Mice, Rats, Squirrels or Raccoons? How to Tell What's in Your Home

Most noises inside a Toronto home come from mice, rats, squirrels or raccoons, and the time of day and weight of the sound usually tell them apart.

Scratching in the ceiling at night

Scratching in the ceiling at night usually points to mice or rats, because both are nocturnal and move through wall voids and ceiling spaces after dark. Mice produce a light, quick scratching, while rats add heavier gnawing to the scratching.

Scratching in the attic during the day

Scratching in the attic during the day usually means squirrels, because squirrels are active in daylight and nest in attics and soffits rather than inside walls. The sound is quick scurrying and rolling, often loudest in the morning and late afternoon.

How to tell mice droppings from rat droppings

Mice droppings are rice-sized with pointed ends, while rat droppings are larger and capsule-shaped. Finding rice-sized pointed droppings near food packaging points to mice, and larger capsule-shaped droppings along baseboards or in basements points to rats.

What does a raccoon in the attic sound like?

A raccoon in the attic sounds like heavy thumping and slow walking, not light scratching. Raccoons are large enough that their movement is audible as weight shifting across the ceiling, usually at night. Raccoons are removed with one-way doors and humane exclusion, the standard approach for wildlife work in Ontario under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

Heavy thumping versus light scurrying

Heavy thumping points to a raccoon, while light scurrying points to mice or squirrels. The weight of the sound is the clearest clue: a heavy, deliberate thump means a larger animal, and a light, fast scurry means a smaller one.

A $99 inspection confirms the animal, and the inspection is waived when treatment is booked.