Droppings in a cupboard mean they have found the food store, not just passed through. Photograph them before you clean.
That mice are getting into your food storage, not merely crossing the kitchen. It is a step beyond droppings behind an appliance.
Mouse droppings are 3–6mm, dark and blunt — about the size of a grain of rice. Rat droppings are 12–18mm and tapered.
| Mouse | Rat | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 3–6mm | 12–18mm |
| Shape | Blunt, rice-shaped | Tapered, spindle-shaped |
| Quantity | ~80 a day, widely scattered | ~40 a day, concentrated on a route |
| Typical location | Back of base units, drawers, cupboards | Under sink, subfloor, near drains |
| Price | £240 house / £190 flat | £240 house / £190 flat |
Same price either way — but the approach and the entry points differ, so it is worth knowing.
This matters in an older property that has changed hands. A previous occupant's problem, already resolved, leaves droppings behind a plinth that look alarming and mean nothing.
See our full mouse control service, published prices and what proofing involves in an older property.
View Mouse Control Pinner →| Where you found them | What it points to |
|---|---|
| Back of kitchen base units | The plinth void — the commonest harbourage |
| Inside a cupboard or drawer | They have found the food store |
| In a pantry or larder | The same, and often a longer-running problem |
| Behind or under appliances | Warmth, and the under-unit void |
| Under the sink | Entry around pipe penetrations |
| Along a skirting or in a corner | A run between harbourage and food |
| Near a chimney breast | A vertical route between floors |
| In a cellar or on a subfloor hatch | The void below |
Frustrating, and worth doing. Mice contaminate far more than they eat, and contamination is not visible.
Report it in writing with photographs and dates. Mice can engage a landlord's repairing obligations, particularly where a structural gap is the cause, and in an older property that is frequently the case.
Any fresh droppings mean a live mouse. A mouse produces around eighty a day, so a small number usually means recent rather than minor.
Larger and tapered means rats. Rounder and barrel-shaped at 8–10mm in a loft means squirrels. Droppings crumbling to a glittery powder mean bats — which are protected, so stop and take advice.
No. Clean it properly and deal with the mice.
Buzzing rather than droppings? Wasp nests are £90 fixed cost in Pinner, guaranteed for 30 days.
That mice have found your food store rather than just crossing the kitchen. It usually means a longer-running problem than one just noticed.
3–6mm, dark and blunt-ended — about the size of a grain of rice. Rat droppings are 12–18mm and tapered.
Fresh droppings are dark, soft and slightly shiny. Old ones are grey, dry and crumble.
Yes. They tell us the species, roughly how many, how recent it is, and which route is being used.
No. Dampen with disinfectant first rather than raising dust, and wear disposable gloves.
Anything open in an affected cupboard, anything with gnawed packaging, and anything in cardboard — mice chew straight through it.
Any fresh droppings mean a live mouse. A mouse produces around eighty a day.
No. Clean it properly and deal with the mice.
Photograph them, then check every other cupboard. Droppings inside one means they found the food.
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