Do you hear noises in your attic at night? You can have wild animals in your attic!
Have you been hearing strange noises in your attic at night? Are you concerned that something is living inside your attic? This can be a frightening and worrying experience for homeowners, especially when they don’t know what the noise is or where it’s coming from. If you have been hearing strange noises in your attic or on the walls, especially at night, these are signs of a wildlife or rodent infestation.
Wild animals like squirrels, raccoons, opossums, rodents, and even bats can move into the attic or basement of your home. While you’re terrified in your bed, trying to rest; these animals are throwing a party in your attic! They quickly make their home their own; they will nest, mate, have babies, poop, urinate, eat, and then go to sleep in peace. All while pulling your hair out trying to figure out what to do.
The types of noises you may hear can range from chewing vibrations, heavy banging, scratching, or even worse; moans, screams and growls. Bats don’t make as much noise, however you may hear very light but high-pitched chirps. If you are hearing these kinds of noises and think you have a wildlife infestation, here are some tips to help you, so you know exactly what to do from here.
First things first, you need to inspect your entire property and look for entry points. This includes the top of the roof, soffit openings, attic vents, and even under the house. If there are animals nesting in your attic, they got in there somehow, somehow. With larger animals, these spots will be easy to pinpoint and you will clearly see the damage where they were going in and out. However, with smaller animals like rats and bats, it can be more difficult to locate these entry points. You will need to look for any and all holes that are larger than a quarter. Also with rats and bats you will see black markings around the entry points. Once you have located the entry points, you will need to make any necessary repairs. Each homeowner’s situation will be different; repairs can range from simply patching a hole to replacing an entire roof.
After repairing any damage or hotspots, this is when you’ll need to catch and eliminate the animals. You can buy live traps for larger animals and you can buy rat traps for rats. However, when it comes to bats, it is highly recommended that you hire a licensed professional wildlife hunter to remove bats, as there are strict laws and regulations in place to protect this important species. If you remove bats incorrectly or at the wrong time of year, you can be hit with heavy fines. So when it comes to bats, make sure you hire a professional animal removal company.
Wildlife capture companies and most attic restoration companies provide exclusion services, where they seal all the holes and repair the damage that allows wild animals access to your home. These are all things you can do yourself, if you are a skilled person; however, when it comes to the final and most important yet widely overlooked step, which is decontaminating the attic and home, you may want to leave this dirty work behind. for professionals.
Feces, feces, urine, and nesting materials are left in the attic after a rodent or raccoon infestation. These animals leave behind bacteria, viruses, and odors from feces and urine that saturate your attic insulation. Not only should the attic be cleaned, but all the insulation should be removed, the attic should be disinfected, and then new insulation installed because rats and wildlife don’t use the bathroom in one place. Unfortunately, they leave their dirt in all the nooks and crannies of your attic. Make sure the attic has been sealed as well (most attic restoration companies offer this imperative service).
Once you’ve controlled the wildlife problem, cleaned up feces, disinfected the attic, and replaced contaminated insulation in your attic, it’s important to do some follow-up work to prevent the problem from happening again. Here are some tips: Cut all branches from trees and bushes near your house. Animals can follow the branches to the roof. Remove all outdoor dog and cat food after the animals have finished eating; as this is one of the biggest culprits in bringing wildlife into your home. Another culprit is the bird feeder, as rats and squirrels love bird seed. Make sure professionals properly clean contaminated areas, such as your attic, as the smell of feces, urine, and nesting materials will again attract other animals. If you’ve been hearing things in your attic, I hope you find this information helpful and I wish you luck getting rid of your rodent or wildlife problem.