mice. He sat traps, I mean EVERYWHERE under our home. He examined areas around the home and only found 2 ways they COULD get in. 1.) around the BOTTOM part of our A/C unit (the part we DID NOT have covered. Eh, yeah, that wasnt on purpose. We thought it was done. Makes no sense NOT to have covered that! But anyway. 2nd spot is where they something found ONE slat of OLD underpinning (the ONLY one we didnt replace!) because its under our porch that is inaccessible (to US)! Ugggh! Well! 4 holes, yep the size of mice or a rat maybe. But we're told NOT to close off anything yet, as our wildlife/exterminator guy wants to allow them an exit (hopefully) while trying to treat. Again, about 30 traps (2 are RAT traps set with a RAT bait, different than the PB) but mouse traps are set with peanut butter on them UNDER the home. Now ALSO 3 bait stations nailed to the ground around our home too. This has been set up for a MONTH now. These are our results: ONE RAT trap was set OFF, nothing caught. (He thought it due it being a mouse and too small). I, at this point am thinking its NOT mice or rats, but have NO CLUE WHAT it is! Also, ONE something went into ONE bait station in this month. And we caught ONE very small, smallest Id (of he) has EVER seen of a mouse – a grown mouse too.) Thats it. In one month, thats the ONLY results. Meanwhile you ask?

PART 3 of Angela Mitchell's post

PART 3 here: Meanwhile, Im STILL hearing them in my walls! And I'll hear 5 DIFFERENT spots at once sometimes. Sounds like light knocking, sometimes I hear what maybe sounds like chewing, Ive heard something scratching itself before, Ive heard little pitter pats above my head in ceiling…and NOW a days, I hear them MORE during the day! Its at a fever pitch between 9am (really starts loud) and 6:30pm! Now, at night, its pretty quiet. I thought maybe, the reason for that is that they are going OUT of the walls at nightfall, looking for food, coming back in the morning to sleep. But! When are they EVER sleeping!? Im hearing them ALL day. And yeah, they do seem to slow down a few hours and sleep (cause I can still hear them in there, occasionally moving around) between like 1 and 4pm. But Im just SO confused! I DO know before he caught that little mouse, we DID have something chew a small hole in my bedroom wall, near the floor. Im ALWAYS checking the floors/walls being sure NOTHING new has occurred, so I caught this the same day it/they did it. And closed it up with steel wool and bitter-taste foam sealant. Nothing has messed with it since. I KNOW its NOT plumbing, as has been suggested too. No, plumbing doesnt stop making noise when you stomp on the area they are making noise and move to another location and start their noises there. Plumbing doesnt chew holes in the wall and plumbing certainly doesnt skitter across the ceiling, above my head! Yeah, our wildlife specialists is even stumped at this point and suggested this. It frustrated ME to no end though, as you can see by my reply to him! I made an audio tape for him too, as asked. You can hear all the noises on it and I was able to verify where each was coming from while listening to the recording play back. Im the only one who is THAT familiar. And that really is NOT a good thing. Im wore out by this! Again heres the list. Im trying to be thorough here, but, understand Im going without much sleep too and kinda wigged out at the though SOMETHING is gonna pop its ugly head up thru my floor at me, at ANY time too! NOT a good feeling. Continued below.

Finally PART 4 of Angela Mitchell's post (I hope! IF it ALL fits here) If not, PART 5 will follow.

Access points we KNOW of (still available, instructed NOT to close yet):

-About 2" area/opening underneath A/C unit outside.
-4 small holes chewed? through OLD underpinning slat under porch. (Still avail)

Noises:
-In ALL three EXterior walls in MY bedroom ONLY
-AND above me, in the ceiling now. Just started there in last 2 weeks. (ALL SINCE traps and bait stations have been placed). NONE set in ceiling tho, as we have no access there, short of cutting a hole in it. (Which I may end up doing, with REASSURANCE we close it up good so nothing can come thru after me!)
– In floor (sub-flooring that is). Thats where the "knocking" noise is.
– In/around my vent. The duct was replaced from opossums, but whatever is under there now has pulled the hose out of the metal duct (that leads to my register) again. I have NO A/C in my room, again! But they are plenty cool under there! Ugh!
-around my window. Only one in here. But I can hear them at times around it, and even hear the glass ping, where they are close to frame.
– Small sounds through-out. But at times LOUD (ceiling/walls) AND this sound makes me jump, every time! Its a noise near my TV. My TV sits on a dresser that is pushed into a cut out (in INterior wall) but the EXterior wall is on right side of dresser. Right there is where my TV sits on the dresser. My TV will POP! LOUDLY every once in a while, even when turned OFF (which it is most times) but ALL I can gather with that…is maybe they are in the wall RIGHT up against where the lip of my dresser is pushed sooo tight against wall and when they move it cause the dresser to move a little and make old TV pop!? ?? IDK I cannot figure THAT one out, at ALL! I inspected IN TV a couple times it happened, thinking maybe something is living in it? No. Nothing there. IDk,
– I NEVER hear clear sounds of chewing. Or, IDK that its chewing. It just sounds like pop's, knocks, pings, skittering. I hear friction of something moving/sliding across walls interior. I also never hear squeaks etc…(and remember, Im in here almost 19-20 hours every day/night. & when Im not, Im recording.

