If you’re up in the late hours of the night you may hear strange sounds coming from your roof. A variety of animals can sneak into and live in your roof. If you think that there are rats living in your roof there are a couple of sounds to look out for. This article is a guide exploring what sounds rats make when living in your roof 

When looking to see if there are rats living in your roof there are a couple of sounds that will confirm that you have rats, these include gnawing, scratching, scurrying, squeaking, jumping, and chirping.

Rats in roof? 6 sounds to listen out for

Rats are nocturnal animals this means that they are up in the evening scurrying around and going about their business. They are asleep during the day when humans are up.

This sleeping pattern can make it difficult for you to realize that there are rats in your home, unless you are up in the evening as well. If you are up at night, and there are rats living in your roof, you’ll likely hear these sounds:

Gnawing:

Rats have teeth that are always growing, because of this, they need to gnaw on objects in order to maintain their teeth and prevent them from becoming overgrown.

This gnawing sound can be quite loud and is a sign that you have rats in your roof

Scurrying:

Rats are very small and very lightweight creatures, they are also very quick on their feet. Rats quickly move around from place to place, as they move they’ll make a scurrying noise.

If you hear this sound, you can assume that you have rats living in your roof. 

Jumping:

These rodents are quite active animals, if they want to get from one place to another they will sometimes jump from one location to another.

The rat will land with a loud thump as it jumps around from one place to another

Scratching:

Rats will also make loud scratching sounds in your roof. They do this as they make their way from location to location in your roof.

As they move from one place to another, their nails will scratch against the floor of your roof and make a noise

Chirping and squeaking:

Rats communicate by making a variety of noises, they communicate all night as they go about their everyday activities. Noises that you can hear from rats include chirping and squeaking.

Unfortunately, they can sometimes communicate at a pitch that we humans can’t hear

Response to your noise:

Rats can be quite cautious animals, if they’re making a noise in your roof, and you suddenly talk or make noise, then the animals will stop for a long period of time before they continue with their activities.

Other animals may only pause and be quiet momentarily and then go back to their activities.

How long can rats live in a roof without food or water?

One of the main reasons that rats choose to inhabit your home is because it is a source of food and water. Once food and water run out, whether it be in your roof or elsewhere, the space will not be so attractive to rats.

These animals can live without food for about 2 weeks. They can live for longer if they don’t have access to water as food usually supplies them with most of the liquid that they need

That being said, using this method to try and get rid of rats is not the most effective way to do it as it can be a very lengthy process

What is the fastest way to get rid of roof rats? 

Rat trap:

If you want to get rid of rats then using rat traps is likely the quickest way to do it.

That being said, disposal of the animal can put you at risk for catching a variety of diseases. It is best to use snap traps that kill the animal and then have an exterminator get rid of the animal afterward.

Exterminators have been trained and taught to get rid of rats safely

Bait box:

Another way to get rid of rats, which is less fast but is highly efficient, is to use a bait box.

These boxes have rat bait inside, rats will be attracted to them (the bait contains pheromones that are attractive to rats), eat them, and after eating, the rats will dry out over the course of three days, the rat will then fall asleep and die.

This solution also requires that you get an exterminator to get rid of the animal after death. In addition, bait boxes are beneficial because they can be used on many rats, also pets and children will not be able to get into it. 

What do rats in the attic sound like?

If you have a rat infestation in your attic, the rodents will make the same sounds that they would if they were in your roof, namely scratching, gnawing, scurrying along the floor, chirping to each other, and squeaking to each other.

All this will stop for a little while when they hear you making noise as well. They will only be awake and make sounds in the evening

Conclusion 

In conclusion, if you think that there are rats on your roof then there are a couple of sounds that you should look out for, these include scurrying scratching, gnawing, rats jumping and falling loudly on objects as well as squeaking and chirping. 

These animals can live without water for about two weeks and they can live even longer without food so trying to starve them in an effort to get rid of them will not be the most effective way to do it.

An effective way to get rid of rats is by using rat traps, you can also use bait boxes to get rid of the animals. In both cases, an exterminator is needed to dispose of the animal in the best way

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other rat related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: How to tell if a pet rat likes you, 13 signs to look out for, Lost pet rat? Steps to finding your rat both inside and outside the house, What to do with a dead rat in the garden? A thorough guide, Is there a rat or possum in your roof? 8 ways to identify your visitor,