Timing is the best clue, volume the second. Between them you can usually work out what you are dealing with before anyone visits — and the difference is up to £90.
Timing is the strongest clue. Daytime activity, especially early morning and late afternoon, points to squirrels. Noise starting after dark and fading by dawn points to rats or mice.
Volume is the second. Squirrels sound substantial — thumps and rolling. Mice are a light fast skitter. Rats sit between.
| Squirrel | Rat | Mouse | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When | Daytime, dawn and dusk | After dark | After dark |
| Volume | Heavy, unmistakable | Moderate | Light |
| Character | Thumping, rolling, running | Scratching, dragging | Fast skittering |
| Droppings | Large, rounded | Tapered, ~15mm | Small dark specks |
| Insulation | Torn up in quantity | Some nesting | Small nests |
| Seen outside | Often, on roof or fence | Rarely | Rarely |
| Price | £280 | £190 / £240 | £190 / £240 |
Squirrels are diurnal — awake and active in daylight, asleep at night. Rats and mice are largely nocturnal. That difference is behavioural and consistent, which makes it more reliable than judging volume through a ceiling.
So the question worth answering carefully is: when exactly do you hear it? Note the times over three or four days.
Heavy thumping at three in the afternoon is a squirrel. Light scratching at three in the morning is a mouse. Most cases are that simple.
Unmistakably substantial. People describe it as someone rolling a ball, dragging something, or walking about upstairs. Bursts of activity concentrated early morning and late afternoon, often with heavy gnawing sounds.
Moderate scratching and scurrying, often with dragging as material is moved. Mostly after dark. May be heard in walls and under floors as well as the loft — rats range through a building more than squirrels.
Light, fast, skittering, in short bursts. Almost entirely nocturnal. Frequently heard in ceiling voids and wall cavities rather than only the loft.
Fluttering, scrabbling and often audible calls, particularly at dawn. More constant than rodent noise, concentrated near the eaves. Nesting birds have legal protections.
A steady buzzing or rustling, most likely from mid-summer, sometimes described as a distant radio. If you also see wasps entering the roof from outside, that is what it is — and it is £90 fixed cost.
See our complete service, published price and treatment information.
View Squirrel Control Harrow →That last one matters. All UK bat species are legally protected, and it is an offence to disturb them or damage a roost. If you find droppings that crumble to a glittery powder, stop, do not disturb anything further, and seek advice from a bat conservation organisation before any work is done in that roof space.
| Animal | Service | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Squirrel | Trapping | £280 |
| Rat | Treatment | £190 flat / £240 house |
| Mouse | Treatment | £190 flat / £240 house |
| Wasps | Nest treatment | £90 fixed |
| Birds | Depends — legal protections apply | Ask us |
| Bats | Protected — do not disturb | Seek specialist advice |
This is why we would rather help you identify it than take a booking. Getting it wrong wastes a visit.
Read nextRat Control Harrow – How Much Does Professional Treatment Cost? →Occasionally. A loft with an open entry point may host more than one species over time, and squirrel damage frequently creates the opening rodents later use.
Not necessarily. Activity can pause seasonally or when young disperse. The entry point is still there.
Only if it is safe and boarded. If not, tell us instead.
If it is a buzzing rather than a scratching, that is wasps — £90 fixed cost across Harrow, guaranteed.
Timing above all. Squirrels are active in daylight, especially early morning and late afternoon; rats after dark.
Heavy and substantial — thumping, rolling and running in bursts, often with loud gnawing.
Light, fast skittering, almost entirely at night, often in ceiling voids and wall cavities.
Squirrel droppings are larger and rounded; rat droppings tapered and around 15mm; mouse droppings small dark specks.
Those are likely bat droppings. All UK bats are legally protected — do not disturb anything and seek specialist advice.
Yes — fluttering and scrabbling with audible calls, especially at dawn. Nesting birds have legal protections.
Squirrel trapping £280; rat or mouse £190 flat or £240 house; wasp nest £90 fixed.
Not necessarily. Activity pauses seasonally, and the entry point is still there.
Tell us what you hear and when. Identifying it properly is the difference between a £280 job and a £240 one.
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