Hearing them at first at night mostly.
Now? I hear them MOST in the morning between 8-9am until about 1-4pm.
Between 4 & 6:30pm is when it gets QUIETEST in walls/ceiling, floor.

Are they leaving then? Are they sleeping then?

Ugh! Im SO confused, frustrated and desperate for identification, a solution and SLEEP! PLEASE HELP! ANY ideas you have I WILL explore.

Thank you SO MUCH!

Oh! And wildlife guy DID agree to this when I mentioned it: Hes going to put a snake camera in wall his next visit. (He comes 2x per week). Problem is, when he comes, I can hear him under house, and I hear the creatures RUNNING UP the walls and into ceiling AWAY from him! So, since hes only gonna look around with camera WHILE HES HERE (they arent leaving it!) I fear we arent gonna know what it is. I need a camera set up for at least 24 hours I feel. But just so you know, he IS attempting to look around IN walls…soon.

Im SO SORRY this is soo long. And Im so confused. AND tired. Forgive the time Ive taken from you, please. Just know I NEED HELP! And I appreciate you just reading this.

Hi. I just heard footsteps in roofspace, as if on t ceiling..we have insulation laid on floor of roofspace. I heard this noise at 6.30 this morning. We have just had mice in our house and used sticky traps to get rid of them. We have a swallows nest just built outside above our bedroom window. The noise is quite load, not mice and sounds of running footsteps. Also we have a dog so hopung that he would keep rats away??..any ideas? Thanks, tracey

Hello Tracey,

Difficult to know what caused the sound. I don't suspect the swallows as they are unlikely to go into the roof space. It might be mice that did not get caught in your traps, they can sound much bigger when running on the sounding board of the ceiling. Dogs are unlikely to deter rats so if they are about outside they might have found their way in.

I suggest looking for signs under the insulation.

David

Hello David,

I live in Brazil and I am living in a third floor with a roof of ceramic tiles on top of the normal concrete one. I constantly hear footsteps at night or early in the morning (from 00 h to 05 h). They really sound like human footsteps or people running without shoes. I live in an area where there are many birds, but i don't know if they're causing the sound because it is too loud to be birds. I also feel like whatever is up there scratches the roof, but for very little intervals. I have not heard any sound of birds, like birds noises or rats gnawing… which makes me more nervous. We don't have neither dogs nor cats and it would also be very hard for a cat to go up to our third floor.
I appreciate your answer.

Best regards,

Laura

HI i got woken up at 6am this morning to loud scurrining and running sounds in my loft. The noises lasts for abt 2/3 mins then it stops for abt 5/10mins. Its really loud and starting to scare me i have no way to get into the loft as i am pregnant and have no ladders. Do u have any idea what it could be i am in scotland and i did have mice couple of weeks a go but they came in and took all the poision and left again . Surly the sounds i am hearing are way to loud to be mice its all so freaking my cat out

Hi David,

Very interesting info. I found this because we're getting the same strange hooting, squeaky, wheezy noises in the roof as Crystals ByCal (also in the UK). I've checked the roof space and exterior as best I can, though it's not possible to check all the corners in the roof, but haven't found any sign of birds. What I have found is bumblebees, though how they could possibly make little hooting noises is beyond me! Any thoughts? Or do I just have to look harder, maybe for an asthmatic rodent?

Thanks for the excellent blog, Regards, Martin

Dear David,

Thanks for the excellent article. I am being woken up between 5-7:30am because of what sounds like scurrying across the roof. We live in a new build with no attic or loft and have a flat roof. From your previous posts it suggest that this would be birds however the scurrying sounds too quick for birds.

Thanks for your help

Caroline

Hi I really need help ams advice! !
Ive just moved into a property and cam hear scratching/scurrying in the flat roof above the bathroom it can be at all different times of day/night if the bathroom windows been open and I slam it shut you hear "it" scurry away from the window!! Its driving me insane I cant sleep really need some advice on what it is.

Hey. I just moved into an apartment. My room is on the third floor, which I would consider an attic. About a week ago I started to hear things in the ceiling. Its a loud scratching sound, that continues even when I bang. It goes for 2-4 minutes then stops for a little then continues. It's always at night, usually around 12 am it starts. I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania, if that helps any. Hoping you could help. Thanks in advice.

Hello. Thank you for your website. I am hearing a strange noise during daylight hours that sounds a bit like a squeaky bed. You know the sound you might hear if someone turned over. But the noise began with a loud tapping noise. Sounded like neighbours putting up shelves for hours. Could happen anytime of day even 5am (when light). But neighbours r not diy folk. Not a human mating bed hitting wall noise btw! Now the noise is just a squeaky creaky noise. Like a creature talking maybe.Have checked all our beds For squeaks. Its not the beds. Could it be owls Or bats or magpies? A lot of magpies here in Essex, UK. No scratching shuffling sounds. Help!!

Hi David
I proudly caught a rat inside when it relocated to my place after my neighbour dug up her storm water drain. However I now think the scurrying/thumping on the roof and in the gutter at night could be another rat. I have arched ceilings so presume it must only be outside.
Unfortunately my gutters are filled with leaves and weeds, results of living in the bush and being unwell for a year so I couldn't do my seasonal clean. I wonder if I only need to get my gutters cleaned or do I need to also use poison?
Would I need to get my neighbours involved too, as I live in a block of 3 units, though mine is an end unit.

