Why Do Mice Squeak? What Are They Trying To Say?

Discover the reason behind the constant squeaking of mice.

Mice often make high-pitched squeaking sounds which most people find irritating. But it is a symbol that they are trying to say something.

Mice are nocturnal animals that cause high-pitched scratching sounds when their long nails scratch the surface of the floor. They are pests and cause a lot of trouble in the house as their number can multiply in a short time.

That is why it is important to get rid of mice in your house with pest control. A mouse infestation can become a huge problem for your property.

So the faster you move the better. Pest control is the only effective way to get rid of mice.

Recognizing that your house is subjected to mice infestation is the first step in the process. Homeowners should listen carefully for squeaking and scratching sounds that mice make whether while running around the floor or from inside the walls.

Their sounds are more prominent during the night as they communicate with other mice in the house. To know more about animals, you may also check why do hamsters run on wheels and why do squirrels chase each other.

Which other animals squeak?

Mice are very famous for their squeaking sounds. One might go as far as saying squeaking sounds is what gives away the infestation of these pests in their houses. But many of us often wonder whether that squeaking really belongs to a mouse.

That brings us to the question: Who else can make squeaking sounds? It has to be someone related to the mouse.

Talking about someone related to mice, an image of a rat immediately pops into most people's heads. And they are absolutely right. Because rats, just like mice, can squeak.

Rats and mice belong to the same rodent family. Rodents, having come from the same ancestry, can make similar sounding sounds.

Squirrels are also classified as rodents but they do not make squeaking sounds like mice and rats. Their sounds are more high-pitched and easily differentiable from that of rats and mice.

Their vocals can be heard more clearly by humans as compared to other rodents. But rats and mice on the other hand have similar vocalizations. One can differentiate the vocals of rats from mice by determining the frequency of their sounds.

Rats use more ultrasonic frequencies than mice to communicate within themselves. But the squeaking sounds remain almost the same.

You cannot distinguish the squeaking of a rat from a mouse without special equipment. If you want to know which pest is in your house you will have to recognize them on a visual basis because the squeaking noises of both rats and mice are very, very similar.

What causes mice to squeak?

The phrase 'as quiet as a mouse' is so ironic. Because in reality, mice are loud animals.

These pet animals make numerous sounds, especially during the nighttime. It is difficult to pinpoint the location of mice as they smartly hide in walls and small cracks in the house. Homeowners do not have a hint about mice infestation until their numbers grow large enough to be obvious.

The only signs of their presence are from mice droppings and loud squeaking during the night. For mice, squeaking is a way of communication.

House mice squeak for a number of reasons. When these pet animals go looking for food through the house they communicate their findings through squeaks.

Whoever finds a stash of food they can eat alerts the other mice in the house by signaling them through loud squeaking noises. This method is not limited to food. On finding water and a good place to shelter, mice follow the same process of squeaking and alerting others.

The mice continue squeaking until other mice join them at their location. Another reason for the squeaking of mice is their happiness.

The dopamine levels in their body increase when they feel happy. The increase in dopamine makes them do weird moves and loud squeaking.

The smell of chocolate also has a similar effect on mice as they just love chocolate. Female mice are more active than male mice. An unfortunate reason for mice squeaking is when they are being poisoned.

Humans often leave out local mice poison at places in their houses to get rid of the infestation. As the poison slowly starts killing them, the mice start squeaking.

Do baby mice squeak?

Baby mice are newborn mice that are dependent on their parents for nutrition and wellbeing. Baby mice cannot feed themselves. Their mothers nurse them till they can chew common foods such as grains, nuts, fruits. Until they become independent, their food requirements are satisfied by their parents.

Just like adult mice, mice babies too communicate their feelings to each other and their parents. As baby mice are too small and inexperienced to make complex body movements, they squeak. Yes, baby mice can squeak and communicate with their parents.

Baby mice are very sensitive to their environments. They can easily detect changes. They do not have a positive response to frequent changes in their environment.

Mother mice try to stay with their babies as much as they can. But they eventually have to leave to find food to feed themselves and their babies.

In such cases, females leave their baby mice alone in the shelter. As baby mice are not very keen on changes in their environment they easily detect that their mother is missing. In response to that they will start squeaking.

