Aibu to say this surely can't be mice?

[T1gerEye]

Eek!

Live in a new ish build - well, 4 years old. Not quite rural but a few fields around. Detached house and a loft / only moved in last month

In one bedroom I can hear ... noises. A little like the sound a cat makes when it eats dreamies! It's not constant. And I'm having to strain to hear it. I'll hear almost a crunch noise then a brief indistinguishable noise and so on. Then silence. Then a brief noise.

It's upstairs. Wall backs onto another bedroom which is completely clear as it's a spare room which doesn't have a thing in it yet

Could this possibly be a mouse? In a wall? How? God ..

It’s probably mice in the roof space. Houses have spaces in the walls and they seem to get it quite easily. We have the same scratching noise. We’ve got bats in the eaves too.
They haven’t done any harm so far and I’ve not seen any signs in the rooms, just faint noises at night. I leave them to it.

Could it be a bird in the loft ?? No idea but that's what I would be hoping for as opposed to mice ( I say mice as opposed to mouse because there are rarely just one)
On the other hand mice don't tend to make a noise....youve heard the saying " quiet as a mouse "

Could also be rats or squirrels. Although rats are quite noisy.

Yes, that sounds very much like mice to me. Watch out, because they could be gnawing at your electrics or your plastic water pipes (I had a flood when mice ate the plastic pipes). If you can get into any roof spaces or under-floor spaces, I'd put down traps. Also, go around outside and see if you can see any tiny, tiny places where they could enter. If you find anything, stuff it up with wire wool - they can get in through the smallest gap. Also, consider protecting any plastic pipe you can reach with wire mesh.

Could be a squirrel. I had them once and they are quote loud.

Not rats or squirrels! Rats are fucking noisy, there's no mistaking them. Squirrels are also noisy, but they make a sort of leaping thumpy noise I've found.

Sounds like mice OP. There not so bad, honestly.

We had rats in wall before we had cavity wall insulation and yes it sounded like they were munching on the wall. So be prepared

Same as @Time40 they chewed through electric cables and took out a couple of downlights. We went round and blocked holes.

Squirrels sound like morris dancers in big boots, so I doubt if its that.

Sounds like mice we have had them in the past. I live in a semi rural area and they are everywhere. Buy some humane traps and put some peanut butter in them. When you catch one take it miles from your house to release it because they are like homing pigeons and will return to your home.

Another one who thinks mice. Caught 8 of them last year :( Also have fields nearby...look for signs near bins, under sink etc.

Wood boring insects are surprisingly noisy when chewing their way through wood, it could be wood worm or some other grub or beetle?

I was once sat alone in my living room and could hear a crunching noise that sounded just like someone sat in the room eating hobnobs... turned out it was a snail eating a piece of mail left on the floor by the front door!

I've had both rats and mice in my house and yes, they get into the cavities in the walls and gnaw on stuff, and it's not good at all. Rats are much, much noisier than mice. I tried live-catch traps and got a few mice, but the only properly effective way to get rid of them in the end was poison. Make sure you block up all possible ways into your house to prevent new ones coming in: I used concrete in the bigger holes, and wire wool everywhere else. It's not pleasant but you have to do it.