Thanks
Julie Akl NZ

I live in northern Indiana and bought an "old" new house. Last fall we were hearing scratching noises in a front exterior wall and ceiling. We would hear these at night around dusk. During winter it was silent. Then this spring noises. My husband removed some ground cover and patched up some holes thinking the noise was mice, even tho we haven't seen any evidence. Noises stopped, for a while! I've been waking early the past few months and will hear the noises around 4-5am. It had been like just once a week but this week it's been every morning so far. Any ideas? There is a few times I hear a vibrating sound like wings maybe? We have a drop ceiling in the room and hubby says no way to see in there. We only hear the noises in the front corner of our down stairs room. No other rooms.

Hi:

I live in South Florida and have noticed for several days now the sound of scratching, dragging, rolling and what sounds like something being dropped like cables in the walls and along exterior edges of roof line. At one point, I even heard what sounded like something hitting crystal or metal. These sounds only seem to happen between 11am and 1pm, oddly enough. What animal is active during this period? I hear nothing at night or in the morning. I know that there are squirrels, tree rats, large lizards and possibly possum in the immediate area. Any suggestions about what this could be? There' s only a crawl space above the ceiling, not a full attic. Thanks.

Hi David,

We currently live in the north of England, and the bedroom of the house is an attic bedroom. From around 1am in the morning onwards we can hear a loud clicking noise, 4-5 clicks, then a pause and then it continues. It's driving us crazy! We've noticed wasps flying under some of the roof tiles and then appearing to come back out again. Is this the source of the noise and is it something to be concerned about?

Best wishes

Hi there,
I live in Auckland, NZ and have just found this post.
I have been hearing a noise maybe once a week or so in our roof that sounds like it could be a mouse or rat. It is usually around 2-4 in the morning when I hear this noise right above my bedroom. No gnawing that I have noticed. The noise may be more frequent and I am simply sleeping through it, but it certainly is not every night.
We have almost impossible access to the roof area, and multiple outdoor pets so leaving bait around the garden worries us. No droppings that we have found, but we did once have a mouse in the living room which makes me more convinced of the sound.
Because it is rare to hear it, is it possible the mouse/mice are not actually living in there but simply keep returning every so often? Or is it more likely they have taken up residence somewhere in the house that I dont hear them?
Also what is the likelihood of them gnawing a hole in a wall without me noticing? I am terrified I am going to wake up to mice in my room one morning.

What would be your recommended course of action for our situation?

Thank you so much for your time, my apologies for the long post.

-Saysi

Hi David,

I am aware I have a rodent but I am unsure what kind. I've seen the thing run into my bathroom after coming out of my bedroom (stupidly left a window open so I am aware of how it's gotten in) but I can't tell if it's a rat or mouse. My friend believes it could be a baby rat but I've had pest control out he's found 2 small droppings and said mouse an he's left poison boxes. Tonight I've heard the loudest scratching which I've never heard before. It sounded like it was scratching through the walls in my bathroom. I plucked up the courage to turn the light on see if I could get a proper look but nothing to be seen an the scratching stopped immediately. I wonder if you can give any advice. I've laid out snap traps with peanut butter and they've gone untouched. I'm a massive germ phobe so my main worry is gettin sick. Just to add I am in North west England not sure I this helps at all. Thanks in advance

Hello we hear scurrying in our loft, starting about 6.30-10am, sometimes during the day and between 10-11pm. We have ordered humaine traps but am still waiting for them to arrive. We have been up there but cant see anything, but we cant get into corners or to very edge of the loft. I was wondering if you had any idea what it could be. Im in the uk. I though maybe squirrels or rats? Thank you

Hello, I live in a 3rd floor condo that used to be apartments in Orlando, Florida. For about the past week, I've been hearing something running across and scratching inside my bedroom ceiling between 6 & 9am. Today, the noise started in my living room wall on the side of the couch. There are trees trees outside my window but the wind isn't high and when I walked around the side to see, I only saw squirrels but I wouldn't see rats or mice outside anyway. I'm curious and quite scared of whatever it is and who is responsible for fixing the problem, my landlord or the homeowners association?

Hi David,

About a month ago, we moved into a new home in Texas with a lot of wildlife in our backyard (trees – squirrels, bugs, some roaches, maybe a bat, etc.) and it's starting to get cool outside at night now. Last night we heard a digging sort-of sound that seemed in our wall. It could have been from the attic above that room, or even outside on the roof. We turned on a light, got up, & saw nothing. It stopped. Went back to bed and it started again 15 mins later. We turned on our outside light and never heard it the rest of the night.

Any thoughts as to what would be reluctant to move with the lights on? Thanks so much!

Hi David,

About a month ago, we moved into a new home in Texas with a lot of wildlife in our backyard (trees – squirrels, bugs, some roaches, maybe a bat, etc.) and it's starting to get cool outside at night now. Last night we heard a digging sort-of sound that seemed in our wall. It could have been from the attic above that room, or even outside on the roof. We turned on a light, got up, & saw nothing. It stopped. Went back to bed and it started again 15 mins later. We turned on our outside light and never heard it the rest of the night.

Any thoughts as to what would be reluctant to move with the lights on? Thanks so much!

