How to Identify Mouse Sounds in Your Home

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House mice don’t seem as intimidating as other pests like huge brown and black rats, but they are still capable of causing the same disease and destruction as these larger rodents. If you can recognize the sound of mice in a home, it’s possible to eliminate them before they can cause serious damages.

So how can you identify mouse sounds in your home? Mice are quiet creatures that don’t make much sound. Like other rodents, mice create ultrasonic sounds that are hard for humans to discern. If there is a mice infestation in a home, occasional scratching, gnawing, scurrying, and squeaking noises inside the hollow walls may be heard if you listen closely.

What Sounds Do Mice Make?

The 2014 survey by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) revealed that around 21 million US homes are invaded by mice and other rodents every year during winter. This is because homes provide these creatures with warmth and a stable food source that is hard to come by outside.

If you suspect a mice infestation in the house during this season, it’s going to be hard to track these pests by simply relying on the sounds they make. It’s better to observe other signs of their presence, such as droppings and gnaw marks.

Mice Noises at Night

Mice are more active at night because of their biological clocks. As you tuck yourself into bed at night, that’s generally the time when a mouse’s day begins. It’s possible to hear them create tiny noises like chirps and squeaks when they are searching for food and water. Aside from these noises, they can also be heard scampering and scurrying inside walls and along baseboards.

How is Mice Noise Different from Other Rodents?

Mice are just one kind of rodent; rodents also include other bigger species like rats and squirrels. They mainly communicate through ultrasonic sounds that can only be interpreted by other rodents. Although the sounds that these rodents create are quite similar to each other, there are still important distinctions that set one species apart from the rest.

Mice

Mice utilize ultrasonic vocalizations that humans can’t hear without the proper tools or devices. They use it to talk to other mice about their environment and its physical condition. These creatures are also more likely to create audible noises than rats.

Mice produce high-pitched squeaks that are similar to chirping birds when relaying messages to each other. It’s also possible to hear them scuffling around as they skitter through the pipes and walls. You might also hear scratching sounds created by their claws whenever they attempt to grip different surfaces.

Rats

Like mice, rats are also quiet creatures. Although they squeak every now and then, they are more likely to be heard when they move around. They can also hiss audibly when in distress to ask for help or warn others about a threat. If you move closer to their nest at night, there’s a chance that they are chattering to each other.

Using a special device, the ultrasonic vocalizations created by rats can be heard as chirping or whistle-like sounds. A pup can create this sound when separated from its mother, but adult rats also use it to communicate.

Squirrels

These rodents are easier to identify than rats and mice because of their bushy tails. Squirrels are also typically louder than these pests since they vocalize in a way that humans can also hear. They are typically heard chirping and chattering in parks and trees during the day.

Squirrels can be heard making alarm calls which sound like “kuk” and “quaa.” The former is heard in rapid succession when the creature warns other squirrels nearby about imminent danger, while the latter is for when the threat is gone.

Mouse Sounds and Their Meanings

If you’re trying to decipher what the mice are doing based on the sounds they make, here is a quick guide about different mice noise and what they mean:

  • Scratching – This sound indicates that the mice are digging, crawling, or climbing. It is usually created when their claws grip a surface.
  • Gnawing – Mice have continuously growing teeth, which is why they must chew on different materials to keep them short. They constantly gnaw on a variety of things, so it’s easy to hear them produce chewing noises.
  • Scurrying – Mice are more active at night, which is why they can be heard scurrying around in an attempt to get to one place from another.
  • Squeaking – Chirping and squeaking are just two ways that mice communicate with each other. Most of their conversation is created through ultrasonic vocalizations that humans can’t hear without the help of special devices.

3 Ways Mice Communicate

Aside from sound, mice can communicate with each other using several ways. The occasional squeaking you may hear in a mouse infested home barely scratches the surface of what a mouse can do to communicate with others. Here are three important ways of communication that mice use when relaying messages to each other:

  1. Sounds – Aside from the squeaking, gnawing, scurrying, and scratching noises that mice do, they can also communicate using ultrasonic vocalizations. Some of them even convey their messages through singing, as birds do. These songs vary depending on the context, but they are typically used for parenting and mating.
  2. Spreading Urine – In addition to the possible contamination that mice urine can bring, these rodent excretions also contain pheromones that can affect the behavior of other mice. Female mice spread their urine to attract a potential mate, while male mice utilize it to mark their territory.
  3. Actions – Just like humans, mice can also communicate through body language. Certain postures can influence the behavior of other mice. Mice can also use their tails in hostile situations – a rattling tail means that the mouse is showing signs of aggression.

Places in Your Home Where You Might Hear Mouse Noises

Mice love hanging around places that are dark and quiet because they are shy creatures that want to be left alone. If you hear mouse noises in any of these places, it might be time to set up traps or call a professional exterminator before the infestation worsens:

  • Wall Voids – Since these pests are nocturnal creatures, they are more likely to move around and create noises at bedtime inside the walls of the room. They can also set up a nest in a wall void that’s near the pantry.
  • Attic – Mice often hang around in attics because it provides them with proper insulation. It’s also easy to reach wall voids that lead to the kitchen and other pantry areas if the mice nest is built in the attic.
  • Drawers and Cabinets – If there are drawers and cabinets in the home that are unused, there’s a chance that the mice will build a nest near it. These areas typically provide them with nesting materials.
  • Storage Areas – If you have a storage room filled with towers of paper, it’s only a matter of time before the mice discover this stash and tear the sheets apart for their nest-building. Make sure that all the files are neatly organized and important documents are stored in a much safer place.
  • Secluded Places – Since they prefer to be left alone, mice will find areas in the home that are secluded. These are places like infrequently used rooms or old furniture pieces stuck in the basement.
  • Air Ducts – Mice typically use air ducts to travel between places. If a mouse dies inside the cooling or heating duct, there will be a foul odor throughout the home. For mice that are invading the air ducts, lure them into a mousetrap using the right bait, such as peanut butter.

Call Pinnacle Pest Control for Mice Control at Home

Even the smallest squeaks and chirps you might hear from mice should not be taken lightly. These rodents can infest a home and put your family in danger, which is why it’s crucial to get rid of them immediately.

Here at Pinnacle Pest Control, we provide rodent removal services that will keep the pests from invading your home again. Call us now to learn more about our safe and effective pest control services.

Read more: How to Lure a Mouse Out of Hiding

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