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[Weaver]

I think I have rodents inside the walls of my house. What should I do?

It's an old stone croft-house with wood-lined walls.

[JGO]

I'd contact the local Pest Control office or Scottish equivalent.

[Weaver]

@jgo  - I'll ask around. It's usually something that he five cats have brought in and released.

[tickmike]

What makes you think they are rodents ?.

I have (and I do not mind  ) Bats living in the wall cavity between the outside wall and the insulation also birds nests.

[aesmith]

In Scotland if the local authority does provide any pest control services, the local Environmental Health office would be the first point of call.  If they don't (for example Aberdeenshire don't) then EH should be able to point you to commercial organisations.

I'm actually surprised that you don't get mice in the house every year if you leave in the country and in a traditional build house, unless your cats have access to all the underfloor and roof spaces.  We don't have cats, and get mice from early Autumn every year.  Due to the amount of damage they do we use lethal force, spring traps set in all accessible spaces together with poison.  I don't find it necessary to bait the traps.

What signs do you see or hear (or smell)?  Mice will normally make chewing noises as well as the "pitter patter of tiny feet", droppings are quite recognisable and so is the smell, although Field Mice aren't quite as smelly has House Mice.   

Reading this thread has reminded me to go round on what we call "mouse patrol", checking traps and making sure the bait stations are topped up.   We rarely hear a mouse but the bait gets taken and the traps get one now and again. 

[aesmith]

This is the outfit Aberdeenshire recommends, I don't know if they operate in your area ..

http://www.mitie.com/services/specialist-services/pest-control/rodent-control/rodents/mice/mice-in-walls

[Weaver]

I hear a scraping sound every night in a particular place. Candidate #2 is that it is the dog asleep with his tootsies touching the wall. Sounded good to me. But then it was heard in another, dog-free room.

[tickmike]

re. "It's an old stone croft-house with wood-lined walls." = Termites 

[Weaver]

Has gone silent now. Phew.

[UncleUB]

KILL THEM ASAP>

[Weaver]

I think they've either starved to death, were never there in the first place, as they were actually Ṛnàn's tootsies, or else one of the cats has eaten them.