Listen at night
Scratching, scurrying or gnawing in the ceiling or walls is the most common first sign. Rats and mice are most active after dark, so the noise often starts when the house goes quiet.
Look for droppings
Small dark droppings in the attic, the garage or along walls mean rodents have been there. Don’t touch them with bare hands. The CDC says to air the space out and soak droppings with disinfectant first.
Check the insulation
Flattened paths, tunnels or shredded insulation show where rodents travel and nest. Soiled insulation usually has to come out before new insulation goes in. See attic cleaning.
Look at wires, ducts and boxes
Gnawed wires, torn or crushed ducts and chewed boxes in storage are signs too. Damaged ducts can be replaced with new flexible insulated ducts.
What to do next
Traps catch the rodents already inside, but they don’t stop new ones. The fix is to find every way in and seal it. Book a free inspection: we check the attic, crawl space, garage and the openings outside, and send a written quote the same day. We seal with galvanized steel mesh, putty and concrete, and we don’t use poison. See rodent proofing.