Mouse/Rat in the wall or floor?


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Old 01-30-17, 10:32 AM
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Mouse/Rat in the wall or floor?

Hi everyone, some facts up front : I'm from Canada, pacific north west. I live on 5 acres of mixed farmland. I'm not naive to think that there is not rodents around. We have never had a problem in our house, I find them outside dead rarely. There are mulitiple cats on the property. I am a 38 year old male who is terrified of mice/rats ( insert joke here )

Last week I was sitting in my living room. No one else was awake and heard a scratching/rubbing on wood noise coming from the wall/floor down at floor level. Wife came out, found nothing in the home. I left for work and she heard it for another few seconds after I left and then nothing. We left it for a few days and thought maybe it was just something random until this morning my wife awoke at 5:30 am to hear it in our bedroom ( 30 feet away from original occurrence ) down low under the floor and then around 6 am I heard it also. There are no other visual signs anywhere in the house, poop, urine smell, chewed stuff etc.. It doesn't seem to happen all the time. It is a two story house. I don't know enough about the build of the home but is it possible there is a void between the floor and basement ceiling? Our cats are not expert hunters but they will kill stuff and they don't seem to be on high alert.

Any suggestions? We are going to have someone come out but I would like to hear from the people to see if i'm nuts or is this possible?

Thanks
 
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Old 01-30-17, 10:45 AM
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I've laid awake at night before hearing a mouse chew on the framing [possible destruction is what kept me awake] A good mouser [cat] will pick up on a mouse that he has any kind of access to it. There is a void between the basement ceiling and the floor above. It may be filled or partially filled with insulation.

if i'm nuts or is this possible?
Don't know you well enough and not qualified to say if you are possibly nuts

almost forgot welcome to the forums!
 
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Old 01-30-17, 10:52 AM
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It's the unknown that has me rattled. If it was in the house it would almost be better. I would leave until it was caught and then come back. Our one cat was laying in the hallway this moring where the sounds have been coming from but neither of them seem to be on high alert ....yet. I have two young kids and my hope is it's just a rogue situation but I know how they breed so being proactive is the key here as I know the destruction and nastiness they can cause. Thanks for the welcome, I'd prefer to not have to frequent this forum but I am glad it is here for help
 
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Old 01-30-17, 10:57 AM
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Mice don't need a big opening and it's not uncommon for them to access the interior of the walls, attic or ceilings. I would think it would get the cat's attention but don't know for sure. IF it isn't a rodent, it could be a heat duct or something expanding/contracting.
 
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Old 01-30-17, 11:04 AM
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This is going to sound sarcastic as hell but wouldn've the ducts always make that sound? We are on a heat pump if that makes any difference. Thanks Mark.
 
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Old 01-30-17, 11:31 AM
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I was just talking to my brother in law and he mentioned to me to remember that our house is pre fab so he said there would be void down the middle of the house where it was joined. this would make some kind of sense to me. In through the attic, down the middle of the house in the void and in the walls or floor. I'm totally just throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks now.
 
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Old 01-31-17, 03:07 PM
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In the first comment you mention a basement. Someone needs to go down there with a strong light and do a thorough inspection top to bottom. Look for burrows, tunneling in insulation, fecal droppings, chewed up material, etc.
 
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Old 06-23-17, 05:20 AM
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Panuhman you mentioned burrowing and tunneling in the basement, what would those two things look like in a basement? I am only asking because I have a tunnel in the dirt outside my bulkhead. How would they get into cement from there?

Briggzee1 Gosh just reading what you wrote gave me the chills. I am so afraid of rodents but right now have a house full of them. I have my own post but for some reason it opened up to your post so thought I'd read it. I hope you get rid if your critter soon.
 
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Old 06-25-17, 10:26 AM
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Burrows and tunnels will be cleaner than the surrounding area and usually smoothed around edges and such from traveling. One simply has to get a good light, step stool or ladder, take your time and slowly go over the entire perimeter, interior and exterior, as best as one can. There is no specific description. The best I can say is that it will look different than the surrounding area.

As far as how do they get in? There are any number of ways as it obviously does happen. They don’t go through cement, but they do go over, under and around it.
 
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Old 06-26-17, 01:10 PM
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Thank you PAbugman!! I understand now. Will check the basement.
 
 

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