They feel abandoned and start calling for their mother in their own squeaking voices. They do not like when they are alone. Studies have shown that baby mice feel lonely when left alone.

To attract someone's attention to themselves, most commonly their mother, they make squeaking sounds. They get quite excited when their calls are answered. Mothers mostly come back with food for their babies.

In response to their mother's return, baby mice squeak and express their happiness. Apart from this, they also squeak when they are hungry.

The common diet of baby mice is their mother's milk. They squeak and alert their mother that they are hungry. Mothers then interpret and respond to their call and the babies are fed.

Do all types of mice make the same sound?

Mice are very vocal creatures. Apart from having great vocals they also have excellent hearing abilities. Mice use their high-pitched sounds and good hearing ability to communicate with each other.

Humans are not always able to hear mice. Mice, sometimes, use ultrasonic frequency to communicate.

The ultrasonic frequency sounds cannot be heard by human ears. Hence, it is not fair to say that the mice can make only one type of sound or all mice make the same sound. Apart from the obvious use of several sounds, it was found that the calls between different species of mice do not vary by much.

Different types of mice have slight changes in their vocals. But on the broader scale, they are very similar.

Let’s see how many major different types of sounds different types of mice can make. One of the major types of sound made by the mice is scurrying. The scurrying sound is made when mice brush themselves on surfaces such as drywall.

Their hairbrush with certain floors causes these noises. The digging of their toenails into the floors also causes the scurrying sound. Another major sound is the scratching sound.

The sound is generated when they are scratching around walls to look for food. This noise sounds louder during the night as it can create an echo within the wall.

One more addition to the sounds made by mice is the chewing and gnawing noises. The more mice in your home, the louder this sound is.

Each mouse chews on wires and grains which causes this distinct sound. If you go around searching at night for the location of this type of sound then even with thorough searching you won’t be successful. These animals are quick on their feet.

Do mice squeak in walls?

How many times have you heard the squeaking of mice at your home but were never able to find them? Happens quite often right? Don't you think that you are just very poor at searching for them!

No, mice are very sneaky animals, they are just better at hiding. These nocturnal animals hide in places you cannot even begin to imagine.

You will have to scrounge your property to get rid of the lot. These pests hide in floors and walls and make squeaking sounds from there. It seems like the sound is coming from everywhere but nowhere in particular.

Mice are very good at hiding. They select places in houses where humans practically cannot reach.

This is their way of making sure their babies are kept safe and out of harm's reach. When you hear a squeaking sound from your wall it is most probably a mouse if it is coming from the lower side of the wall.

Mice usually don't climb high up in the walls unless they find an obvious opening. They find a place to sneak in the walls and make a home for their families. Once they find a place habitable enough they start squeaking to let their fellows know.

So to answer our main question - yes, the mice squeak in the walls. Sometimes it happens that a mouse tries to get in a small space and gets trapped in the process.

Mice are tiny animals, they are not able to get out on their own if they get stuck. So to call for help mice make loud noises to let their fellows know they are in danger and in need of help.

Do mice squeak during the daytime?

Mice are tiny nocturnal animals. They are most active during the night.

Humans can hear their squeaking, scratching, gnawing sounds in their homes most prominently at night. They find mice feces and urine, in the morning, all over the home. Since mice feces are found most commonly in the morning, it is safe to say that they have traveled throughout your entire home at night.

They destroy food and clothes as they try to gnaw them. This is a serious health hazard as mice can be carriers of several diseases.

All nocturnal animals are most active during the night. Mice are no exception to this.

Their visibility and ability to hear magnifies during the night. Nocturnal animals take their rest during the daytime. They tend to their health and wellbeing by searching your home at night for food and sleeping it off in the day.

So if you are hearing squeaking sounds during the day there is a very good possibility that it is not from a mouse. Because they prefer to hide in their hiding places tired because of their nighttime raids.

But it is not completely impossible for mice to squeak in the daytime. One can think of several reasons why any mouse would like to disrupt its peace and squeak in the daytime. One major possibility is a mouse is stuck somewhere and was unable to get back to its hiding place before sunrise.

Or female mice could be giving birth to their babies. Mice are heard squeaking in the daytime but they squeak mostly after sunset and before sunrise.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for why do mice squeak then why not take a look at why do foxes scream, or Little Pocket Mouse facts.