For the last month or so I have been trying to trap whatever is in my attic scratching and making noise keeping me awake at night-tried mouse snap traps first-all were tripped with nothing caught-tried rat snap traps-same result-small live trap-tripped twice-turned upside down so lock latches and doors came open-nothing caught-put down large glue traps nailed onto boards in what looked like traffic areas and a medium live trap and so far no results for a week.It wakes me and the wife up at least twice during the night with regularity now scratching and moving around-anyone have any other ideas how to rid my attic of this s.o.b. so I can sleep at night-want to avoid poison if at all possible so I don't have a dead animal stinking up the house
Something's in the attic
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porschedude996TT
Well-known member
You're going "...to need a Bigger Boat..." as quoted from the movie "Jaws". I alway resort to Peanut Butter bait on anything I place to trap a mouse, rat, whatever. I don't think there is a creature on earth that doesn't like it... Good Luck!
EOC_Jason
Well-known member
Could be a squirrel? Maybe get one of those cages? Check your soffits for holes and such around your house.
DpSyChO
Well-known member
We have a "Southern Flying Squirrel" in our attic. I managed to catch one already with a rat trap but I still hear another scurring around about the time it gets dark each evening.
Flying squirrel is my guess too.
If thats what it is, and you stand outside at the right time, you can watch them soaring around. Pretty cool actually.
I've caught them where the mouse trap goes right over their head onto the skin of their back and doesn't even kill them. You'll know it, you can hear the trap flopping around.
If thats what it is, and you stand outside at the right time, you can watch them soaring around. Pretty cool actually.
I've caught them where the mouse trap goes right over their head onto the skin of their back and doesn't even kill them. You'll know it, you can hear the trap flopping around.
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rieferman
Well-known member
I agree, likely a squirrel. Pest guy once told me that it's usually squirrels when it's up high in a house because they're so mobile (can leave and get food easily) whereas mice/rats prefer closer-to-ground locations so they can get to kitchen scraps and to outdoor options more quickly. I never google checked that, but have experienced squirrels in the attic myself so it seems to make sense.
Usually, the exterior entry can be spotted if you take some time to find it. Usually pulled back flashing or roof edge. Putting cage traps near their hole works. Then, fix hole once you're sure you have them all.
If roof climbing isn't your thing, pest guys aren't cheap but good ones will usually offer a fixed price that covers as many trips as it takes.
Btw, once you catch the ******(s), you have to get rid of them somehow. Lots of options ranging from dropping them off far away to humanely putting them down. Plenty of info on the web about that.
Usually, the exterior entry can be spotted if you take some time to find it. Usually pulled back flashing or roof edge. Putting cage traps near their hole works. Then, fix hole once you're sure you have them all.
If roof climbing isn't your thing, pest guys aren't cheap but good ones will usually offer a fixed price that covers as many trips as it takes.
Btw, once you catch the ******(s), you have to get rid of them somehow. Lots of options ranging from dropping them off far away to humanely putting them down. Plenty of info on the web about that.
1jeepfan
Well-known member
I had a squirrel in my attic last fall. Read on the net that they don't like the smell of mothballs. I tried that and it worked! Only problem was that I over did it, and one of the bedrooms smelled like a bag full of mothballs. I finally removed them. The squirrel hasn't been back.
Good luck.
Good luck.
I was thinking squirrel to because it makes way to much noise to be a mouse or rat.Sounds like it carries something around and drops it sometimes-maybe it stored food up there earlier and its getting it now?All I know is I have to get rid of it so we can sleep!
Scott H in Wheaton
Well-known member
Could be something bigger like a racoon, which are also nocturnal. Certainly they are big enough to turn over a live trap. This time of year mama racoons are looking for nice warm safe attics to have their litter.
One option is a trail camera to get a picture of it.
Another option is to hideout in the attic and see for yourself.
Then you'll know better how to deal with it.
One option is a trail camera to get a picture of it.
Another option is to hideout in the attic and see for yourself.
Then you'll know better how to deal with it.
schmelpboy
Banned
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A Claymore should do the trick.
ludakris04
Well-known member
I had a raccoon once when I lived in a rental. I woke up to what sounded like a dead body being drug around... over my head..
turned out a broken exhaust fan was his entry point.
turned out a broken exhaust fan was his entry point.
