Noises Rats Make When They Live In Your House

Need rat removal in your hometown? We service over 500 USA locations! Click here to hire us in your town and check prices - updated for year 2020.

Rats are small creatures, but that doesn't mean they aren't noisy. One of the biggest indications of a rat problem in your home or building is the sounds the creatures are known to make as they move about. Some of the sounds could easily be made by other creatures, of course, but once you know the sounds of a rat, you'll always know it.



More than anything else, rats chew. Chewing and gnawing by these creatures makes barely any sounds during the day. Rats are awake both during the day and night, so they can chew all hours of the day. Despite not hearing the sounds during the day, it won't be long before you hear them at night when everything else is quiet around you. As they move around your home, squeezing and scuffling through the tiniest of gaps, you’ll hear them. You’ll actually hear a physical ‘movement' sound. When they reach a patch they can't squeeze through, the chewing will start. It will sounds as awful as you'd think it might too — that annoying sound of teeth coming into contact with ... well, almost every material that you have in your home. Rats can chew through anything. Literally anything. Plastic, wood, concrete, drywall … The only thing they can't seem to chew through is hard metal.

Some homeowners may have heard this chewing sound and not been aware that the problem was chewing or gnawing at all. To some, it sounds just like a dull scraping sound.

Babies in the nest will make quiet a lot of noise. Once again, when everything is dark and quiet, all household members safely tucked in bed, you’ll likely hear them. They’ll be hungry, and they’ll have no qualms about calling to mama to let her know they’re hungry. Chattering, hissing, and squeaking sounds are all commonly heard from rats. They have much more of a vocal capacity than we give them credit for, making a really wide mix of sounds. The high-pitched sounds are usually indicative of a scared rat, or a rat that is in pain. This will include squeaks and high-pitched hisses and yelps.

Grinding and chomping of teeth could mean something and nothing, all at once. You are likely to hear this, along with the chewing and gnawing sounds.

Go back to the Rat Removal page, or learn tips to do it yourself with my How to Get Rid of Rats guide.