Rats can make a home of your attics, your kitchens, and your sheds. However, they can also find a way into your walls and make a home there too. Most modern housing holds cavities within their walls, for insulation, wiring and so on, but once rats find their way in there, it can be a real task trying to get them out again, because you’ll have to get a hole in the wall to get those pests out. They can use the insides of your walls, either as a passageway for them to get to and from where they are going, or using the wall itself as a nest. Most of the time, the rat has found a way into the wall, and can’t get out. This happens most likely because they’ve fallen into the wall cavity from the attic, but a lot of other ways are equally possible. They can make a lot of noise looking for ways out or travelling, like pattering or scratches and biting, which can give away from their position.

Because rats are very flexible, they can compress their body into a very small radius. This makes it very easy for them to get into small spaces. Looking for entry points, you will have to pay very close attention to any possible holes, as rats can get into areas about half an inch wide. If any of the scratching sounds are close to the ground, it may be that there is an entry point nearby and close to the ground. In many cases, a broken vent can be the entry point for the animal, and this can be a giveaway as the sound may be heard from the exit of the vent. You can look for physical signs also, as rats may leave droppings in their pathways, which can make it easier to track their locations.