You’re sitting on the couch, the TV is off, and the house is finally quiet. Then you hear it. A faint, rhythmic scratching behind the drywall. Maybe a tiny, sharp squeak that sounds like a rusty hinge. It’s unsettling. Your brain immediately goes to the worst-case scenario. Are there guests in the walls? Do rats make noise that you can actually hear, or are you just losing it?
The short answer is yes. They make a lot of noise. But honestly, most of the sounds rats make are things human ears can’t even pick up. They live in a world of ultrasonic frequencies. When you do hear them, it usually means they’re busy doing something they shouldn't be doing in your home.
The Soundscape of a Rodent Infestation
Rats aren't silent ninjas. They’re heavy-bodied rodents with sharp claws and constantly growing teeth. If you have Norway rats, which are common in urban areas like New York or Chicago, you’re dealing with an animal that can weigh nearly a pound. They thump. They bump.
Most people describe the sound of a rat as a "scuttling" or "clattering." Imagine someone taking a pair of knitting needles and quickly tapping them against a wooden floor. That’s the sound of their claws. Because they are nocturnal, you’ll mostly hear this at 2:00 AM. It’s loud enough to wake you up if they’re in the ceiling above your bed.
Scratching and Gnawing
Rats have a biological need to chew. Their incisors never stop growing. If they don't grind them down, the teeth will eventually grow into their skulls. This leads to a very specific sound: gnawing. It’s a persistent, rasping noise. Think about a coarse file being rubbed against a piece of 2x4 lumber.
They’ll chew through:
- Electrical wiring (a massive fire hazard)
- PVC piping
- Drywall
- Wooden joists
If the scratching sounds "heavy," it’s likely a rat. If it sounds light and papery, you might just have mice. Mice are like ghosts; rats are like uninvited roommates who don't care if they wake you up.
The Secret Language of Ultrasonic Squeaks
Here is where things get weird. You probably think of a "squeak" as the primary rat sound. In reality, rats are incredibly vocal, but they speak at a pitch humans can't hear. Researchers like Dr. Jaak Panksepp discovered that rats actually "laugh" when they play or get tickled. This happens at around 50 kHz. For context, the human hearing range usually tops out at 20 kHz.
You’re missing the party.
When you actually hear a squeak, it’s usually because the rat is in distress. Maybe it’s fighting with another rat over a piece of food. Maybe it got its foot stuck. Or maybe it’s a mother communicating with her pups in a way that requires more volume. A loud, audible squeak is often a sign of high-intensity emotion or physical pain in the colony.
Bruxing and Boggling
If you’ve ever owned a pet rat, you know about bruxing. This is a grinding sound made by the teeth. It’s the rodent version of a cat’s purr. It often happens when they are relaxed. Sometimes, it gets so intense that their eyes actually vibrate in their sockets—a terrifying-looking but harmless phenomenon called "boggling."
In a wild infestation, you probably won't hear bruxing. Wild rats are too stressed for that. They are focused on survival. If you hear grinding in your walls, it’s much more likely to be the destructive gnawing mentioned earlier rather than a happy rat relaxing in your insulation.
Why Location Matters: Walls vs. Attics
Where you hear the noise tells you a lot about what you're dealing with. Roof rats (Rattus rattus) are spectacular climbers. They love attics. If you hear "pitter-patter" sounds coming from above, it’s often these guys moving across the insulation or running along the rafters.
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Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) are more grounded. They prefer basements and the lower levels of walls.
Is it a Rat or a Squirrel?
Timing is everything here. If the scratching happens at 10:00 AM, it’s probably a squirrel. Squirrels are diurnal. Rats are nocturnal. If the house starts "waking up" exactly thirty minutes after the sun goes down, you’ve got a rat problem.
Also, listen for the "slide." Rats have long tails that they drag behind them. Sometimes, in a quiet house, you can hear the faint swish of a tail dragging across a dusty attic floor or through a pile of leaves. It’s subtle. It’s creepy. But it’s a definitive diagnostic sign.
Can You Hear Them Fighting?
Rats are social, but they aren't always nice. A colony has a hierarchy. When a new male tries to move in, or when food is scarce, they fight. These altercations are loud. You’ll hear tumbling, loud squealing, and what sounds like multiple animals hitting the drywall at once.
According to the British Pest Control Association (BPCA), these sounds are often mistaken for larger animals like raccoons or even small cats. But the speed of the movement is the giveaway. Rats are incredibly fast. A raccoon is lumbering; a rat is a blur of kinetic energy.
Hissing and Chattering
If a rat feels cornered by a predator—or by you—it will hiss. It’s a sharp, breathy sound. It’s a warning. They might also "clack" their teeth together rapidly. This is a threat display. If you’re checking a trap and you hear this, back off. A cornered rat is a brave rat, and they can jump surprisingly high to defend themselves.
Why Ignoring the Noise is a Mistake
It's tempting to think, "Oh, it's just one little noise, maybe the house is settling."
Houses don't settle rhythmically at 3:00 AM every night.
Rats cause legitimate structural damage. Beyond the fire risk of chewed wires, they leave behind pheromones in their urine. These scents tell other rats, "Hey, this house is safe and has great snacks." If you don't address the noise early, one or two rats will quickly become a colony of twenty. Their gestation period is only about 21 days. Do the math. It’s terrifying.
What to Do Next
If you’ve confirmed that those noises are indeed rats, you need a plan.
First, do a "walk-around" of your property. Look for entry points as small as a quarter. If a rat can fit its head through a hole, it can fit its whole body. Use steel wool and caulking to seal these gaps. Rats can’t chew through steel wool—it cuts their mouths.
Second, eliminate the "why." Why are they there? Usually, it's food. Secure your trash cans with bungee cords. Make sure birdseed isn't spilling all over the yard. Stop feeding the neighborhood squirrels for a while. You have to make your home the least attractive option on the block.
Finally, consider professional help if the noises are coming from multiple locations. If you’re hearing them in the kitchen and the upstairs bathroom, you have a systemic issue. Traps are effective, but only if placed correctly along "runways"—the paths rats take along walls. They have poor eyesight and rely on whiskers to guide them along edges.
Identify the entry points. Look for greasy "rub marks" along baseboards. This is oil from their fur.
Seal the perimeter. Use heavy-duty materials. They can chew through wood, plastic, and soft aluminum.
Set traps in pairs. Rats are "neophobic," meaning they are afraid of new things. They might jump over the first trap, only to land on the second one.
The noise is a gift, in a way. It’s an early warning system. Listen to what your house is telling you before the quiet scratching turns into a very expensive repair bill.