Rats or mice, house or business: we identify what you've actually got, then build the right mix of baiting, trapping, proofing and monitoring. From $89.
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“Something in the roof” is the most common rodent call we get, and the answer changes everything that follows. A roof rat, a brown rat and a house mouse live in different parts of a building, fit through different-sized gaps and respond to different station placement. Treat a mouse problem with rat-sized thinking, or the other way round, and the activity simply carries on.
This page is the starting point. Use the comparison table below to narrow down what you're hearing and seeing, then read how we choose between baiting, trapping, proofing and ongoing monitoring. If you already know the culprit, go straight to our dedicated rat control or mice control pages.
Every visit starts with an inspection of the roof void, subfloor, perimeter and kitchen, carried out by a technician working under NSW Pest Management licence 5122967. You get a fixed price before work begins, lockable stations placed where children and pets can't reach them, and clear advice on the gaps that let rodents in.
Three introduced rodents cause almost every rodent job in Sydney. A fourth, the native bush rat, needs to be recognised and left alone.
A slim climber with a tail longer than its body and large thin ears. Lives up high: roof voids, wall cavities, palms and dense trees. Rat control →
Heavier, with a blunt snout and a tail shorter than its body. Burrows at ground level: subfloors, drains, compost bays and under slabs.
Small enough to use gaps around the width of a pencil. Stays close to food in kitchens, pantries and wall cavities. Mice control →
A native animal found near bushland reserves. It is protected in NSW, so correct identification comes before any treatment decision.
Most people never get a clear look. These are the clues our technicians use instead.
| Clue | Rats | Mice |
|---|---|---|
| Droppings | Larger, capsule-shaped pellets, often found in groups along a run | Small rice-grain droppings scattered widely, including inside drawers and cupboards |
| Noise | Heavier thumping or dragging in the roof, usually after dark | Light, fast scratching and scurrying in walls and ceilings |
| Where you find signs | Roof void, eaves, subfloor, garden beds, under decks | Kitchen, pantry, behind the fridge and stove, bottom drawers |
| Entry gaps | Around 12 mm or larger, and they can gnaw it bigger | Around 6 mm, roughly the width of a pencil |
| Damage | Gnawed cabling, downpipes, irrigation and fruit in the garden | Chewed packets, nibbled food and shredded paper for nests |
| Behaviour | Wary of new objects, so they take longer to visit a station | Curious, and investigate new objects quickly but feed in tiny amounts |
| Grease marks | Dark rub marks on beams, rafters and entry holes | Faint marks, rarely noticed |
Still not sure? Our guide to rats vs mice in the roof has more detail, or book an inspection and we will confirm it on site.
Talk to a licensed Sydney technician today — honest advice and a fixed quote within 30 minutes.
NSW Health lists leptospirosis, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, rat bite fever and gastro infections such as salmonellosis among diseases linked to rodents.
Rodents gnaw constantly to wear down their teeth. Cabling, gas and water lines in roof voids are common casualties.
Urine and droppings on benches and packaging mean food has to be thrown out and surfaces disinfected.
Both rats and mice breed several times a year, so a pair noticed in autumn can be a colony by spring.
From working out what's in the roof to confirming it's gone.
We check the roof void, subfloor, kitchen and perimeter for droppings, rub marks, nests and runways, and confirm whether it's rats, mice or both.
Based on the species, the building and who lives there (children, pets, food handling), we recommend baiting, trapping, proofing or a combination.
Lockable, tamper-resistant stations go on the runways we find, secured and out of reach, with trap placement where baiting isn't suitable.
We show you the gaps, vents and penetrations rodents are using and quote to seal them, or explain how to do it yourself.
Stations are checked and topped up, activity is recorded and the program is scaled back once feeding stops.
No single method suits every building. This is how we decide what goes where.
| Method | How it works | Best for | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baiting in lockable stations | Rodenticide blocks secured inside tamper-resistant stations on active runways | Roof voids, subfloors and outdoor perimeters with established activity | Not ideal where a carcass in a cavity would cause odour problems |
| Trapping | Snap or enclosed traps set along walls and runways, checked on a schedule | Kitchens, pantries, food businesses and small indoor populations | Needs regular checking and correct placement to work |
| Proofing | Sealing gaps, vents, weep holes and pipe penetrations with rodent-resistant materials | Every property, once active rodents are under control | Doesn't remove rodents already inside, so it follows treatment |
| Monitoring | Non-toxic monitoring blocks or stations checked for gnawing and droppings | Businesses, strata buildings and homes near reserves or waterways | Works best as an ongoing scheduled service |
Why baiting often outperforms DIY snap traps in roof voids: read our explainer.
