What Do Mice Sound Like In Walls? (Find Out Now!)

While mice may not be as intimidating as large black or brown rates, they are still perfectly capable of bringing with them the same destruction and diseases as these larger rodents. If you are able to recognize the sounds that mice may in your home, you have a higher chance of eliminating them before they cause serious damage.

If you’ve been hearing strange noises in your home, you may be wondering if you have mice living in your walls. If you listen closely or pay attention in the evening hours, mice make occasional scratching, gnawing, scurrying, and squeaking noises inside the hollow walls of your home. They also make what can be described as foraging noises. When they’re making their nests they carry twigs, paper, and other debris throughout your home and it’s likely that these items are what you may be hearing.

Oftentimes, the presence of mice isn’t very apparent until you have an infestation. The best way to eliminate a mouse problem is to determine that they are living in your home as early as possible. Since mice are breeding machines, it won’t be long before your problem grows exponentially. So, what do mice sound like in walls, and how did they get there in the first place? Continue reading to find out.

Since mice have nocturnal patterns, you’ll typically hear them in the dead of night. Though, they will also come out during the day if it’s quiet or if they need to find a food source. Rodents like mice and rats aren’t the only pests that can make noise in your home. Sounds in the middle of the day may be a sign of a squirrel infestation, as they are diurnal. Opossums and raccoons will also produce noises if they are in your home.

Since it’s so quiet in the evening hours, if you are hearing mice noises they will probably be amplified. This can make you think that you have a much bigger animal in your home, like a squirrel or raccoon.

With this in mind, the best way to confirm that the noises you hear are mice is to tap on a wall or make a sudden loud sound when you hear the noises. If the gnawing, scratching or scurrying stops, you probably have a mouse problem.

Mice find entry points into your home by following air currents that flow between the inside of your house to the outside. Their goal is to find shelter, warmth, water, and a food source. Once they find all of these things, they will remain and build their nests. Mouse infestations are most common in the fall and winter months when temperatures drop.

With that said, it’s no surprise that the main cause of mice activity within walls has to do with targeted areas that are neglected or vulnerable, providing easy access for the rodents.

Vents like dryer vents, attic vents, soffit vents, crawl space vents, and turbine vents all lead to the outdoors. They are designed for airflow and to provide ventilation for your home. When holes or gaps are present, mice can seek out the air currents to make their way inside.

Once they gain access, they will nest within wall voids, and begin making those telltale scratching noises at night. The solution to this problem is to either create a barrier or repair and replace the damaged vents.

Since rodents can slip into gaps as small as ¼ inch, cracks in your foundation are incredibly vulnerable. These cracks typically occur when the ground is settling, which causes the foundation to shift. Another common problem is water erosion as a result of bad gutters and downspouts or improper drainage.

While there may be different types of cracks in your foundation for a variety of reasons, if any space exists, a mouse can get in. Then, they’ll have no problem getting into your walls.

Weep holes are the name given to intentional gaps between bricks when a home has a masonry exterior. The purpose of these holes is to allow built-up water to escape and prevent moisture from getting stuck behind the bricks. While it’s not recommended to seal up or fill in weep holes, they should be screened off to prevent insects, mice, and other rodents from entering.

Since weep holes are exposed and generally pretty large, they offer the perfect space for unwanted visitors. Implement professional materials that prevent rodent entry but still allow the holes to breathe. This will help keep the weep holes functioning as intended, while also reducing the likelihood of a mice infestation.

Also known as a roof gap or construction gap, a “builder’s gap” is often created when a home is built to allow the house to breathe. The opening is located where the gutters and roof meet and runs horizontally where the two components should meet. Since it is usually covered by shingles, you may not even know that you have a builder’s gap on your roof.

However, this opening is notorious for allowing rats, squirrels, and mice to enter your attic. Then, once they are in your attic, it’s very easy for them to migrate into your wall voids. In this situation, your best course of action is to hire a pest control specialist to secure this area of your home against mice.

Utility pipes, like sump pumps, aren’t always sealed off completely where they meet the exterior of your home. Since mice are skilled climbers, they will use any gaps around your piping to enter your walls and basement. Walk around the outside of your house and inspect for these gaps.

Any piping that creates a space of at least ¼ inch should be addressed immediately. Even if you don’t have a current rodent problem, leaving these gaps unchecked leaves your home vulnerable to infestations in the future.