We moved into our new home 3 weeks ago and have started hearing noises at night, seem to be from the attic. At first I didn't think much of it, figured it was just creaks from the house or the wind. Now we hear them every night and they get louder. I listened closely last night and it sounded to me like something big scurrying about, like a squirrel. That seems plausible since I see squirrels in our backyard everyday, and one of the bedroom ceiling lights suddenly quit working the other night, so maybe one of the buggers chewed the wires. If that's the case, need to take care of this ASAP before we have a fire hazard from these critters. I haven't been up there since we had the house inspected as I've been busy with so many other things, and even then it was only to take a peak through the access panels, so I'm going to go up there and do a thorough inspection and look for signs of rodents and damage. I guess my next step would be to have an exterminator come out and trap them, and figure out how they're getting in and seal it up, maybe a gap somewhere in the roof and siding? The scurrying noises are one thing, but I could swear that sometimes the creaks are so loud and go across the ceiling like somebody was walking around up there, sure seems like it take more weight than a small rodent to make noise like that. I have gotten out a bed a couple of times in the middle of the night and walked around checking all the rooms to make sure there no one was there.

It's haunted !!!

I'd bet good money that it's not squirrels but that it's bats. They sound just like a rodent.

Or Rats!!!

I've had both.
Squirrels are active during daylight so if it's after dark ,most likely rats.
Here's what worked for me in a snap trap:
http://www.jfoakes.com/ProPestRodentLures.htm
It's bait ,not poison.

i had squirrels in my attic in NY... she ate through the soffett. i saw the bastids up there multiple times. they sell this power that is supposed to smell like fox pee and scare them away. doesnt work. dont buy it. find out where they are coming from and seal it up.

Pest control people have small plastic bags of "stuff" that will take care of rodents. They get curious and chew the thing and they die............ Took care of the ones in my house. We just threw about a dozen bags around the attic.

Pest control people have small plastic bags of "stuff" that will take care of rodents. They get curious and chew the thing and they die............ Took care of the ones in my house. We just threw about a dozen bags around the attic.


I bought some commercially available stuff, after having no luck with glue traps ansd "snap" traps...

The poison has netted me 4 rats so far, and for the last 2 weeks, I have seen no signs of reinfestations...

My boss used a battery-powered "zapper"... I was skeptical, but he said he killed 6 in a few days... So I might pick one of those up next time I see signs...

forget calling anyone. Go to Home Depot and pick up a can of Critter Ridder. It's made by Havahart and comes in a blue plastic container. Spread it around the area where they are in the house and where they are getting in if you can find it, and you will never see them again.

My neighbors have been trapping squirrels in their attic with a harmless cage. I went and retrieved a live one last night because the husband was out of town and the wife was afraid if it. They simply puts the cage in the attic and bait it with bird seed. I released the squirrel in a nearby park.

Ghost of Woody Hayes......

I was hearing noises in my attic and then...YouTube - BAT CATCHER

(note: uncontrolable foul language)

I vote for snap traps.
Found peanut butter to be really good bait. On snap traps I put saran wrap over part of trip lever so that the rat needs to chew it off (WACK). On live traps smear a little in a soda bottle cap. Rats/rodents will kill to get it. Possums and raccoon also seem to enjoy Nutty Jiff. Cats don't seem too interested.
My dog, unfortunatly does like peanut butter. He never played with the snapper again. And no it did'nt hurt him physically. He was in the garage sniffing a trap when it snapped. I was outside, heard it snap, him yipe, and dog toe nails going as fast as possible on hardwood floors. Found him hidding under a bed on the other side of the house.
He still likes peanut butter.

Have used the "Rat Zapper" before with the booster battery pack. Warf rats were a little to big. They would squeeze in, the charge goes off, they would scream (a really weird sound), and run away dragging the trap till it fell off or they fell out. It was ok at zapping small stuff like larger bugs and field mice. Downside was resetting and reloading it. We got the remote indicator light for it since ours were used in the attic and under the house.
In the end the best working trap for bigger rodents was the big snap traps. Added a small chain to keep the snapped item from wandering off with the trap as a hat.

Unless you release a squirrel 20 miles from your house they will return

Also I had a family of raccoons living in my chimney for awhile,needed to put a screen on the top

Unless you release a squirrel 20 miles from your house they will return


Six miles for groundhogs.

Respectfully,
John R.

Had a similiar issue some years back. There had been a fire in the wooods bordering my house. Shortly after that we heard the same noise`s you are hearing. We soon discovered we also had a racoon living up along with the squirrels.The raccon had to be trapped and brought away. Trust me the racoon was persistent we would fix a section of facia to find it ripped open somewhere else.I mention this because coming face to face with a squirrel on a ladder 2 levels up is a little different than a racoon :D

Jay,
I went through this a couple of years ago and it was a pain in the rear. You have to get up on a ladder, or stay at home and watch where they are getting in from. The go out in the early morning and go back right at sunset, very hard to see them :( After you find out where they are getting in, you have to make sure that they are out, then get up there and block off the opening. And believe me they will be pissed when they try to get back and will chew thier way in. They can do some serious damage so dont fool around getting rid of them.