Hi David, great post.
I am still not sure what is living on my roof. I live in Canberra, Australia, I have been hearing noises that sound like biting/ scratching for almost 2 months now, it used to be only during the day and never after nightfall. However since a few days, it's now happening constantly 24/7.
I was sure it would be rats, but after reading your post, I am not so sure anymore.
It seems to be coming from the same location everytime, which makes me think that it could be a bird's nest, but again, it's hard to pin-point for sure.
I can't easily check the rooftop (no easy access) but one time I saw a crimson rosella (a native Australian bird) fly off as I was trying to look on the roof, and the noise stopped for a few hours after that. Coincidence? Maybe…maybe not?

We live in northern California, in the lower Sierra foothills, at about 3500'. We have grey squirrels and the smaller Douglas squirrel (relative of the notorious red squirrel) here. Our home is 2-story, with dormers. The roof is asphalt shingle, sloped on one side and flat on the back. Over the past 15 years, we've had issues with the grey squirrels chewing through the "triangle area" created where the dormer meets the sloped shingle roof. After eradicating them, we built several triangle-shaped frames to fit the space, and covered them with hardware cloth–no more problems. Now, however, we have infrequent scratching noises from the roof after dark, at about 11 pm or around 2-3 am. These noises are in a different area than before, and loud enough to wake me up after being fully asleep. (Luckily, they occur once or twice, and then we go weeks without them.) When we grab a flashlight and check outside, nothing can be seen. There are no overhanging branches and the roof area is kept clean of pine needles, etc., because of the current extreme drought in California (fire danger). Could this be a raccoon, come to play? We do have other nocturnal critters in this rural area (skunk, opossum, bear), and have seen all of them at different times. Any ideas?

For the past 2 nights, we have been hearing a scratching sound in between the ceiling and roof. it goes on between 2-4am. we banged the roof in the hope that whatever it is will scurry away, but no luck. it just keeps scratching just the roof space in our room only and no other part of the house. We cannot sleep once it starts. we live in Lagos, Nigeria. What could it possibly be as we are unable to sleep. What remedies are available?

Hi, I live in the UK and I'm hearing the occasional scurry and loud scratching mainly in one area of the ceiling above my front bedroom in my bungalow. I hear it around dusk and dawn but have head it during the day too in the morning and at lunchtime. It can occasionally be heard in other areas of the house but always tends to be around the external perimeter/ the flat roof we have above the extension at the side of the house. This morning around 730am above the usual place in my front bedroom it was very loud and then suddenly stopped…I heard no scurrying as if it had gone elsewhere in the house but did hear a bird tweet and fly at the same time it stopped. This could be a coincidence or wishful thinking though! It is difficult to inspect this area of the loft as it is a small section which does not run into the main loft apart from via a small hole. When my landlord tried to get in that hole there was no evidence of droppings or smell. My landlord informs me they have had rats before and on Saturday made sure that the pipe at the back of the house where they used to get in was completely sealed. Do we need to take the eves off to know what we are dealing with? It was so loud this morning but I found it strange how it stopped dead. Please help, I'm going out if my mind!

Hi, I am hearing loud scratching noises and the occasional scurry mainly above my front bedroom but sometimes on the flat roof of my extension or in other areas around the house but always around the external perimeter. It is only occasional and tends to be at dusk and dawn but I've also heard it around 1pm during the day and during the morning. My landlord admits they have had rats so ensured that the pipe was fully sealed on Saturday which used to be their entry point at the back of the house into the loft. Touch wood I've never heard it in the main loft space, only in a small area of the loft space above my front bedroom which doesn't join the main loft space apart from a small hole. My landlord has tried to squeeze through this hole but could not see any droppings or smell anything in that space. This morning at 730am the scratching was so loud, then I heard some bird tweets and a bird flying and then all noises stopped, I'm thinking it could be a coincidence or wishful thinking though! I darent sleep in there now but when I was sleeping in there I think I only tended to hear it in the early hours of the morning 6-7am when the heating comes on and it starts to get light. Do we need to remove the eves to see what we are dealing with? Could it be in a space 'between' the ceiling and the lift space hence why we are not seeing any evidence? Also I have an extractor fan in the ensuite to this room, it is grated plastic both sides but is it still possible that something could get in here? Please help as I am losing sleep and mind!

Hello Karylou,

If it were spring or summer in the UK I would be pretty sure what you describe is birds. But at this time of year the possibility of rodents is greater. It could still be birds roosting in your eaves or on the edge of the roof/gutter. The best way to know would be to take the time to stand outside the area in question at the usual time you hear noises and watch for birds coming or going. It might be 15 minutes well worth preserving you mind.

If there is no evidence of birds then rodents will be the most likely culprits and you should place some rodenticide and/or traps in the roof and in bait stations outside.

Also consider the possibilities of thermal expansion/contraction, trees brushing the roof in the wind and other animals such as squirrels.

I hope that helps.

David

Tennessee USA

I also hear the rats in my old wall heater I sealed the bottom of the heater with wood and metal pieces I still hear them 🙁

I can hear noises in my loft space late at night and early in the morning. I believe it could be a mouse. The problem I have is that my loft has been converted and laminate flooring is down. I have storage space in the eaves that is also boarded. I can only hear them in the loft space (no entry to the inside of the house). Is there a way of setting traps/poison without having to 'rip' the floor up?