Hpozzuoli
Well-known member
Had something in my attic for 1 week. I was dead set that it was a snake. I am terrified of them so I could only stay in the house during the day and I could not go up stairs. After friends attempts at finding it didn't work I called in a pro. He couldn't find it either. The pro decides to look from the outside in. He is met at the soffit by a pair of eyes. As he backs up a fox slowly emerges from my soffit. Strange.
my attic is about 5 ft high at the roof peak and there are places I just cant get to.Nothing to walk on but the rafters where they aren't covered with insulation.Step in the wrong place and I am coming through the ceiling below.2x2 door above the porch to get in. P.I.T.A every time I go up.
nolimits76
Well-known member
I like the idea of a trail cam. Once you have an idea of what you are dealing with, you can make a plan to get rid of it.
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
More than likely a squirrel, but could be mice, rats, or even a raccoon.
Do a walk around outside the house. If you have powerlines coming in from above, a squirrel will walk the line over to the house, or if you have overhanging tree limbs, they can get in that way. Look for any holes in your soffit, or any small holes in your roof. If everything looks good with no signs of anyplace a squirrel can get in, then you may be dealing with mice or rats. Both of those can get in from below. We had mice get in and would go through the attic, walk along the soffit above the kitchen cabinets, then drop down into an interior wall cavity. If the TV was off, I could hear them scratching in the wall trying to get out. If you have mice or rats in the attic, try the bucket of water, with a ramp, and peanut butter on a pop bottle or can.
Mice are one thing, but if you are dealing with squirrels or rats, they can and will chew up house wiring, along with just being plain nasty. Rats have poor eyesight, so they usually walk along an edge somewhere and they let their whiskers do the feeling for them. Plus a rat will constantly piss a little here and there while they walk, sort of marking their territory, and others can follow that trail.
As a last resort......at night, turn off all sounds and listen closely. When you hear them scratching, pinpoint where the area is at, and unload the 12 gauge on them.
Do a walk around outside the house. If you have powerlines coming in from above, a squirrel will walk the line over to the house, or if you have overhanging tree limbs, they can get in that way. Look for any holes in your soffit, or any small holes in your roof. If everything looks good with no signs of anyplace a squirrel can get in, then you may be dealing with mice or rats. Both of those can get in from below. We had mice get in and would go through the attic, walk along the soffit above the kitchen cabinets, then drop down into an interior wall cavity. If the TV was off, I could hear them scratching in the wall trying to get out. If you have mice or rats in the attic, try the bucket of water, with a ramp, and peanut butter on a pop bottle or can.
Mice are one thing, but if you are dealing with squirrels or rats, they can and will chew up house wiring, along with just being plain nasty. Rats have poor eyesight, so they usually walk along an edge somewhere and they let their whiskers do the feeling for them. Plus a rat will constantly piss a little here and there while they walk, sort of marking their territory, and others can follow that trail.
As a last resort......at night, turn off all sounds and listen closely. When you hear them scratching, pinpoint where the area is at, and unload the 12 gauge on them.
jdub63
Well-known member
I had a family of squirrels move in last year. They climbed up the outside of a gutter drain then they chewed the edge of the soffit board where it goes against the brick and stayed in the eaves, so I could never find them in the attic. I set a live cage trap at the base of the gutter and baited it with bread and peanut butter. I checked the trap daily and reset after each capture. I ended up catching 4 of them. I still need to fix the hole, but they haven't returned.
owenst7
Well-known member
Snares work well for squirrels. Braided steel cable passed through a washer bent to 90 degrees with two holes drilled in it is all you need.
James E
Well-known member
If you hear it late at night, it's a flying squirrel, raccoon or possum. If you hear it in the early morning and late afternoon and evening, it's probably a normal squirrel (like a gray, red or fox squirrel--not sure what you have in PA).
If you have a snake, you won't hear it, ever. Mice are too small to make noise unless they're nesting directly over your head. If you've not seen rats around your foundation and other places on your property, it's probably not a rat.
Whatever you've got, it's too big for a snap trap and maybe too small or smart for a live trap. It's entirely possible that you have multiple critters and multiple types up there. When I moved into my house I had both gray squirrels and flying squirrels in my attic. The grays slept there at night and the flying squirrels slept there during the day. The mother F'ers were hot-bunking. Plus I had a few field mice thrown in for good measure and at least one rat snake in the crawl space living high on the hog.
