Rodents
How can I tell rat sounds from mouse sounds in the wall?
Light, rapid scratching in a kitchen wall is often a House mouse. Heavier thumps, slower gnawing, and basement or dumpster-side noises lean Norway rat. Attic pitter-patter with fruit trees is often a Roof rat. Confirm with droppings. Sounds alone are a weak ID.
Squirrels and raccoons
Daytime rolling in a soffit is often a squirrel. Heavy bumping in a chimney at dusk can be a Raccoon. Those are wildlife jobs with different laws. Do not set a glue board in a chimney.
Species pages
The question is only the field note. Control sequence, legal notes, and identification live on the species article.
House mouse
Mus musculus
House mice succeed because they need almost no water beyond the moisture in food, they fit through a 6 mm…
Norway rat
Rattus norvegicus
The Norway rat is the heavy, ground-dwelling commensal rat of US cities. It does not “decide” to live in…
Roof rat
Rattus rattus
Roof rats are the athletes of commensal rats: long tail, large ears, a nose that looks sharp compared with a…
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