Terraces in the Inner West and Eastern Suburbs often share roof voids and wall cavities with neighbours, so rodents move freely between homes. We focus on the roof void, subfloor and the gaps where services enter.
Rats often live in bin rooms and basement car parks, and mice travel through service risers. Treating one unit rarely fixes it. A strata program covering common property usually does.
Standard 3.2.2 of the Food Standards Code requires food businesses to take all practicable measures to keep pests out. Restaurant programs use trapping in food areas, numbered stations elsewhere and a site plan for inspectors.
Loading docks, pallet racking and ceiling spaces give rodents plenty of cover. Warehouse and office programs use perimeter stations and scheduled monitoring with reports.
Photos from Elite rodent jobs across Sydney, not stock images.
Droppings along ducting and ceiling joists show the runways rodents use, and that's where stations go.
Shredded insulation and nesting material under the floor is typical of ground-level rat activity.
Stations are secured in position so bait can't be dragged out by rodents, pets or curious children.
Checking feeding at each station tells us when the population is falling and when to scale back.
Rodenticides are poisons, and how they are used matters. Australian research has found rodenticide residues in a high proportion of owls tested, including southern boobooks and powerful owls, which eat poisoned rodents. In March 2026 the APVMA moved to restrict second-generation anticoagulant baits to trained, licensed users and took them off retail shelves, citing risks to native wildlife.
That is why our programs lean on inspection, trapping where it makes sense, lockable stations, and proofing that reduces how much bait is needed at all. Every product is APVMA-registered and used to its label. For the details of each species, see rat control and mice control, and after a heavy infestation ask about pest disinfection of the roof void.
Reviewed by Ismail, Founder · NSW Pest Management licence 5122967 · Updated September 2026
Rats, mice or a protected native? We confirm it on site before any bait goes down.
Tamper-resistant stations, fixed in place, away from children, pets and wildlife.
NSW Pest Management licence 5122967 and APVMA-registered products used to label.
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Everything you need to know before you book. Still unsure? Call us — we're happy to help.
Get a Free QuoteRodent control starts from $89. The fixed price depends on whether it's rats, mice or both, how many stations the building needs, roof void and subfloor access, and whether you want entry points sealed. You get the price before we start, and any warranty or follow-up terms are confirmed in writing with the quote.
Droppings are the best clue. Mouse droppings are small and scattered, often in drawers and pantries. Rat droppings are noticeably larger and tend to be grouped along a run in the roof or subfloor. Heavy thumping at night points to rats, while light scratching inside walls is more typical of mice.
It depends on the building. Baiting in lockable stations suits roof voids, subfloors and perimeters with larger populations. Trapping suits kitchens, food areas and homes where a rodent dying in a wall cavity would be a real problem. Many programs use both, with proofing to stop new rodents arriving.
Bait is only placed inside lockable, tamper-resistant stations fixed in position, and never loose in accessible areas. NSW Health advises keeping children and pets away from areas where baits are used, so we place stations in roof voids, subfloors and secured spots and tell you exactly where each one is.
As nights cool and outdoor food becomes harder to find, rats and mice look for warm, sheltered spots close to food, and roof voids and wall cavities fit that perfectly. Many Sydney homes notice scratching from late autumn onwards, which is a good time to proof gaps before activity builds.
Most homes see activity drop within one to three weeks, depending on population size and how quickly the rodents take to the stations. Rats are naturally wary of new objects and can take longer than mice. Sealing entry points shortens the job and stops a new group moving in.
It can happen with baiting, although stations are placed to reduce the risk. If a smell would be a serious issue, such as in a bedroom wall or a food business, we lean on trapping inside and baiting outside or in the roof. If an odour does occur, we can help locate and remove the carcass where it is accessible.
Yes. Restaurants, warehouses, offices and strata buildings get numbered tamper-resistant stations, a site plan showing where each device sits, and a written service report after every visit for audits and council inspections. Servicing can be scheduled outside trading hours. See our commercial, restaurant, warehouse and strata pages for how those programs work.
Yes. After identifying entry points, we can quote to proof them with materials rodents can't chew through, such as metal mesh, stainless steel wool and sealant around pipes, vents, weep holes and roof lines. Proofing is what stops a treated property from being reinfested.
Native rodents and small marsupials such as antechinus are protected in NSW and must not be baited or trapped as pests. If we find a native animal, we will tell you and focus on sealing it out of the house rather than treating it.
Photographs from Elite jobs across Sydney — not stock imagery.
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