Here's my advice:
Set all of your traps and keep them set. Sometimes you're just unlucky.
With your snap traps, screw them to the top of a rafter at the edges of the attic. Then bait them with peanut butter and check them every day. If you have something small like a flying squirrel, it can get out of a mouse trap or drag it away. A rat trap will usually kill a flying squirrel but if you catch a larger squirrel or other animal with a rat trap, it will either wriggle out or drag the trap away. Screwing them down keeps the critter stationary. I've caught flying squirrels in a rat trap and they stayed alive long enough that if the trap were not screwed down, they would have dragged it into an inaccessible place to die--and smell.
If you've got something bigger, you'll get it with a live trap. Flying squirrels and mice will often trip a live trap but just walk right through the gaps in the bars. Don't get discouraged. It sometimes takes several settings to get a bigger critter with a live trap.
I had terrible luck with live traps for larger stuff until I modified the traps. I bent the triggers so that they were hair-triggered. Then (and this is the important part), I used thin sheet metal to wrap the traps around the outside, which denies the critter access from the side, through the bars. I figured out that larger animals will sometimes find the bait and just reach through the sides of the trap to get it (the shortest route) instead of walking around to the end of the trap and entering it. By wrapping the trap, the critter has no choice but to go into the trap like you want him to. This also helps keep your fingers away from his sharp teeth and claws when you carry the trap out. My catch rate went way up once I did this. I secured the sheet metal with rivets.
Even on large traps, I use peanut butter. Critters love it and it's sticky so they have to move the trigger around when they scrape and lick it--increasing your chances of springing the trap and catching them.
If you have a snake, you won't hear it, ever. Mice are too small to make noise unless they're nesting directly over your head. If you've not seen rats around your foundation and other places on your property, it's probably not a rat.
Whatever you've got, it's too big for a snap trap and maybe too small or smart for a live trap. It's entirely possible that you have multiple critters and multiple types up there. When I moved into my house I had both gray squirrels and flying squirrels in my attic. The grays slept there at night and the flying squirrels slept there during the day. The mother F'ers were hot-bunking. Plus I had a few field mice thrown in for good measure and at least one rat snake in the crawl space living high on the hog.
Here's my advice:
Set all of your traps and keep them set. Sometimes you're just unlucky.
With your snap traps, screw them to the top of a rafter at the edges of the attic. Then bait them with peanut butter and check them every day. If you have something small like a flying squirrel, it can get out of a mouse trap or drag it away. A rat trap will usually kill a flying squirrel but if you catch a larger squirrel or other animal with a rat trap, it will either wriggle out or drag the trap away. Screwing them down keeps the critter stationary. I've caught flying squirrels in a rat trap and they stayed alive long enough that if the trap were not screwed down, they would have dragged it into an inaccessible place to die--and smell.
If you've got something bigger, you'll get it with a live trap. Flying squirrels and mice will often trip a live trap but just walk right through the gaps in the bars. Don't get discouraged. It sometimes takes several settings to get a bigger critter with a live trap.
I had terrible luck with live traps for larger stuff until I modified the traps. I bent the triggers so that they were hair-triggered. Then (and this is the important part), I used thin sheet metal to wrap the traps around the outside, which denies the critter access from the side, through the bars. I figured out that larger animals will sometimes find the bait and just reach through the sides of the trap to get it (the shortest route) instead of walking around to the end of the trap and entering it. By wrapping the trap, the critter has no choice but to go into the trap like you want him to. This also helps keep your fingers away from his sharp teeth and claws when you carry the trap out. My catch rate went way up once I did this. I secured the sheet metal with rivets.
Even on large traps, I use peanut butter. Critters love it and it's sticky so they have to move the trigger around when they scrape and lick it--increasing your chances of springing the trap and catching them.
Cant figure this in my head... have any pics or drawings?
(might be handy in other situations...)
Orange65
Well-known member
This thread makes me think of the squirrel in Christmas Vacation.. 
Good luck with your problem. My boss had his roof destroyed by squirrels. They ate thru it!
Good luck with your problem. My boss had his roof destroyed by squirrels. They ate thru it!
