Animal in the attic!

[IndyGunworks]

for a few weeks now my wife has been telling me that there is something living in our attic. I never heard anything while I was home so I chalked it up as her being paranoid. the other day I heard it clear as could be. My house is a 1 story with a walk up attic. the ceiling joists/floor joists are 2x8's with blow in insulation between them, followed by 1/2 inch plywood that is screwed down on the 4 corners. I have a knee wall running the full length down both sides. My roof was open for a couple weeks this summer while I put a porch roof over the back deck, but I though I had that sealed back up pretty well. I will be double checking this soon as that's the only place I can think of where something could get in, or out.

We have heard this noise in a few spots in the house, over the master closet on the far east end of the house, and over the kitchen on the far west end. It sounds like a faint clicking noise like claws on the top of the drywall ceiling from the first floor. Upon first examination I didn't see any of the blown insulation in the knee wall areas disturbed but I didn't have much time to investigate. but something with smallish claws is definitely up there. we heard it for a good 15 minutes in the same spot the other day.

What can we speculate this being? I doubt a mouse could have made its way up the side of the house to get where this is. I am going to guess a chipmunk but I cannot be certain. And without knowing exactly what it is I am not sure how to go about getting rid of it.

My first though is to pull the sheet of plywood up where I thought I heard it and look for a nest, or feces or something. And to try and mix fly poison with Pepsi and put it on the knee wall side. I don't have a trail camera I can put up, and with it being deer season I doubt anybody has one I can borrow.

Thoughts on what this might be, and what approach I should use w/out knowing any more info?

 

[mom45]

We had a mouse or two that climbed our house and managed to get in a very small hole where the flashing had come loose. It made all sorts of noises up there until we finally found the hole and got it sealed up...stuffed some dcon in there first. It took quite a bit of searching to find the hole, but it was a mouse.

 

[bwframe]

We've had flying squirrels that sounded like they were bowling with nuts in the attic over the years.

 

[eldirector]

Mouse.

We have trapped a bunch of them this year. Sounds like a chupacabra at 3am, in the ceiling right over your head. They can get in through the smallest of holes, and climb absolutely anything.

Stick some peanut butter on a couple traps, and see what you get.

 

[bocefus78]

Mouse. I get 1 or 2 every year about this time of year. Add poison pellets to attic.

 

[HamsterStyle]

If you need a trail cam to do some recon work, you can borrow mine. I just use it for cute pics of squirrels and stuff to show the kids. Lol

 

[1911ly]

My guess is squirrels. Have you seen any piney's around. Those lil SOB's are public enemy #1 around here. They don't need much of a gap to get in. I've caught them pushing threw some pretty narrow gaps.

 

[Rookie]

Set a fire on one end and see what comes out. Quick and efficient.

 

[JettaKnight]

Bats. ...or mice.

When the weather would warm up in spring we'd hear them wake up from hibernation and scratch around. As we'd lie in the darkness it sounded like they were trying to dig through the ceiling drywall so they could fall right on our faces.

I never did completely seal the holes - couldn't find it. Selling the house was the easier solution.

 

[Informed Decision]

Without food , nothing could last in an attic since summer. Either mice coming & going to your pantry or a bat that has a way in & out of the house. I'd be sure to ck ALL around the house for any opening for a bat entry. Doesn't have to be high either.. Could near the foundation . Others would know better if a bat could trigger a trail cam. Good luck

 

[mom45]

Our mice were going out and getting acorns and stuff to bring in. They weren't in the house itself, just in the ceiling. Ours is a log home without an attic and it/they were in the styrofoam insulation between the ceiling and the roof.

 

[42769vette]

I can loan you some trail camera's. I didnt have time to put any out this year.

You got my number

 

[451_Detonics]

My guess is squirrels. Have you seen any piney's around. Those lil SOB's are public enemy #1 around here. They don't need much of a gap to get in. I've caught them pushing threw some pretty narrow gaps.

piney's are why I own a suppressed 10/22...

 

[IndyGunworks]

There was a speck of daylight or two where I didn't get it sealed quite right under the new added on roof, so I think I will get in there tomorrow and make sure that is sealed up nice and tight and put out some poision and a few mouse traps. the neighbors next to us do have quite a few bats living in the upper part of their shed, so bats could be realistic as well. but the way I here it after it must have tunneled through 10 feet of insulation leads me to believe mouse.

I am ruling out anything larger than that because if it were a squirrel I definitely would see some of the blown insulation smashed down.

 

[7.62]

I'm going a guess a Chupacabra. As long as you don't own any goats they are harmless!

 

[Reagan40]

I'm guessing chipmunk. The only logical course of action is to move your cannon up there, wait for the noise, aim and fire.

 

[Brandon]

Get a couple of glue board traps and put a small amount of Peanut butter in the center. Get a live trap and put sun flower seeds in it. I'd be willing to bet you have a mouse/mice or a chipmunk.

 

[FWP9MM]

I moved into my 10 year old house last December, in which I had a few mice that I had to take care of. Thankfully nothing this year, but I caught 6 last year. Ironically nothing in the garage or main level of the house, just the attic. When it comes to the attic, I prefer to trap rather than poison as I like to confirm the kill and dispose of it rather than letting the poison kill it and having to find or smell it later. With that said, I do put two bait boxes with poison outside around the foundation of the house and then about 6 traps with peanut butter in the attic.

 

[Informed Decision]

All respect due but I believe glue traps are inhumane. I've had to dispose of the little buggers while they were struggling to pull their bellies off the trap. Then they die from exhaustion & or thirst. Please use a regular mouse trap with peanut butter. They can't resist the peanut butter & it's quick & final. D-con works well, they eat it & then usually leave to look for water, & die elsewhere. Those that don't usually turn into beef jerky because they dry up which keeps the smell down to a minimum.

 

[LtScott14]

Had a few traps set up in the attic. Mice would push them around till they snapped-ate the bait. Now I use a piece of tie wire, and either shoot down a drywall screw, or wrap it around a roofing nail, and secure the trap. Still can't find a couple traps and are like land mines in blown in insulation. Just a couple ideas.
Good luck.