There's something running around in my loft!

[Murmansk]

1930s brick semi in suburbia, with a slate roof.

There's something running around in my loft - I can hear it through the bedroom ceiling and it sounds quite big, but then again it's hard to judge the size from just a bit of noise.

I guess the most likely candidates would be a mouse, a rat or a squirrel.

I've put my head through the loft hatch and of course there nothing to see or hear.

Any ideas on what this is most likely to be and the best way to approach the problem?

I've had a look up near the gutters from outside and I can't see any obvious holes - I remember someone I knew had a squirrel in there and there was a hole that had been nibbled in the soffit board but there's no sign of that.

[Dis Manibus]

Squirrels are noisy. Destructive little buggers, too. I've had a few - they like to pile up the insulation, and chew anything (including joists) made of wood. Get a cage trap, and put some peanut butter in - you'll catch it very soon. It's illegal to free them in the wild, so do it while no-one's looking, if you haven't the heart to kill it.

[ARW]

A bird.

Open the loft hatch and let it find it's way into the house.

[The Natural Philosopher]

bedroom ceiling and it sounds quite big, but then again it's hard to judge the size from just a bit of noise.

mouse if it scurries.

Put up trap.

holes - I remember someone I knew had a squirrel in there and there was a hole that had been nibbled in the soffit board but there's no sign of that. mice can get through very small holes. cable runs etc. One chewed through a lighting cable here. Dunno what happened to it.

[polygonum]

bedroom ceiling and it sounds quite big, but then again it's hard to judge the size from just a bit of noise.

holes - I remember someone I knew had a squirrel in there and there was a hole that had been nibbled in the soffit board but there's no sign of that.

Glis glis?

Can be quite scratchy and noisy. What area - I assume not Russia?

[harry]

edroom ceiling and it sounds quite big, but then again it's hard to judge t he size from just a bit of noise.

ous holes - I remember someone I knew had a squirrel in there and there was a hole that had been nibbled in the soffit board but there's no sign of th at.Ads not by this site

Put down some rat poison. If it is rats or mice they will be dead on the tray. If no result, that leaves bird or squirrel. They can get in small holes. You need to fill even small holes with wire netting or whatever. You need some ventilation into your roof space BTW.

Look for the shit, it is all quite different for a clue. All rodents can be really destructive, they gnaw at wood and wiring. They can run with easy up walls that look unclimbable.

[Mentalguy2k8]

Absolutely true story, my cousin in Australia became suddenly ill with lymphoma in his 20s and was very poorly, and did his chemo mostly at home. During this time, my Uncle (his Dad) kept hearing noises in the loft, he'd already had the loft space secured due to previous "visitors" so the only way in (for anything bigger than a spider) was through the ceiling hatch which hadn't been open for weeks.

When he went up there, he found a black cat sitting in the exact spot above my cousin's bed, but it wouldn't let my Uncle go near it and it refused to move. So he left it alone (on the advice of my Auntie who is a bit of a psychic type and attracts this kind of thing) and just left the hatch open so it could make its own way out. The cat sat there for 2 weeks, Uncle put food and water up there for it but it didn't appear to eat or drink any of it. The same day my cousin finished his last dose of chemo and started making a recovery, the cat disappeared, never seen again. My cousin went into remission and has been well for the last 20 years.

[Geo]

ceiling and it sounds quite big, but then again it's hard to judge the size from just a bit of noise.

Fix up a webcam of some sort with infra red lighting and find out what the sort of pest is disturbing the peace.

[TW]

Hello,

A good indicator is if it is active during the day, it's probably a squirrel, if mainly active at night, rat or mice.

If it's a squirrel, wear thick clothing and full face helmet if you have one when you open the hatch as they will attack you when you come into "their" territory.

Mice are quite easy to trap but poisoning is more effective against rats. They generally die outside the house so getting a "stinker" is not actually that common unless you find their entry point and block it while they're still in residence.

Keep replenishing the poison once they are taking it until they stop. If you're getting no sleep, poisoning seems to take forever (can be 3 weeks). Keep at it, it will work. Once they are taking the poison, do not move the bait station when you refill it.

I have no connection to them but "Formula B" from

worked for my problem visitors earlier this year. It got rid of the rats too :-)

Hope this helps, good luck.

TW.

[Jethro_uk]

Not quite as "oo ee oo ee", but something I'll never forget ...

On a holiday to Spain a few years ago, we rented a holiday apartment from an English couple SWMBO knew nearby (in England). They used to split living between England and Spain.

We arrived about 9pm, quickly dumped luggage, and then headed off to the bars to eat and unwind. We got to bed about 1am, and crashed,

Next morning, we were showering, and getting dressed when we heard a crash from one of the reception rooms. Presumably we must have looked like something from Scooby Doo, as I grabbed a golf club, and SWMBO followed me (despite me telling her not to).

Gingerly turned the doorknob, and a cat shot out of the room. We never found out whose it was, or where it went too.

[Andy Champ]

Our squirrel was usually active just after we put the lights out to go to sleep. Made chewing noises, which is not a recipe for relaxed sleep.

Didn't attack me, just ran out when I shone a torch on it.

Andy

[GMM]

bedroom ceiling and it sounds quite big, but then again it's hard to judge the size from just a bit of noise.

holes - I remember someone I knew had a squirrel in there and there was a hole that had been nibbled in the soffit board but there's no sign of that.

My money would be on squirrels. We had them in the loft of my last place and it sounded like they had all their mates round for sprint races every night. They also ripped up all the fibreglass insulation and piled in it one corner for a nest.

They were getting in from an adjacent roof.

Poison soon sorted it.

[Gib Bogle]

How do you know it's true? Did you see the cat?

[Gib Bogle]

Prickly nest!

[Dis Manibus]

My squirrels (I've had about three, before I got the roofline done) used to come in late evening, and go out very early in the morning. Very predictable times each day. The loft was obviously somewhere they just spent the night. I used to wonder how they got in there, until one day I just saw one walking up the wall, and climbing backward into a hole in the soffit where the ventilation mesh had corroded away. Amazing agility. I wasn't too bothered until I saw how much damage they'd done.

[Rick Hughes]

bedroom ceiling and it sounds quite big, but then again it's hard to judge the size from just a bit of noise.

holes - I remember someone I knew had a squirrel in there and there was a hole that had been nibbled in the soffit board but there's no sign of that.

Do you have a lot of Polish workers in your area ?

[John Walliker]

No. When we had a squirrel in the loft it started its nest with fibreglass insulation, then lined it with wood shavings from the rafters just above. It removed about one third of the cross section of a couple of rafters.

I recorded its activities for a while with a webcam before fixing the loose brick that had allowed its entry. As already mentioned, very regular habits, including having a good scratch just before going to bed.

John

[polygonum]

What? Its nuts?

[Gib Bogle]

LOL

[John Walliker]

No, armpits.