Last Updated on October 20, 2026 by Umar Farooq
Rodents under pavers are almost always using a gap, not chewing through the patio. They find a soft edge, a gap at the house wall or a pipe hole, dig out the soil under the stone, and leave you with holes, droppings or a paver that rocks. The order that works is to close the gaps with quarter-inch hardware cloth, trap what is already there, and only then repair the base. Poison is the last resort, not the first.
I read two university extension guides and two contractor pages before writing this. The extension guides are the ones that say sanitation and exclusion come before traps and bait.
Signs of rodents under a paver patio
Look before you act. The University of Georgia's pest guide lists the signs that matter for a yard:
- Droppings: mouse droppings are about the size of a grain of rice, rat droppings about raisin-sized.
- Burrows in weedy areas, under boards, doghouses and near garbage cans.
- Small holes with chewed edges, or nests of shredded material.
- A musty, urine-like smell, which usually points to mice.
Scatter flour or talcum powder near a likely spot, add a dab of peanut butter, and check for tracks the next day. That tells you what you have and where it travels.
Where they get in
The Lift Up Concrete article says mice, voles and rats burrow beneath slabs, removing soil and leaving voids; unsupported slabs then sink, crack and crumble. It also says to set traps near staircases or where patios meet the house. A paver patio has a different structure (loose units on a stone base) but the same weak points.
My own inference from those sources: look at three places first. The gap where the patio meets the wall, the lawn edge where the restraint has loosened, and any hole around a pipe or utility line. Oregon State's rat guide says to seal entry points as small as a dime. UGA says mice can squeeze through openings about that size.
Rats, according to Oregon State, tend to dig burrows near the ground, along foundations and under woodpiles. UGA notes that Norway rats may spend their whole lives within about 100 to 150 feet of one spot, so a nest near the patio is probably a nest near the house.
Exclusion first, then trapping
Both extension sources put exclusion at the top:
- Remove cover. Clear brush, rock piles, weeds, old boards and firewood stacked against the patio. UGA also says to keep garbage in covered cans and pick up pet food.
- Seal gaps. Cover openings with 1/4-inch hardware cloth. For small cracks, stuff steel wool and caulk over it. Oregon State recommends steel or copper wool for dime-sized holes, with concrete for anything bigger.
- Trap. Set snap traps perpendicular to the wall with the trigger in the animal's path. UGA says mice rarely travel more than 5 to 10 feet to reach a trap, so put them close. Peanut butter works; cheese is not needed. Oregon State says to prebait with unarmed traps until the animals feed freely, then set them.
- Keep checking. UGA says to keep trapping for a few weeks after the last catch, and to watch in fall when rodents look for warm shelter.
The cheaper, smaller option comes first: a roll of hardware cloth, a tube of sealant and a few snap traps cost less than one visit from a pest company, and they do the same job. (I could not source a pro-visit price I would stand behind, so I will not quote one.)
Poison, and the problem with dead rodents in walls
Both extension guides are cautious about rodenticide. Oregon State says rats poisoned inside walls or crawl spaces can decay there and cause odor and health hazards, and to remove food sources and seal entry points first, or they keep coming back. UGA says to use bait only outdoors, only where children and pets cannot reach it, in sturdy bait stations, and to avoid homemade products.
UGA also says sound devices, flashing lights and ultrasonic devices do not work reliably. Pets may catch a few but cannot control a population.
The Earthkind retailer page recommends scents such as mint and garlic. I would not rely on that; the extension guide does not list them.
Moles and voles are different problems
Not every tunnel is a rat. Moles eat insects and leave raised ridges; see moles under pavers for how to tell them apart and how to trap them. Ants are another thing living in the joints, and ants between pavers covers those.
Repairing what they undermined
Fix the animals first, then the base. Lift the pavers over the void, fill it with crushed stone in thin lifts, compact it, re-screed one inch of bedding sand, relay and re-sand. Our guide to how to fix sunken pavers has the steps. Lift Up Concrete mentions slabjacking for poured concrete, but that does not apply to pavers: you can simply lift the units and fix what is under them.
If the edge restraint has loosened, reset it as in paver edging.
Close the gaps, then the burrow
For rodents under pavers: clear cover, seal every opening with 1/4-inch hardware cloth or steel wool, trap close to where they run, keep checking for a few weeks, and rebuild the base only once nothing is living in it. The pavers were never the problem. They just looked like a roof.
FAQ
Do rodents live under pavers?
Yes. Mice, voles and rats can burrow into the soft edges and voids under a patio, according to contractor and extension sources. Look for droppings, chewed holes and shredded nesting material.
How do I stop mice getting under my patio?
Seal gaps at the house wall, edges and pipes with 1/4-inch hardware cloth or steel wool plus caulk, remove cover and food sources, and trap near the runways. Extension guides say exclusion and sanitation come before poison.
Is it safe to use rat poison near a patio?
Extension guides say to use it only in sturdy bait stations where children and pets cannot reach it. Poisoned rats can die in walls or crawl spaces and cause odor and health problems, so seal the entry points and trap first.
What do rat holes under pavers look like?
Small holes, often with chewed edges, near foundations, woodpiles or garbage cans, sometimes with droppings nearby. Oregon State says Norway rats dig burrows near the ground and along foundations.
Can rodents damage a paver patio?
Burrowing removes soil under the base and can leave voids, so pavers sink or rock. Contractor sources say the same happens to slabs.