I have lived in my bungalow for almost 5 years (UK) and over the last 4 weeks, we have started to hear scratching coming from the loft area. My husband has been up to investigate, but can't find any holes or means of access that could be used by mice/wildlife. The noise started near the hatch, but has recently been heard above our bedroom (front of property) and over the dining area (back). It normally starts about 7-8pm and then may go quiet for a few hours and then starts again 1-3am. The facias and downpipes have been checked for gaps and we have no tree's or plants growing near the property. We are attached one side and have asked neighbour if he has heard anything in his loft and he said definitely not. The scratching sometimes sounds louder and I think whatever it is, is going to come through the ceiling! I have imagined it could be a bird as the 'scrurrying' sounds like a bird running – then maybe a cat (?) at it appears to 'jump' from the beams and land with a bit of a 'thump'. We are at a loss as to know what it could be. We have mouse traps and sonic deterrants up there, coated birdseed/nuts with poison and even left the light on all night, but nothing has been touched or seems to scare our 'visitor'. There is no evidence of droppings and we are at a loss as to what it could be and what we are going to do. It is very worrying. Any advice you could give will be much appreciated. Thank you

I have lived in my bungalow for almost 5 years (UK) and over the last 4 weeks, we have started to hear scratching coming from the loft area. My husband has been up to investigate, but can't find any holes or means of access that could be used by mice/wildlife. The noise started near the hatch, but has recently been heard above our bedroom (front of property) and over the dining area (back). It normally starts about 7-8pm and then may go quiet for a few hours and then starts again 1-3am. The facias and downpipes have been checked for gaps and we have no tree's or plants growing near the property. We are attached one side and have asked neighbour if he has heard anything in his loft and he said definitely not. The scratching sometimes sounds louder and I think whatever it is, is going to come through the ceiling! I have imagined it could be a bird as the 'scrurrying' sounds like a bird running – then maybe a cat (?) at it appears to 'jump' from the beams and land with a bit of a 'thump'. We are at a loss as to know what it could be. We have mouse traps and sonic deterrants up there, coated birdseed/nuts with poison and even left the light on all night, but nothing has been touched or seems to scare our 'visitor'. There is no evidence of droppings and we are at a loss as to what it could be and what we are going to do. It is very worrying. Any advice you could give will be much appreciated. Thank you

David

I hear a slow, gnawing and scratching sounds coming from my attic at 5 AM almost every day. I live in NYC, USA. It stops when I bang on the ceiling or play angry cat sounds from my cel phone. I live in a frame house with stucco. We had mice in the kitchen before, but that is under control. What do you think it is and how can we get rid of it?

David

I hear a slow, gnawing and scratching sounds coming from my attic at 5 AM almost every day. I live in NYC, USA. It stops when I bang on the ceiling or play angry cat sounds from my cel phone. I live in a frame house with stucco. We had mice in the kitchen before, but that is under control. What do you think it is and how can we get rid of it?

Hi David:
I am reading , this in the morning. I could not sleep,due to thumping noises coming , seems like the baseboards near my bed. Stops, then continues 20 minutes again, thumping. I also notice that the lights in the kitchen are flickering. We had mice last year. I called the pest control, they used some bait, over a year ago. Seemed to stop. I do not see droppings. The noise is early morning 5 to 6"30 am.
What would be your suggestion..Live in Toronto Canada Thankyou any advice would be very appreciated.

I hear scratching noises in my ceiling, the scratching starts between 11pm and 3Am. whatever Is up there scratches for 30 minutes and moves about a foot and then starts scratching again. But I do not hear moving I just hear that the scratching went from one place to another. I also do not have any access to my ceiling. Can you please give me some kind of guidance?

Hi David I have some what similar problem as Angela, where I only hear noises during the day in the wall and/or attic and can't find the exact location. the animal control said they don't know what it is. when I tap or hit the wall the noise stops and starts again during the day. This happens sporadically during the day, especially when the sun is shining but not at night. hope you got some advice. Thanks

Thanks

but i heard animal scartches, also when i tap the wall, the noise stops. The problem is I cant pin point the exact location.

Hey David,

I am hearing scratching and scurrying noises in between my first floor and second floor bedrooms between 4am-6am near the edges of the house by the gutters. It's almost as if it enters near the gutter and squeezes in somehow. The noises are above me in the first floor bedroom and below me in the second floor bedroom. The fact that the noises are on the edges of the house make me think it is not actually inside. Any ideas?

Hi David
My name is Eloise and I have a noise which occurs either in my wall cavity around my window frame or in the roof space. It is a brick house with a timber frame. The noise occurs between midnight and 5 am for about 20 minutes each time and a couple of times each night. After tapping the wall or the ceiling it will stop for a few seconds then recommence. It sounds like something is incessantly rubbing a small rock back and forth. Whatever it is has dropped the object a couple of times and it is a small hard object with a rough surface. Whatever it is seems quite light on its feet as I don't hear any footsteps. A few weeks ago I also heard some light scurrying and scratching so I put some rodenticide throw packs in the roof cavity and they have stopped.
I have thrown some more rodenticide butwhatever this is obviously hasn't taken the bait.
I have not seen an entry/exit point into the roof cavity, nor have I seen any droppings.
I assume it is either a rat or a mouse, what it is doing I have no idea.
If you have any advice as to what it is and how to get rid of it would love know.
Thank you
Eloise

