Light, fast, after dark, and inside a wall rather than overhead — that combination is mice, and it is the most common thing we get called about.
Usually, if it is light, fast, and starts after dark. Mice live in wall cavities and under floors, which is why people hear them far more often than they see them.
Heavy movement overhead in daylight is a squirrel. Heavier scurrying at night is a rat. Chirping at the eaves in spring is birds.
| What it sounds like | Most likely |
|---|---|
| Light, fast scratching in a wall or under a floor | Mice |
| Heavier scurrying, with gnawing, along a fixed route | Rats |
| Thumping, rolling, dragging — overhead, in daylight | Squirrel |
| Chirping and fluttering at the eaves in spring | Nesting birds |
| Rustling or squeaking around dusk | Possibly bats — see below |
| Tapping or ticking with no movement | Usually plumbing or expansion, not an animal |
Where you hear it narrows it as much as when.
| Where | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| Inside a wall, at ear height | Mice in the cavity |
| Under the floor, ground floor | Mice or rats in the subfloor void |
| Behind or under kitchen units | Mice — the commonest location of all |
| Overhead in an upstairs room | Loft — rats, mice or squirrels |
| Behind a boxed-in pipe or airing cupboard | Mice using a service route |
| In a chimney breast | Birds, or a bird that has fallen in |
See our full mouse control service, published prices and what proofing involves.
View Mouse Control Kenton →It costs nothing and it tells us more than a five-minute inspection does.
All UK bats and their roosts are legally protected. Bat activity is usually rustling or squeaking around dusk, with small dark droppings that crumble to a glittery powder — rodent droppings do not. If you suspect bats, stop and take specialist advice.
Spring, at the eaves, chirping and fluttering. Some species and their active nests are legally protected. It resolves when the young fledge, and proofing is done afterwards.
| Animal | Flat | House |
|---|---|---|
| Mice | £190 | £240 |
| Rats | £190 | £240 |
| Squirrel | £280 | £280 |
Mouse and rat pricing is identical, so a wrong guess between those two costs you nothing. Squirrel is a different programme.
In a quiet house at night, easily. It does not mean there is only one.
Cavities and voids carry sound. The noise is often not where the mice are.
Not while there is food and shelter.
A buzzing rather than a scratching in a wall usually means wasps — £90 fixed in Kenton, guaranteed.
Usually, if it is light, fast and starts after dark. Mice live in wall cavities and under floors.
Mice are light and fast. Rats are heavier, often with gnawing, and move along a fixed route.
Heavy daytime movement overhead is usually a squirrel.
Rice-sized dark droppings under the sink and behind base units, greasy smear marks along skirtings, gnawed packaging and a musky smell.
Possibly — rustling or squeaking around dusk. All UK bats and their roosts are protected, so stop and take specialist advice if you suspect them.
Cavities and voids carry sound. The noise is often not where the mice actually are.
Mice and rats are both £190 flat and £240 house. A squirrel is £280 for the trapping programme.
Not while there is food and shelter.
Tell us the time of night and how heavy it sounds. That usually narrows it before anyone visits.
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