My 5mm Sheridan air rifle was the final solution :(

By the way, bats dont do that type of damage.

If the noise is at night, its probably mice or rats. Put some mice and or rat traps along the outside wall at night in the approximate area you are hearing the noises. Make sure the trap is right next to the outside wall. Then once you catch them and you dont hear the noise anymore, you have to figure out how they got in. I had the same problem about a year ago. It was mice getting in by the dryer vent in a hole in the brick. Caught two small mice, but they sure made a lot of noise at night in the attic!!!

I believe I found their entry/exit points, at least the visible ones. Looks like they got under the siding and chewed holes through the wood at the corners of the roof at both ends of the house, and at the third corner above our bedroom. Mice or rats maybe? I didn't see much of anything on the floor with all the blown insulation, but there were a couple spots by the eave that looked like something had been nesting in the insulation, there was some gray stuff and black specks mixed in with the snow white insulation there. Picked up some Critter Ridder from Home Depot as Andy said and set up some traps and poison. Got some sheetmetal to patch over the holes. Home ownership, ain't it great.

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=23&pictureid=659

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=23&pictureid=660

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=23&pictureid=662

You might also check if you have a Stripper on the roof (http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158943&highlight=nude).


Dan

Well this post reminded me that the last few nights I've heard some mouse-like noises in the attic so I put out a few glue traps.

As I was just about to fall asleep I heard the little bugger(s) flopping around in one or more of the traps.

Now it's midnight and I am wide awake, but I got the sucker! :thumbsup:

Disposal at daybreak!

Well this post reminded me that the last few nights I've heard some mouse-like noises in the attic so I put out a few glue traps.

As I was just about to fall asleep I heard the little bugger(s) flopping around in one or more of the traps.

Part II-The results

Went up in the attic the next morning. Found the baited glue trap, nothing but glue in it.

Insulation looks like there were monkeys playing in it all night long.

I figured that as I am in Georgia, it must be another of the Bigfoot they thought they found here.

Exterminating company came today.

Yup, Bigfoot OK.


(Naw just wanted to make you laugh)

"You have builder's gap"

WTH is "Builder's Gap"?

Apparently building codes in GA dictate or allow for the roof sheathing and the side walls to have an unprotected air gap for "ventilation". The area does not have to be protected with any type of screening and is only covered by the overhang of the roof shingles.

Yer s**tting me, right? Nope. We went around the house and he showed me the gap, as described. A total of 174 ft of openings to seal up. They're doing that on Monday.

On Tuesday, they're bringing 2 monkeys to spend the night in the attic to look for whatever is in there. Still hoping for Bigfoot. l:)

I'm tellin ya, Critter Ridder. It's pure magic.

I believe I found their entry/exit points, at least the visible ones. Looks like they got under the siding and chewed holes through the wood at the corners of the roof at both ends of the house, and at the third corner above our bedroom. Mice or rats maybe? I didn't see much of anything on the floor with all the blown insulation, but there were a couple spots by the eave that looked like something had been nesting in the insulation, there was some gray stuff and black specks mixed in with the snow white insulation there. Picked up some Critter Ridder from Home Depot as Andy said and set up some traps and poison. Got some sheetmetal to patch over the holes. Home ownership, ain't it great.

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=23&pictureid=659

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=23&pictureid=660

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=23&pictureid=662


Those aren't holes chewed by any critter, those are holes produced by human beings with hammers. Those holes are there because when the house was built the builder ordered the gable trusses pre-sheathed and when the crane showed up to lift them up on the roof they had to pop those holes in them to get the chain through to lift them. I have been in construction my whole life, that is as typical as it gets.

Jeff

Those aren't holes chewed by any critter, those are holes produced by human beings with hammers. Those holes are there because when the house was built the builder ordered the gable trusses pre-sheathed and when the crane showed up to lift them up on the roof they had to pop those holes in them to get the chain through to lift them. I have been in construction my whole life, that is as typical as it gets.

Jeff

buzz kill

buzz kill

Sorry ;)

Jeff

I thought this was going to be one of those "the lights are on but nobody's home" threads.

Or "One wheel in the sand..."

Or "One taco short of a combination meal..."

Or "Not much upstairs but man, what a staircase!" (for women only :thumbsup:)

Or "Not the sharpest tool in the shed..."

Or...

i heard a couple somethings battling it out in my attic last night. i better look into it!!

Those aren't holes chewed by any critter, those are holes produced by human beings with hammers. Those holes are there because when the house was built the builder ordered the gable trusses pre-sheathed and when the crane showed up to lift them up on the roof they had to pop those holes in them to get the chain through to lift them. I have been in construction my whole life, that is as typical as it gets.