Hi David
My name is Eloise and I have a noise which occurs either in my roof or wall cavity around the window frame. Between midnight and 5 am for about 20 minutes each time and a couple of times most nights something is incessantly rubbing a small rock back and forth. In the past I have heard light scurrying and scratching, after using rodenticide in throw packs I no longer hear that. I don't tend to hear any footsteps just rock rubbing. It has dropped the item and definitely sounds like a small rock. I have not seen an entry or exit point nor have I seen any droppings.
I assume it is probably a mouse or rat, either way it hasn't been tempted but the rodenticide in the throw packs.
If you have any advice as to what you think it might be and how to get rid of it, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Eloise

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Hello,
We are in West Virginia and hear scratching noise around 9pm .Only happens in the warm months,I have seen what looks like mouse droppings and had a piece of insulation stripped down to the paper backing..I have placed poison and traps but have had no luck..also have 2 piles of what i believe is bat droppings.but would bats make a scracthing sound? any info would be great Thanks,Rubin

In a nutshell: greetings from New Hampshire, USA
1. Scratching sounds in wall of bedroom with exterior and interior walls
2. Sounds emit for about 15 minutes right before sunrise
3. I work at home so I am privy to other times of the day, but no scratching.
4. Cursory search of accessible insulation in attic shows no visible droppings
5. left light on in attic area to test for bats (assuming that's as clever as i think)

Please advise…

Thoughts?

Hi David,
For the last two nights I have been hearing scratching in a top corner of my bedroom, vaulted ceiling. Its at the top corner of an exterior wall. The scratching sound is heard at night when I go to bed around 8-9pm and continues until I fall asleep. I climbed on top of my nightstand to listen more closely and it sounds like scratching or gnawing on wood. I have not yet heard any animal sound like squeaking or otherwise. When I knock on the ceiling and area around the corner, the scratching sound still continues without pausing. I also hear this sound in the morning. It is presently 8:30am and I have been listening to it for the last 90 minutes. It is constant. What are your thoughts? If possibly a rodent, could it chew its way into my bedroom through the ceiling or wall? And if a rodent, why am I hearing this sound both during the day and at night time? I looked outside but couldn't see anything. My gutters have covers on them as well. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

Hello Dolly,

That the sound continues constantly, even when you knock, suggests to me that it is not caused by rodents or birds, or any other animal. I would consider the possibility of a branch rubbing against the exterior in the breeze, expansion sounds as wood warms or cools, pipework/plumbing making a noise with warming or cooling or water movement, or even (and I don't know where it the world you are) insects damaging the wood e.g. deathwatch beetle.

Note that sounds can be deceptive and appear to come from one place while in fact being created somewhere else and resonating or reflecting in spaces.

Kind Regards

David

Hi David.
I live in an old stone cottage in Scotland. In the living room I keep hearing a knocking/tapping sound. It's quite irregular and rapid, almost like a finger tapping on wood. It's coming from the corner and I'm unsure whether it's in the wall or the window frames, but there or there a outs. It sounds almost mechanical except I don't have pipes in here as I don't have central heating. It's def constant throughout the day on and off, and I'm unsure if it's there at night as I'm not in the living room at that time. I don't hear it anywhere else in the house. I'm in the countryside, I have no tree by the wall and I'm detached. Any thoughts please? Thanks. Annmarie

Hello I've been hearing what I think Is pecking at the roof. There are doors that lead into mini crawl spaces there and it sounds louder because of that it's between 4 and4:30 any explination? Thanks

Hi David.
I've been hearing noises on and off coming from my ceiling for the past 3.5 hours. It's normally 2 loud thumps and some scrambling. I've heard what sounds like something being moved or breaking/falling. As soon as I fall alseep, the noises start again. Please advise

I live in Cape Town, South Africa.

Hi David,
I live in the UK and have recently moved into a new flat. The house itself I think is a bit older (wouldn't be able to say how old because I'm bad at guessing things like that but certainly offering many places for rodents etc. to get in I would say). The flat is on the first floor and when we moved in it wasn't exactly clean (mostly dusty, but the floor and also curtains had stains on it which I now think may be droppings which were stood on? – for the floor, the curtains look like they actually have dried droppings on too? – pretty big ones too). After I woke up today I heard noises from the wall next to my bed and where my desk is (at 7.30 a.m.). This is also the only wall with windows. It sounded a bit like gnawing or clicking (but duller, a bit like the sound you make if you smack your lips?) and I tried banging it but it is hard to tell if that had any effect, as the sound only came kinda infrequently anyway. At first I thought I may have heard some scurrying after I banged (but very quietly, like rainfall) but later the noise only stopped for a while and then picked up again (although I don't know if that was just the usual interval, as I said it was infrequent anyway). I'm not sure how to find out whether it's rodents or just something to do with the pipes perhaps (the place I heard it at mostly is directly next to the boiler, and I have been to the bathroom before I heard it, however, the heating isn't on). The noise has mostly died down now (10 a.m.) and in the last half hour but it does come even less frequently than before. I don't know if that is because whatever is living there is less active now or because it's a mechanical issue that is getting less now? Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi, sometimes in the late night or early morning I can hear a scratching or gnawing inside one of my walls in my bedroom on the second floor of my house. If I bang on the wall a couple of times it stops but I have to do it a few times. I have trees pretty close to my house. It sounds more like something is chewing as opposed to scurrying around. And it's loud. It's definitely inside the wall and not on the outside.

