Pest control (rodent in the attic)

[NDinTEXAS]

Raccoons would be bedded in the sides out of sight. Shine a flashlight around and look for a latrine in one of the corners (piles of poop).

Leave the light on up there (if there is one), and put a radio up there playing talk shows 24/7 as loud as you can handle it. That is one way to keep coons out. They hate light and human voices.

If it was Republican talk radio that would kill me so I know the rat will kick the bucket.

 

[phgreek]

Do I have to worry about any of these beasties getting tired of the attic and coming down into the living space instead? Our food is well sealed and all that, and we have baseboard heat with no AC so there's no ductwork anywhere.

If its mice...Yup. If you have a cat or dog...they'll be down to get their food.

I don't know if you have room, but Here is what I do...I take a coke and dump it in a five gallon bucket...make sure you lay a dowel across the bucket, and lean one on the side (so they can climb up)...the coke draws them in...they climb up, walk across the dowel, and fall in. No blood, or guts...check once a week...refresh the coke now and again. works for me. If your critter ignores the coke...try putting a plastic spoon full of peanut butter in the bottom of the bucket.

 

[BGIF]

In addition to squirrels and other 4 legged critters getting into the attic, I had a repeated problem with woodpeckers and other birds nesting in the attice.

They pecked through the insect screening in the peak of the roof and under the eaves. I replaced a few times with stronger screen (each time) and they pecked through it again. Finally put several layers of industrial (farm) fencing offset to reduce the size of the openings. This finally worked.

I finally put up my fabricated screening after one of the chicks fell between the walls and died as it couldn't get out. Took a few weeks for the smell to clear out of that room.

Hire the pro for the reasons stated AND because if you stick your foot through the ceiling you pay the bill. If the pro does it, he's on the hook because he's a pro and knows better.

And since you live in a city, municipal fines could get expensive for firing that 20 guage inside city limits. They don't care if it is your house. If there's a no shooting ordinance, you'll get fined if a neighbor reports it.

 

[Irish#1]

You'd be surprised. The bottom line is if a coon wants in somewhere, it gets in. End of story.

Yeah, they're crafty but that's sounds a bit too intense. They are going to take the easy option and that doesn't sound easy. Have you found them on your property before? Ask your neighbors too. Is anything going through your garbage cans?

I bought a house once that had raccoons living in the attic (it was a foreclosure). They chewed through a few of the ceiling joists, shit and pissed all over the attic. Long story short, after I stripped the insulation and drywall, I went through hell to get the smell out. Don't be penny smart, dollar stupid if you can't get in that attic. Just call someone to come out.

Actually raccoon's will take on a challenge as long as it's not life threatening. As I mentioned before if it was coons or Koon, the noise would sound like someone trying to tear a wall down. Do you only hear the noise at night? If so, that narrows it down to a nocturnal creature. If could very well be bats.

We had one get in our house once. Not sure how it got there. Was laying in bed one night, lights out and I thought I saw something flying into our bedroom and back into the hallway. Wife said she didn't see anything so I went back to sleep. The next day I checked every room upstairs for the critter and/or droppings and didn't find anything. A few weeks later, we're watching TV and this little guy comes flying down from the upstairs, circles the downstairs and goes back upstairs. I took a broom upstairs and cornered him in a bedroom. Took about five swings to finally get it. Wrapped it in a towel and took it outside. It eventually woke up and flew away. Never did find an opening where it got in, but critters are clever.

 

[goldandblue]

If they are mice, you better get a handle on it quickly. They will replicate at an amazing rate.... You'll know when you start having mice piss stains on your ceiling after it leaks through the insulation.

A family of 6 mice can multiply into a family of 60 mice in 3 months.

 

[woolybug25]

Damn it, Wiz. Do I have to do all of the man shiz at your house?


They are ground squirrels, ie Chipmunks. We get them too. Don't put poison up there because they hide food in other parts of the house. Next thing you know, your dog will be dry heaving in your kitchen.

Regular rat (read, not mice) traps work, but relocation is better. Go get a chipmunk trap at Rural King like below:

Then relocate those lil bastards over 5 miles away from your house. If you only take them a few blocks away, they will just come right back. Plus, its a fun trip for the kiddos. I would also check all of your eaves. They most likely didn't enter from your chimney.

$5.

 

[wizards8507]

Damn it, Wiz. Do I have to do all of the man shiz at your house?


They are ground squirrels, ie Chipmunks. We get them too. Don't put poison up there because they hide food in other parts of the house. Next thing you know, your dog will be dry heaving in your kitchen.

Regular rat (read, not mice) traps work, but relocation is better. Go get a chipmunk trap at Rural King like below:

Then relocate those lil bastards over 5 miles away from your house. If you only take them a few blocks away, they will just come right back. Plus, its a fun trip for the kiddos. I would also check all of your eaves. They most likely didn't enter from your chimney.

$5.

That thing would never ever fit up into the crawl space. I can barely get my head and shoulders up there.

 

[woolybug25]

That thing would never ever fit up into the crawl space. I can barely get my head and shoulders up there.

How big do you think this thing is? It's a few inches tall and around 15 inches wide.

Oh... you were talking YOUR shoulders... then yes, maybe it's too big. They make them in all kinds of sizes.

 

[wizards8507]

How big do you think this thing is? It's a few inches tall and around 15 inches wide.

I missed "chipmunk." I thought we were still talking raccoon so that's what I scaled the trap to in my head.

 

[GoIrish41]

Critters hate fire. Nuff said.

 

[GowerND11]

Critters hate fire. Nuff said.

Exactly. Burn the whole house down. Problem solved.