Stevie-Ray
Well-known member
Blast off and nuke the site from orbit.
It's the only way to be sure.
It's the only way to be sure.
owenst7
Well-known member
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
If it's at night it's almost definitely a flying squirrel. They're nocturnal. Tough to trap, too. I had one in my attic above my dormer. he was coming in through a hole in the gable vent screen. Had to put in a "one way door" to get rid of the little stinker.
Tommy
Tommy
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Flying Squirell??? You need to call Boris Badenov.
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Speed4Life
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Get some De-Con rat poison, Pour melted butter all over it, and slap it in the attic. Ants won't go after the butter like they will peanut butter and rats love it. Do this with gloved hands so you don't get your scent on the bait box. Put it near a perceived traffic area and give it a day or two. If it's rats or squirrels or mice or chipmonks, they will all eat it up and die. They usually die outside looking for water, not in your attic, but it can happen. Rats also love shiny stuff. I've heard you can put aluminum foil on the traps and they'll go for it just like they will cheese or peanut butter. Never tried it though.
ishiboo
Well-known member
Could be bats, they should be hibernating but will become active again for various reasons. Nothing you can do except hire a company to exclude them when May hits.
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Last flying squirrel I got a took a while. (week maybe?)
My soffit was open while I built an addition.
But the plain old mouse trap worked.
He was going under the floor (ceiling over my bedroom) to eat, and same as you, we could hear him scurrying back and forth every time we layed down to sleep. I took a mirror and looked down between the joists, of course during the day and didn't see him, but could see the little scraps they leave behind.
My soffit was open while I built an addition.
But the plain old mouse trap worked.
He was going under the floor (ceiling over my bedroom) to eat, and same as you, we could hear him scurrying back and forth every time we layed down to sleep. I took a mirror and looked down between the joists, of course during the day and didn't see him, but could see the little scraps they leave behind.
Mustang51js
Well-known member
I was cutting in a recessed light in a customers house and kept hearing scratches,I went up into the attic with a broom and lifted the insulation and there was a bat. I smacked it with the broom and killed it. The homeowner said they heard scratching at night, I just don't know if bats would set off traps and not get caught
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James E
Well-known member
I have to admit that the idea of bats didn't occur to me. If you've got bats, you're royally screwed.
All kinds of squirrels will make scratching noises when they're in the attic. They chew on the wood and wiring constantly and their claws make noise when they scurry around. Flying squirrels are particularly bad because they will crawl around upside down in the rafters (picture the dead baby hallucination in Trainspotting).
My money's on flying squirrels. Screw your rat traps down and bait them. I'll bet you catch one or two within a couple days.
All kinds of squirrels will make scratching noises when they're in the attic. They chew on the wood and wiring constantly and their claws make noise when they scurry around. Flying squirrels are particularly bad because they will crawl around upside down in the rafters (picture the dead baby hallucination in Trainspotting).
My money's on flying squirrels. Screw your rat traps down and bait them. I'll bet you catch one or two within a couple days.
ford33
Well-known member
I had a raccoon in my attic. Local animal control didn't have traps available but suggested the following and it worked.
Put a table lamp connected to a timer in the attic. Set the timer to turn the lamp on-off every couple hours. Connect a radio set to a talk radio station to turn on-off at different times of the day and evening.
The raccoon left after a couple days. I found it had ripped the wire mesh off the attic vent fan.
The problem with killing the animal in the attic is that you have to go get it once it is dead. That can be difficult if it dies in a place not easily accessible.
Put a table lamp connected to a timer in the attic. Set the timer to turn the lamp on-off every couple hours. Connect a radio set to a talk radio station to turn on-off at different times of the day and evening.
The raccoon left after a couple days. I found it had ripped the wire mesh off the attic vent fan.
The problem with killing the animal in the attic is that you have to go get it once it is dead. That can be difficult if it dies in a place not easily accessible.
mrobins297aaa
Well-known member
James say it ain't so?, I was just in my attice last week running a wire for my portable generator and I have one spot over my kitchen where two roofs come together that a have a small leak so i went over there to check it out and in the procees i pulled back some of the ceiling insulation and there was a bat under there sleeping /humbernateing.........I just left him there because i didn't have any gloves on and i'd been in that attic most of the day and had enough.............should i be worried about him?