Can you hear some strange noises in your attic?
Have you noticed a strange odor emanating from upstairs?
These are two of the most common signs of mice in attic spaces.
An attic is a perfect place for mice to hide. For a start, it offers warmth, bedding, and comfort. It also provides a mouse a place where they can sleep without worrying about predators, AND gives them an excellent base to use while they travel your house looking for food.
Don’t panic – having mice in the attic is very common, especially if there are multiple entry points in your home.
Look at 9 of the most common signs that you have mice in the attic.
9 Signs That You Have Mice In The Attic
Scurrying Noises
Scurrying and scratching noises, especially in your walls and attic, are usually the first sign you have mice in your home.
Mice like to travel in dark, confined spaces to avoid predators. Your cavity walls are ideal for mice to use as routes through your home.
I remember the first time I heard scurrying noises in my cavity walls, I knew I had to investigate further!
When you hear noises and suspect that it might be a mouse, the usual concerns creep into your head. Will the mice jump into my bed while I am sleeping? Will they eat all of the sentimental items in my attic?
Will I even be able to sleep knowing that I have mice in my attic!!
Mouse Droppings
Check your entire house for mouse droppings because if you have mice, you will certainly have droppings!
This is usually the first thing I check for if I suspect mice infestation. I will prepare a survival kit for the attic, and I will go and investigate further.
Take a powerful flashlight, and ensure you have some strong gloves on. Check everywhere, even places that are hard to reach, because they are likely to have traveled.
Mouse Urine
Along with mouse droppings, urine is another classic sign that you have mice roaming around in your attic.
It is more challenging to hunt for mouse urine because it is more difficult to see than droppings, but you can certainly smell it.
If you are in your loft and have picked up a musty smell, it may be mouse urine.
Chewed Items
Mice are in your home because they want a warm, comfortable, protective environment to set up a nest.
As soon as mice enter your attic, they will look for a place to nest and look for items they can use to build it. These items include paper, card, plastic, and anything a mouse can chew!
Mice will not care if they find a box of sentimental photographs. They will not care what they use if it makes them comfortable.
Take a look around your attic to see if anything has been chewed. If you notice shredded paper, card, or anything else, you may have a mouse (or more) in your attic.
You do not want this problem in your attic.
Odor
I mentioned the musty smell that you can attribute to mouse urine, and that odor tends to emanate through your attic and other areas of your home.
It is challenging to differentiate between the usual musty smell of an attic (caused by a collection of old items that you are storing) and the smell of a mouse.
When you visit your attic and notice different smells, it can signify that you have a mouse in there.
Live Mouse
Finding a live mouse in your attic is a sure sign that you have mice in your attic!
Yes, it is obvious, but it has to be on this list.
Mice will try to avoid you at all costs, and if they hear you in the attic, you can be sure that they will be in an area that is the most difficult to reach, well out of your view. Sometimes, you can catch them off guard, though.
I remember entering an attic, and the first thing I saw was a startled mouse staring back at me. It was a stand-off! All I needed to do was move my arm an inch, and the mouse was off like a rocket. I had no chance of catching it!
Half-Eaten Food
Mice enter your home for warmth, protection, and food.
Your home has food sources that a mouse will sniff out instantly!
If you do not store your food correctly, a mouse will find a way into your home while sleeping and raid any area where they can smell food.
If you notice half-eaten food around your home, it is possible that the mouse was disturbed while eating. A sure sign that you have mice in your attic!
Increased Pet Activity
A cat is an awesome weapon in your fight to keep your home rodent-free!
Mice will pick up on the cat’s scent and may well avoid your home completely, especially if your cat has the freedom to roam the entire perimeter of your home.
I was not the first to notice noise in my attic; it was my cat. He acted very suspicious one evening and spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling. At first, I thought he might be interested in the intricate patterns near the lamp, but then I heard the scurrying.
A few hours later, we were on the ground floor of my home, and he rushed over to the wall for no apparent reason. Minutes later, I heard a scurrying noise in my cavity wall.
Keep an eye out for unusual pet behavior because their sense of smell and sound is much better than yours. They will know that you have a mouse in your attic before you do.
Holes In Your Home
When mice travel through your home, they must create holes to ease access to other parts.
Please think of the classic mouse hole in Tom and Jerry, they do not always look like that. Most are much smaller because they only need to be big enough to fit a mouse head in.
Check everywhere around your home. The last thing you need is for the mouse to find a way into your living area via entry points because they will begin to hunt for food and other items to chew on!
If you have new holes in your home, it could signify that you have mice in your attic.
Do Mice Live in Attics?
Yes, an attic is perfect for a mouse to set up a nest! I’ve mentioned it a few times on this page, but I’ll mention it again here, mice love to get into attics because it offers them protection and a safe environment.
These are key reasons why a mouse will happily live in your attic.
If you think you have mice in your attic space, you should look for signs to back this up. Then you should learn how to get rid of mice! Either that or bring in a pest control expert to clear up the mouse infestation.
Help – I Have Mice In My Attic! What Should I Do?
You have a couple of options. You can call a professional pest control expert or get rid of mice DIY!
The first thing you need to do is draw up a battle plan.
I recommend that you read our guide for getting rid of mice. That will cover everything you need!
The most important thing is that you stop mice from getting into your attic in the first place!
You can do this by hunting down the mouse entry points in your home and sealing them up.
If they can’t get in, you don’t have a problem. If you want to understand how mice get in, you will know if you find an entry point!
Conclusion
Above are 9 of the most common signs of mice in your attic. You do not want this problem in your attic!
The first thing you will probably do is panic. Get it out of your system… and then move on to battle!
As soon as you get the panicking out of your system, it is time to do something about it!
The first thing you need to do is catch the mouse. For that, you will need each of the following items:
- Mouse Trap
- Gloves
- Dust Mask
- Strong Bags
- Cleaning Equipment
Think about the mouse trap you want to use, and compare options such as traps v poison.
Improve your chances of catching a mouse by using the best mouse bait!
Then, once you have caught the mouse, you will need to ensure your house is not accessible to mice. It is challenging, and it isn’t easy to be 100% sure that a mouse cannot get in. You can make it very difficult for a mouse to enter your home.
If you think you may have an infestation, getting rid of mice ASAP is essential. Mice droppings can carry some very nasty diseases, such as Hantavirus. For this reason, it is essential to go into your attic wearing a respirator mask!
Good luck!
It’s good that you mentioned how an unusual musty smell in your attic might mean that there are mice living inside. My wife and I were cleaning out our attic last week, and we noticed that there is a strange smell that is coming from the boxes in the corner of our attic. It might be a good idea for us to call a pest control specialist so that they can quickly find the source of the problem.
Hi
Thanks for taking the time to comment, and good luck with the rodent problem!
Kind regards