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As nocturnal animals, mice are most active at night. During the day, they prefer to hide in cool, dark, and undisturbed places. Common hiding spots include spaces between walls, inside pantries and cupboards, behind sofas, and in old boxes or other clutter.

Depending on the size of your home and accessibility, expect professional pest inspections to take between 30 and 60 minutes. If you have a large property or limited accessibility, pest inspections may take longer. 

It can be difficult to know what type of animal is in your attic until you see it. But several clues can help you narrow down the suspects:

• Sounds: Smaller animals like rats and mice make scurrying and tapping/gnawing sounds. Larger animals like raccoons and opossums make louder clambering noises. Also, note when animals are noisy: Squirrels are active during the day, while rats are busiest at night.

• Droppings: Rats and mice leave small, rice-shaped droppings (the rat’s version is significantly larger). Bigger droppings belong to larger critters like raccoons. As long as you’re not squeamish, an image search can help you identify what you’re seeing in your attic.

When in doubt, take photos of damage or other evidence and show them to an experienced pest control pro.

It is very difficult to remove a colony entirely without using some kind of insecticide. However, some treatments are safer than others. Diatomaceous earth is a non-toxic powder application that creates barriers that insects can’t pass through. Some pest control companies offer liquid nitrogen treatments to freeze out termites without using pesticides. Some chemical treatments are safer to use around plants, water, and wildlife than others. Bait stations are generally less damaging to the environment than sprayed termiticides.