“Something in the roof” is where every rodent story starts, but rats and mice are different animals with different habits — and the difference genuinely changes how a professional approaches the job.

Reading the signs

Size tells first: rat droppings are olive-pit sized, mouse droppings rice-grain sized, and quantity favours mice, who scatter dozens. Sound tells too — rats are heavier overhead, mice lighter and busier. Gnawing scale, grease marks along skirting runs, and where the activity concentrates all feed the identification, which is why a proper treatment starts with an inspection rather than a guess.

Why behaviour changes the plan

Rats are neophobic — deeply suspicious of new objects — so treatment placement works with established runways and takes patience; results build over days as caution fades. Mice are the opposite: curious, exploratory, and quick to investigate anything new, but they range in small territories, so placement has to be dense and local rather than sparse and central. Same goal, nearly opposite tactics — and it is the main reason DIY efforts that treat “rodents” generically underperform.

Entry is the other half

A mouse fits through a gap the width of a pen; a rat needs little more than a thumb-width. Roof rats — common across Brisbane — arrive via overhanging branches and eave gaps, while ground-level entries favour gaps at pipes, vents and garage doors. The winter rodent guide covers the seasonal surge and the perimeter walk-around worth doing before the cold.

The treatment

A Rapidkil rodent treatment is $190 either way: inspection, identification, targeted and safely placed treatment matched to the species and the home, proofing advice specific to your entry points, and a 1-month free service period. Scratching upstairs tonight? Call 0490 425 521 or request a quote online — licensed technicians, QBCC Licence 15104001, across Brisbane, Logan and Ipswich.