Rats in walls but not in house

On a typical day, you probably don’t think about what’s going on behind the walls of your house or upstairs in your attic. However, that might change if you’re ever faced with a rat infestation.

Rats in walls but not in house

But how do you know if there are rats in your walls or in the attic? And how can you help get rid of rats in walls?

Tell-Tale Signs of Rats in the Walls or Attics

It can be difficult to tell if you have a rat infestation unless you actually see a live or dead rat in your home. Nonetheless, there are several indications that rats may have set up camp in your house, including:

  1. Squeaking or scurrying sounds in the walls
  2. Running or soft footstep sounds primarily at night
  3. Piles of droppings in an area behind a stove, in the basement or attic, or on the ground
  4. Food packages, containers or wooden spoons that have been gnawed on
  5. Rub marks, which look like an accumulation of dirt and grease
  6. Nests made of shredded paper, furniture stuffing or other soft materials
  7. Disturbed insulation
  8. Ducts that seem to have been chewed or gnawed on

That being said, there are other rodent pests, such as mice, who can leave behind the same signs when they invade your home. Because of this, the recommended way to determine if you have rats in the walls is to contact a professional pest control service provider, like Terminix®, to help get rats out of walls. 

How Do Rats Get into the Home?

Some rats, like the roof rat, are excellent climbers, meaning they’ll have no trouble making their way into your house by scampering across tree limbs or scaling ivy and trellises. They can also fit through holes about the size of a quarter. That means if there are any unsealed nooks or crannies around your home, they’ll likely find a way to invite themselves in.

What Kind of Damage Can Rats Cause to Homes?

In addition to carrying pathogens that can transmit diseases to humans, rats can potentially cause damage to your home’s structure and fixtures. They’ve been known to nest in and destroy insulation, and they can chew through electrical wires, which can cause house fires.

What else can a rat chew through? Well, it’s actually a better question to ask what these rodents won’t gnaw on, as they’ve been known to damage metal and plastic pipes, wooden beams and joists and even soft concrete. The destruction these creatures can leave in their wake could really hit you hard financially.

How to Help Get Rid of Rats in Walls

Rats are prolific breeders, so infestations can be a pain to control. You can try to save yourself a lot of this headache by undertaking preventative measures to help get rats out of walls, including:

  1. Inspecting the perimeter of your home and sealing any holes or cracks that are larger than one-fourth of an inch
  2. Keeping ivy and tree limbs trimmed back from your home
  3. Storing stacks of firewood and piles of debris far away from the house to help eliminate potential shelters
  4. Installing thick weather stripping on the bottoms of doors or making sure doors seal completely
  5. Storing food in airtight containers (This goes for pet food, too.)
  6. Making sure indoor and outdoor trash cans are sealed

If you do think you have a rat infestation, don’t try to deal with this problem yourself. A trained Terminix® technician knows the most effective ways for removing rats from your home. And if you want to help prevent them from getting into your home in the first place, a Terminix specialist can conduct a free inspection of your home to determine where rats are getting in and which kind you are dealing with.

Rats in walls but not in house

Rats in the walls – what do you do?

Rats in the walls – what do you do?

April 7, 2019

The last few nights have been strange. You’ve almost been asleep, starting to drift off to la la land, and then you hear a strange sound.

It doesn’t sound like the usual possum making their way across your roof or something in the bushes outside. It sounds like something is inside your house, but it’s not in your room. You probably didn’t think much more of it and fell asleep. It continues on and on for the next week and by this point, you’re fed up and not sure what to do.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s likely rats. And they’ve made themselves at home inside your walls. This is all kind of starting to make sense to you now, as last week, you found what looked like some droppings, but didn’t think much of it as you did your weekly vacuum. Rats are pesky little critters and would love to make a home inside your house, just as much as you. If you think you’ve got rats in the walls, Cure All Pest Control is the trusted name in rodent control in Brisbane and surrounding suburbs.

How do I know they’re rats and not mice, or even something else?

Rats in walls but not in house

This is a great question. Both rats and mice are equally as annoying as each other, but rats are more of a headache when it comes to destroying things they shouldn’t be touching. Identifying which species has invaded your property is fairly easy, with this recent article we wrote about identifying rodent and mice species. It covers the most common rat and mice species found in Brisbane. If you’re still unsure about what species is actually wreaking havoc in your walls, it’s definitely a job that should be left to the professionals. At Cure All Pest Control, we have over 50 years of experience in dealing with rat and mice infestations.

I know what species it is, can’t I just use rat bait?

Rats in walls but not in house

Well, you can try, but there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Here’s a quick hypothetical for you; you head down to Bunnings, stock up on rat bait and place it all through the roof. About a week passes and there is an ungodly stench coming from your roof. Once you inspect it, you realise you’ve accidentally poisoned a brushtail possum who was sharing the roof cavity with those rats. Uh oh. Did you know that possums are actually protected wildlife in Australia? Now you’ve got to dispose of an animal that you’ve killed, which is protected under the Wildlife Act. Anyway, you get the point. This is why Cure All Pest Control exist, and why we are the best in the business. Don’t risk fines and a heavy conscience trying to be a DIYer.

It’s simply not worth the risk of doing it yourself to save a few dollars. Cure All Pest Control’s technicians are experts in rodent detection and identification. Years of expertise coupled with the correct tools, chemicals and pest control techniques, makes for hassle-free experience with Cure All. Contact us today for a quote or to book in if you’d like your house back, and pest free!

About Cure All Pest Control

Cure All pest Control have been protecting your family home from termites and pests for 50 years. Brisbane's trusted pest control.

More by Cure All Pest Control

How do you get rid of rats in walls?

How to Get Rid of Rats from Your Walls.
Prevent Access. First, it is important to make sure that you stop the rats from accessing the house. ... .
Use Traps and Bait Systems. Next, it is time to start getting rid of the rats that are already there. ... .
Use Dehydrating Rat Killers..

How are rats getting in my walls?

How Do Rats Get into the Home? Some rats, like the roof rat, are excellent climbers, meaning they'll have no trouble making their way into your house by scampering across tree limbs or scaling ivy and trellises. They can also fit through holes about the size of a quarter.

How long can a rat live in a wall?

Rats in the wild are prey to snakes, coyotes, owls and other animals, so they often live for less than a year, but rats living in more protected indoor areas can live for two to three years.

How long does it take a rat to chew through a wall?

Any mouse is capable of chewing through a thin, soft wall made of plywood or drywall from less than two hours up to one week. A wooden wall won't stop them for long either, but a thicker, wooden wall may take them a few days or a couple of weeks.