Jeff

Yes, thanks! I'm not in construction and those holes were the only things that seemed to stick out when I looked around the attic but that makes sense. Well I still have critters up there, figuring out how and where they got in is going to take some more work.

Update -Part III

Had the critter company come and seal up the "builders gap" using specially designed heavy gauge vented alum flashings. (BTW, the builder's gap, was a 3 1/2" wide gap between the roof flashing and the wall. Cats could have gone through it.)

Based on "forensic evidence" (tunneling in the insulation, late night sounds vs. daytime sounds-eve-=rats/mice, day=squirrel, dropping size) 6 rat traps were baited and set.

2 days later- Critter company back-all bait is gone, no traps were triggered, no sign of bugs or other vermin that could have done that. Traps re-baited with rodent attractant.

2 days later-Critter company back-Bait gone in all traps, again. Only found 5 of the 6 traps. After searching for about 20 min. found 1 small rat 1/2 trapped and buried in the insulation, 1/2 alive.

"They can't get out to eat, so we'll get 'em one by one. If there's one, there's more."

Reminds me of a story about my now 31 yr old niece. They had just moved to AZ. My Mother-in-law was watching her that day. She was 5 at the time.

She saw a small rattler on the patio and yelled. In a panic, my mother-in-law grabbed a long handled shovel and started pounding on the snake.

With that my niece yells out, "BEAT THE SNAKE NANNY! BEAT THE F***ING SNAKE!"

We remind her of that every time we can. Of course it's most fun when we can embarrass her. :D

I'm telling ya, a $17 container of Critter Ridder from Home Depot will chase those suckers away. I tried the trap route, they just laughed at it and did their little dance on top, almost like they were mocking me. I used that stuff 3 years ago and didn;t have another problem until last week. Used it again, and they were gone the next day.

So Andy, does that Critter Ridder come in both 12 and 20 ga. ?

it's more like that million rounds per minute one they're talking about in one of those other forums :)

Quickest way to get rid of them.......put some spam up there!

Quickest way to get rid of them.......put some spam up there!Cooking it on your manifold makes it tastier!:D

I serve up my squirrel's some fresh Prestone in a bowl when needed, it keeps them from freezing and also from retuning to my home, or for that matter anyone's home. ;)

Remember the thread about the mice in the garage and a 55 gallon drum pan w/ a bunch a beer in it and a 1x2 ramp leading down?

Little suckers would drink the beer, get loaded, fall in it and drown!

He, He!!

That or a 5' long Black Snake in the attic!!

pdq67

Update -Part III

Had the critter company come and seal up the "builders gap" using specially designed heavy gauge vented alum flashings. (BTW, the builder's gap, was a 3 1/2" wide gap between the roof flashing and the wall. Cats could have gone through it.)

Based on "forensic evidence" (tunneling in the insulation, late night sounds vs. daytime sounds-eve-=rats/mice, day=squirrel, dropping size) 6 rat traps were baited and set.

2 days later- Critter company back-all bait is gone, no traps were triggered, no sign of bugs or other vermin that could have done that. Traps re-baited with rodent attractant.

2 days later-Critter company back-Bait gone in all traps, again. Only found 5 of the 6 traps. After searching for about 20 min. found 1 small rat 1/2 trapped and buried in the insulation, 1/2 alive.

"They can't get out to eat, so we'll get 'em one by one. If there's one, there's more."

Reminds me of a story about my now 31 yr old niece. They had just moved to AZ. My Mother-in-law was watching her that day. She was 5 at the time.

She saw a small rattler on the patio and yelled. In a panic, my mother-in-law grabbed a long handled shovel and started pounding on the snake.

With that my niece yells out, "BEAT THE SNAKE NANNY! BEAT THE F***ING SNAKE!"

We remind her of that every time we can. Of course it's most fun when we can embarrass her. :D

I had the same problem with the traps not tripping. Wrap half to three quarters of the trigger in saran wrap. Bait it with peanut butter. They like to eat, when the boogers nibble and pull on the plastic, wack! If the traps to small to kill em, tie it down. Glad I moved away from Florida and the bayou(swamp). Don't miss the rats at all. I think these were tree rats or roof rats(?). 8 to 10 inch in length bodies, nasty.

Thats actually the next step the "terminators" will take if the traps are again empty but not triggered.

The roof and/or tree rats we had in SO FL were also big. This GA rat was 1/2 to 1/3 that size.

We used to also have crapload of chipmunks, but we had a large volume of owls take over the area about mid-summer and keep returning. All but 1 chipmunks are gone.

Ironically, I was awoken this AM by a "fight" between a VERY large horned owl and mocking birds that was taking place on my roof gutter. I've seen that before and I say large owl because the mocking birds looked like sparrows next to it. They just kept dive bombing it with glancing blows. The owl never budged, just left as if it was annoyed by all the attention.