 

[koonja]

Sounds like you have a varment up there.

 

[phgreek]

In addition to squirrels and other 4 legged critters getting into the attic, I had a repeated problem with woodpeckers and other birds nesting in the attice.

They pecked through the insect screening in the peak of the roof and under the eaves. I replaced a few times with stronger screen (each time) and they pecked through it again. Finally put several layers of industrial (farm) fencing offset to reduce the size of the openings. This finally worked.

I finally put up my fabricated screening after one of the chicks fell between the walls and died as it couldn't get out. Took a few weeks for the smell to clear out of that room.

Hire the pro for the reasons stated AND because if you stick your foot through the ceiling you pay the bill. If the pro does it, he's on the hook because he's a pro and knows better.

And since you live in a city, municipal fines could get expensive for firing that 20 guage inside city limits. They don't care if it is your house. If there's a no shooting ordinance, you'll get fined if a neighbor reports it.

an aside involving woodpeckers...they are my white whale. If there is a way to kill a woodpecker, I've employed it. For some reason they are pterodactyls here in Utah compared to the ones I had in PA...so when they peck Stucco its a disaster almost immediately. So I wake up Sunday morning and let my dogs out, and five minutes later they are going nuts...ferocious barking, so I'm thinking they have a cat trapped in the batting cage...Noooo, two Giant woodpeckers are in there wound up in the top net. So I'm thinking...Got you Mfers. Ran in the house and grabbed my shotgun...as I'm heading for the door, my ten year old daughter asks me...what ya doin. Blowing up these woodpeckers...so she follows me outside...well she did not see the situation as good fortune...suffice it to say I had to aid them in their escape...can you imagine Ahab having to unbeach TWO white whales...Yea, me neither.

 

[wizards8507]

So last night there was a damn bat up there. It was unusually warm during the day so the little bugger popped out of his hibernation and paid us a visit. I need to determine if A) he's been up there all winter and just woke up for the day, B) he was roosting some other place and just came in for one night, or C) he was roosting some other place and has now taken up residence.

 

[BeauBenken]

So last night there was a damn bat up there. It was unusually warm during the day so the little bugger popped out of his hibernation and paid us a visit. I need to determine if A) he's been up there all winter and just woke up for the day, B) he was roosting some other place and just came in for one night, or C) he was roosting some other place and has now taken up residence.

Like I posted before...

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[kmoose]

So last night there was a damn bat up there. It was unusually warm during the day so the little bugger popped out of his hibernation and paid us a visit. I need to determine if A) he's been up there all winter and just woke up for the day, B) he was roosting some other place and just came in for one night, or C) he was roosting some other place and has now taken up residence.

Burn the fvcker down, collect the insurance, and upgrade your domicile. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[Irish#1]

So last night there was a damn bat up there. It was unusually warm during the day so the little bugger popped out of his hibernation and paid us a visit. I need to determine if A) he's been up there all winter and just woke up for the day, B) he was roosting some other place and just came in for one night, or C) he was roosting some other place and has now taken up residence.

So what was up there back in November or did you never figure it out?

 

[wizards8507]

So what was up there back in November or did you never figure it out?

Nah, it seems to have left on its own. Unless it was the bat and he fell asleep for three months.

We had a professional come out and he basically told us it was a single critter, not any kind of colony or infestation.

 

[connor_in]

Must have been a Walverine and he left when he found out about Harbaugh

 

[Irish#1]

Nah, it seems to have left on its own. Unless it was the bat and he fell asleep for three months.

We had a professional come out and he basically told us it was a single critter, not any kind of colony or infestation.

It might have been the bat. The one we had was in the winter time as well.

 

[Ndaccountant]

They watch you when you sleep......

 

[koonja]

Cally Wooly. The real man of your house.

 

[wizards8507]

They watch you when you sleep......

How'd you get that picture of me?

 

[Ndaccountant]

Let me google that for you

in the images section somewhere

 

[ulukinatme]

I think the most likely scenario is that you have a demon in your house that will stop at nothing to destroy you. Either that or Koon (the poster, not the animal) is hiding out in your attic watching you.

Best keep a shirt on at all times.

This was sound advice.

Cut a 2x6 or 2x8 twenty inches in length. Get two of them, get in the attic and use them to move across the joists one at a time. You could just cut enough to go across the whole length too. Just nail them in and leave them.

Did the same thing when I installed a new outlet in my master closet (Converted it into an office). My attic has nothing but joists and insulation as far as the eye can see. I nailed some 2x6's every 2 feet or so along the length of my house, now I'm able to get around the attic. It sounds like the OP doesn't have much head room to get up there though.

You'd be surprised. The bottom line is if a coon wants in somewhere, it gets in. End of story.

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[wizards8507]

Did the same thing when I installed a new outlet in my master closet (Converted it into an office). My attic has nothing but joists and insulation as far as the eye can see. I nailed some 2x6's every 2 feet or so along the length of my house, now I'm able to get around the attic. It sounds like the OP doesn't have much head room to get up there though.

Right. We're in a dormered cape and with the dormers, our living space extends pretty high up into the roof structure. There's room to crawl on my hands and knees (barely) under the very peak of the roof, but that's about it.

 

[wizards8507]

Let me google that for you

in the images section somewhere

First time I've ever been called a long haired hippy.

NOT the first time I've been called a troll.

 

[woolybug25]

Call Wooly. The real man of your house.

 

[Ndaccountant]

First time I've ever been called a long haired hippy.

NOT the first time I've been called a troll.

haha......good to see you realized it was a joke.

 

[wizards8507]

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