Both mice and rats can squeeze through holes as small as a quarter and they will gravitate towards the warmth and shelter of your home, finding any small crack to wriggle their way into your life. To help prevent this check the utilities around your home, such as hose taps, electrical boxes, and dryer vents, for gaps or cracks that could lead into your home. Sealing these entry points can help ensure you don’t fall pretty to a pest infestation. Also, any trees or bushes that may be touching your siding or roof can allow mice into your home acting like a highway from your yard onto your roof. Once there, these unwelcome guests often find a way to burrow into your attic and home.

Luckily, it is virtually impossible to have rodents in your home and not hear anything, so it’s not surprising that one of the first clues to having mice or rats in your walls is the sounds. Typically, you will hear rustling and scurrying as they make their way through your walls and around your home. At night, sounds of squeaking are often reported as mice are nocturnal and will be very active. Additionally, you may hear a good portion of scratching which could indicate that the mice are branching out into new areas of your home. There’s also often some notable gnawing or chewing noises that can be heard within walls as they destroy walls and fixtures to make room for their growing nests. Aside from noise, other common indications include droppings and urine, chew holes in your walls or molding, remnants of nests such as paper or leaves, and any disturbed insulation.