Thanks for any help!

Hello David,

I have moved into a house about a month now and I have been hearing scurrying sounds in my roof from time to time.
It happens at various times-sometimes at nights,during the daytime and some mornings.
The roof is concrete. We do have two big mango trees at the side of the house. Sometimes you will find ripe mangoes eaten out that have fallen to the ground.
I have seen birds in the trees too.
There are no signs of any droppings in the house,
I live in Jamaica.
The only thing that we sometime have problems with inside the house are lizards.

Hi, David

For the last 3days I've been hearing these scratching noises in my room. First it was on the side of my bed now I'm hearing the same noice by my dresser. My Mom said "Oh it's just a squirrel in the roof" but I know that's not the case. I hear the scratching mostly at midnight when its very quiet. I am scared to even get out of bed! And im not getting very much sleep. What should I do?

Hello Queen,
Your Mum could be right but I would put out some rodent bait behind the dresser and check it every day for a week. If it is not a mouse or rat there will not be any bait eaten.
Could there be other causes? Wind rustling tree branch outside? Expansion contraction noise from pipes or guttering? Things sound much louder in the quietness of midnight.
Kind Regards
David

Yes, possum can be found in Australia, they move slower and gnaws slower than rodents. Even the cleanest home have unwelcome guests wandering around their house at the wee hours. Regular pest inspection and good treatment plan can be done to at least eradicate these pests.

Hi David – I live in Auckland and recently have had a clicking type sound develop in my wall. The house is made of hardiplank, the sound is not a gnawing or scratching, I would describe it as the same kind of sound that a computer hard drive would make as its thinking. It can be intermittent or constant and seems to present day or night. More importantly any pointers for getting rid of what ever it is? Great post by the way nice to find someone local who is so helpful. Thanks in advance, Dan

Hi David,

For about 4 months now, I've been living in an upper floor flat in a row of Victorian terraced conversions in London. Shortly after I moved in I found a dead mouse in the kitchen where poison traps had been laid previously. I disposed of the corpse but did not panic because I had seen no other evidence of an infestation – no droppings anywhere.

A few months later, I caught a live mouse in the waste paper basket in my bedroom! Then a couple of nights after that I began to hear a very loud gnawing sound coming from the wall behind my wardrobe, starting at about 4.30am. I'm certain it's rodents making the noise, but I don't know how to get rid of them if they're in the walls of a terraced Victorian house. They've made it to the first floor of the property. Should get pest control to check my loft or could this be an issue with my neighbours? My landlord did mention something about my neighbours next door (not below) being an issue.

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to us all. It's really kind.

Hello David. I had a couple questions I was hoping you could answer for me. Currently I am living in my grandmothers spare room in the backyard and she has had problems with roof rats for some time now. I would see them almost every night as I went to my room and I used to not hear anything in the walls but this past week its been raining a lot and its certainly gotten a lot colder and now through the majority of the night from like 11pm-6amish I hear constant scratching. Not just from one spot either, from like 4 or 5 different spots(and I have quite a small room) and I am worried that very soon they will make holes into my room. I was wondering if you knew of any methods to help me get rid of them.

Hi David. Great site. I have had no idea where to begin, who to call, if I should be overly concerned, etc. Every morning between 7-9 a.m. I hear loud scratching sounds coming from what sounds like the walls in my master bedroom. I'm hoping (I think) that it's birds based on what I'm reading here. But I have no idea where to look or what to do even if it is. House is single story and master ceiling is very high and makes up an entire corner of the house. I suppose the noise could be echoing down the walls to sound lower than it is. Any advice?

This is such an awesome post. Answers my question right away!
Thanks for this!

Hi David

Your advice and guidance has been fantastic to many and I've tried the organic approach to eradicating mice with essential peppermint oil sprayed on surfaces. Unfortunately this hasn't worked. The mice are not leaving a particular area and that's beneath a double wardrobe where the surface of the base has a gap and they've entered the foundation to the large wardrobe against a wall.

Please share your thoughts on how to tackle this infestation in the corner of the bedroom. The room actually has only a swingle bed and two side cabinets. It's very simply furnished so that the wardrobe contains all accessories, books and clothes.
This means that the bedroom is completely clutter free so I continue to wonder why the mice remain where they are and when will they leave? What is their supply of survival food when the kitchen remains clear from all boxed and refrigerated foods?

Thanks so much for your time.

Many thanks.

David, I happened onto this post by accident, while searching for the source of some scratching sound, coming from the intersecting corner of my LR & BR. I am glad you are still responding to newer posts.
Scenario being, the master BR is raised above the ground about a foot up to 2 foot, as there is a slope off of the main foundation, and this scratching occurs almost each night at about 3:20 almost like clockwork.The scratching, slightly possibly gnawing, is also heard in a closet transformed into a washer, dryer, space, opening in the living room in the LR that is back, to back with the master. Living room is on a granite block foundation also built off of the original house full basement foundation. House deed says 1935, pine beam construction, suggests otherwise. I have a cavity under the W&D that was put in a few years ago reworking the shelf of the original LR closet. I use a piece of wood directly beside the washer,and this stops the critter from working, only after a few tappa tappas. It starts again next night. I have 3 mousing cats, in the house, and I spread some kitty litter around the, well made, Pressure treated upright slats with 3/4 spacing and slightly larger spaces under the slats in some places, definitely not allowing large rodents, groundhogs, squirrels, large birds, or the like get into that enclosure around the master. Long winded story. What may be in there, unaffected by the litter?

