Hi All: I just noticed recently that there are mice (or equivalent rodent) in my attic. I can hear them in the upstairs wall near a radiator. I went up into the attic ( I have a cape with an attic) and I found some plastic bags chewed up. I am try to figure out how they are getting is it possible for them to climb up the side of the house on a cable? I can't find any holes or spaces at ground level. Robert
They climb, I have Flying Squirrels in my attic I cant find their hole. Throw mothballs up there and put out poison or traps
Whereever you enter the attic, stick some traps. That way you can poke your head up and get them without too much trouble. Make sure you tie the traps to something. Occasionally the mouse will drag the trap into the insulation and you can't find it. Soon he is smelling.
I seem to get attic mice in groups of 10. As for holes, they're everywhere. I would find attic insulation in the basement and have no idea how they were dragging it down there..
Mice or squirrels can climb up a chimney or brick with ease. I'm sure they can do the same with a cable or wire going to the house (are your utility wires underground?) Be a detective--Look for holes near the eaves, corners, vents, etc and cover with hardware cloth or metal. You could use D-Con, but that's only a temporary fix.
You will never find and block all the possible accesses. Even if you did, they would just make new ones.
The rodent problem is the main reason we've adopted a couple of crazy half wild cats as pets. In the last 2 weeks they've bagged three rats that we know of. They help with gophers and mice too. Around here they don't over populate - coyotes, red tailed hawks get them first. Cats are hard on Quail which I see in other parts of town but not in our neighborhood.
Before that we mainly used traps with peanut butter bait. Those glue trays are good for mice but a rat will often get away - even if he looses a leg in the process!
Every year when the weather turns cold, the critters start thinking about winter quarters. One time we found they were getting into the attic thru the garage by jumping up to the furnace and climing up the fiber glass insulation then squeezing between the inch opening around the plenum where it entered the attic. Got most of them by placing the traps where they needed to pass before they could get to the insulation.
Hope this helps, Bob
They can shimmy up a cable or brace themselves against a pipe, gutter, etc. I had them in an attic when I moved in. You can trap,poison,etc but ultimately you're going to have to find where they're getting in unless you just have one of those houses with a million places they can get in at.
I finally located several places they could get in. Closed them off. no more problems. Also cut back tree branches, etc. They have to be getting in somehow...finding its a bitch though as they can make it in very small places. I have concrete barrel roof tiles, lucked out an found a 1 inch hole in a worn sheathing section underneath a tile.
good luck.
Yup. We have a continuing problem with mice in our attic. In one spot, they apparently climbed up the exterior wall either on or in the conduit that houses the electrical wires coming into the house, then somehow made their way over to an attic vent where they chewed through the fiberglass screen stapled to it. We've now added a layer of aluminum screen over that.
Then u get cat shit which is disease ridden too. Ps. Some rats will bite and hurt your cat so please just be careful and if in a closed space, dont put cats in there.
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