What is scratching in my roof during the day?

Pests in your attic can be difficult to deal with, especially if you’re not exactly sure what kind of wild animal is up there. If you’ve noticed unnerving scratching sounds in your attic but aren’t sure what’s making the noises, look out for these telling signs that can help you to figure out who the culprit is.

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Rats and Mice
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Rats and Mice

Rats and Mice

Rodents carry harmful bacteria and can cause damage to many different parts of your attic. If think you may have rats or mice on your premises, look for the following clues:

Fast, pitter-patter sounds: Rodents make scurrying noises as they quickly run around, as well as scratching noises in areas close to the entry and exit points, like doors, walls, or close to windows. They tread lightly, so their noises sound less heavy than other typical attic intruders.
Less noise during the day: Rodents are primarily nocturnal, so they’re more active at night. However, it isn’t uncommon to hear them during the day.
Gnaw marks: Rats and mice will chew objects in your attic, leaving exposed wires and damage to wood or insulation.

Raccoons

Raccoons can carry rabies, as well as cause a lot of damage to your attic insulation and wiring. Signs of raccoons on your property include:

Loud bumping sounds: Raccoons are physically the largest attic intruder, so they tend to make louder scratching, dragging, and thumping noises. These noises are a lot slower and heavier than squirrel and rodent noises.
Vocal noises: Raccoons often make chittering noises and are among the few intruders that make vocal sounds. Raccoon babies often make distinct chirping noises.
Long activity spans: Although raccoons are nocturnal, they don’t sleep for very long, so you may hear their noises at any point during the day or night.

Bats

Bats multiply quickly and can create a colony within your attic in a short period of time. They can also carry rabies and fungus, which may cause lung infections in humans. Clues that point toward their presence on your property include:

Squeaking and high-pitched sounds: Bats will make scratching sounds and high-pitched chirping and squeaking noises as they move around your attic. They’re nocturnal, so you’ll hear this more often at night.
Damage to ceiling and entry/exit points: Since bats are the only common attic intruders that can fly, they often leave damage to ceiling areas and any access points they use to get in and out of your attic.
Droppings with strong odor: Bat droppings, or guano, is an obvious sign of bats. Their droppings emit a distinctly strong, toxic smell similar to ammonia.

Squirrels

Squirrels are the most common animal to end up in attics. The following signs of squirrels differ from signs of other intruders:

Primarily daytime activity: The only species on this list that isn’t nocturnal, squirrels are active all throughout the daytime — most commonly during the early morning and evening hours. Therefore, any apparent activity during daylight hours will be very telling of the presence of squirrels.
Fast, scurrying noises: Squirrels make quick scratching and scurrying noises, and it isn’t uncommon to sometimes hear nuts or acorns rolling around on the floor.
Lack of vocal noise: Unlike bats or raccoons, squirrels typically make no vocal noises.

Let Critter Control® Handle Your Attic-Scratching Pest

Whether it’s rodents, raccoons, bats, or squirrels, the trained technicians at Critter Control® of Orlando are fully equipped to quickly and safely remove any animal intruders that have made their way into your attic.

Call Critter Control® of Orlando at 407-295-7194 to schedule your free consultation today.

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Are you hearing scratching, hissing, or crawling noises from the ceiling? Perhaps you’re hearing them in the attic? It’s most likely that a little, furry or feathery family has made a home in the roof cavity.

What are the noises?

There are three culprits who are most likely causing these noises.

Birds

Pest birds like Indian Mynas and pigeons cause havoc with their bird droppings defacing properties and their potential to spread a variety of diseases. In particular, the Indian Myna bird is a pest not just to humans but to other native nesting animals, like the Noisy Miner (a native Australian bird). Both Indian Mynas and pigeons frequent suburban areas looking to nest in roof cavities and anywhere that has sufficient shelter.

Possums

These native Australian marsupials are notorious for their loud screeching in the middle of the night. You might also hear the little pattering of their feet on your roof or even inside, in your attic. You might also hear noises that range from grunting, growling, and hissing. People may be irritated, unbothered or scared by the noises, but either way, these nocturnal animals won’t be mindful of your attempt at a good night’s sleep.

Rats and Mice

Rats and mice are an introduced pest, causing a variety of problems for households and businesses. This notorious pest, like the possum, is most active during the night, which is when you’ll hear the little patter of their feet in your roof cavity. The noises they make are a combination of hissing, chattering, scratching, gnawing, and squeaking. The frequency of the noise varies, either louder or softer, depending on their mood.

Why are pests in the roof a problem?

Some people are unbothered by having possums and birds in their roof, assuming that they do not cause any harm. While it is true that possums and birds do not have the same tendency to chew through insulation and wires as rodents do, possums can harbour diseases and can accidentally trap themselves inside your roof, killing themselves, and creating a pungent, unpleasant odour. On the other hand, allowing birds to nest in your roof, particularly the Indian Myna, has negative effects on surrounding native birds. Indian Myna birds build large, communal families that are noisy and drive out other birds within the area.

Rodents are considered a major problem for households. Their incessant need to chew means that they will gnaw on the insulation and wires in between your walls or in your roof cavity. Rodents often chew through insulation casings that protect wires and once exposed, the wires become a safety hazard and may cause fires. In addition, rodents can spread harmful bacteria through interaction with their dropping or dust contaminated by their droppings. This bacteria is what causes diseases like leptospirosis, salmonellosis, and more!

How to get rid of birds in your roof?

A qualified technician is required to handle and remove birds from your property. There are specific regulations in place, differing according to each state and territory. Flick Anticimex is your qualified and trusted professional who provide bird control solutions for both residential and commercial customers. We can install a variety of bird control solutions including netting, shock systems, metal flashing and more. We also provide baiting and trapping services for pigeons, starling, Indian Mynas, and sparrows.

Exclusive to Adelaide homes, we offer gutter shields and installation, perfect for those searching for a durable and discreet looking gutter guard. Gutter guards block the bird’s entry into the pipes that lead into the roof cavity. For more information, feel free to call 08 8133 1200.

Australian law protects Australian birds, however qualified technicians, like those at Flick, are allowed to control the activity of introduced species. For more information, feel free to read our Pest Bird Info Sheet.

How do we remove possums in the roof?

Possums are a beautiful part of Australian fauna and Flick Anticimex considers them a pivotal part of the Australian environment. Unfortunately, possums can be considered a nuisance for some, but there are stringent rules in place to control possums. Flick Anticimex technicians are licensed possum re-locators, who work according to the rules and regulations set by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Our possum control methods begin by temporarily re-locating the possum, by placing it under the care of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. While the possum is in their care, our technicians will install possum homes in neighbouring trees. This provides possums with an alternative, more suitable home. Holes in your roof or exterior of your home will also be patched up. Then, the possum will be released back into your neighbourhood. This ensures that the possum won’t be looking to build a nest in your home. In the event that you have a dead possum in your roof cavity, we provide a service to deal with this issue at an additional charge.

How do we control rats and mice?

We have a variety of rodent control measures including our new, intelligent rodent solution, Anticimex Smart which is exclusively offered to businesses. Flick Anticimex offers a variety of rodent bait stations and rodent baits that can be installed around your home. Our bait stations are locked and tamper-proof, keeping your pets and children safe. Unfortunately, rats and mice may take the bait away from the station, leaving residue outside of the box. We simply recommend that you regularly check and clean the area around your rodent bait station(s).

Get SMART about rodent control

In order to combat rodent problems in our businesses and our communities, there is an urgent need for new, efficient methods. The answer is SMART – a more intelligent solution for rodent control.