Hi David,

I live in Ontario, Canada. Down south. My family lives in a little three story house and my brother and I both have rooms on the top floor, right below the attic.

Around Christmas time my brother said he heard a scratching sound in his room, but my dad brushed it aside thinking it was a tree because it was too cold for a critter to be out. Now the scratching is back though, only it's in my room. It happens various times throughout the day. It was just scratching around 7:50 am for ten minutes. Usually I hear it around 1 in the afternoon but something later around 3 or 4 pm. Last night though I was up at 2 am and I heard the sound again. Sometimes I do hear scurrying but when my dad hit the wall before the thing didn't run away – it just stopped for 10 or so minutes then started up again.

Any thoughts? Initially we thought it was a chipmunk but with the nighttime scratching we think it might be a mouse – my cats caught one outside before.

Hi David

I am really worried as I hear a scratching at around 10.30-11pm at night, it only lasts a couple of minutes then nothing (although it may happen once I am asleep) it is always in the same spot, same time and only lasts a few minutes (if that). It is not the birds walking around (I have a flat roof) as they are very distinctive. If it is insects surely that would last longer, I had the flat roof completely redone 2 years ago and this has just started. It is, however, on the join between my property and next door (or certainly that's what it sounds like). I am on my own and really quite afraid of ladders/heights so haven't gone up to take a look, but if you think it may be something destructive I will find someone to go up!
Many thanks
Ali

Hi David, I'm in England. I first heard a scratching sound coming from the attic about a week ago at midnight and then again at around 3am. At first I thought it was the neighbour and i was imagining things. I heard nothing else since until about 7:45am today (it was light outside). Not sure what it could be with it happening in the middle of the night and the morning, what are your thoughts please?

Hi David

Im in Ireland Dublin. Im living in a house. My bedroom is located on the 2nd floor of a house. In the corner of the attic in bedroom I hear loud scratching an sometimes can be mild. I dont see droppings in the room.

The sound is like someone is knocking books an trying to get at me by scratchin the floor boards. I hear it during the day if im hoovering the room also

Fortunately I know im the culprit as i had food in the room,might aswell have invited them in. However my big question is weather its a rat or mice. Im extremely worried its a rat. I could handle mice. But rats i fear more as they could attack me personally when im asleep.

Im really scared. Im staying at friends places for the noment as i cant sleep there.

Im also worried I will lose my accommodation so i havent told my landlord the pest is above me bedroom, i told him it was in the hallway so he put up a trap. I hoped the rodents would follow from my bedroom to the hallway an die but they wouldnt an nothing in the traps.

I feel terrible. I cant relax anymore. Just dont know what to do. If it was a mouse I could atleast sleep fine in the house but not a rat. Ive gotten mixed feedback online,so its hard to know which one its more likely to be.

It is definately not a bird. Its a rat or a mouse. I just wish i knew which. Im too afraid to check the attic.

Cheers in Advance,

Dave.

Hi I live in England, Yorkshire. For the last 1 week I can hear noises like fast walking only in one part of my ceiling. ( above the window). Only happens during day, starts at dawn and on and off during day, no noises during night.is it birds? Spring just started here and no noises during winter. How do I stop the noise any solutions?

I live near Sydney. If it is rats in my attic, why don't they eat (and die) my many large rat blocks I have put up for them? Is is maybe not rats after all? Do Blue Tongued Lizards climb into roofs and are active at night? The roof space was possum-proofed by a professional carpenter. So – what other animal could it be? A small cuscus? Thanks for suggestions.

Is it possible for nocturnal birds like owls to enter your home? And also, could it be possible that the rats/mice are building nests in my roof?

Hello Ava,
It is possible but would be unusual for a bird such as an owl to enter your home. It is more likely that rats or mice would nest in your roof.
Kind Regards
David

Hello David
My girlfriend is worrying because in her house she's been hearing noises. Sounding like scratching. Anyway this occurs around 7am, 4pm and other times during the day. She lives in a Terrace property, the noises are in the roof, loft area and near the front of the house. We live in England. Is this most likely to be birds?

Hello David,
I have had trouble with rats for some six months I told the landlord who got the Council in and put some poison in the attic roof. This has killed one or two but I can still hear rats running around the rafters and they have been getting in through the kitchen under kitchen units etc which I have blocked with plasterboad and I have done the same in the bathroom and in my lounge where they were scratching, my question is will the rats get through the plasterboard and wood that I have covered the holes with eventually as I am really on edge that they are going to chew their through again.
Kind Regards
Jackie

Hello David,
I hear scuttling noises early some mornings and have done so for sometime. This morning I discovered a small box of unopened chocolates that had been on the dining table , were in the floor and the packaging nibbled and eaten away at.
Do suspect mice or rats? I'm in suburban Auckland. Thank you

Hi David,

Will they eventually eat through the ceiling and collapse my roof? We have to wait A WHILE before the Pest control guys get to our house on the waiting list. The last thing I'd want is to have my ceiling fall on me in the middle of my sleep.

Regards,
Annie