If you have been lying in bed and hearing thumps, bumps, and
scratches above your head, there’s a good chance that you have a special guest
living in your attic. Given that an attic is an enclosed, safe, and often warm area;
our furry friends find them to be a very inviting place to spend some time. As
much as some of us would like to accommodate these creatures with a comfortable
living, the fact is that their presence is not good for your home or your
family. They can leave droppings everywhere, particles of which you might end
up breathing or eating, and chew through important wires causing expensive
electrical damage and even creating a fire hazard.
The most common way people discover they have pests in their
attic is by hearing them. Whether it is a squeaking noise made by smaller
rodents, or loud thumps made by possums or raccoons, these noises are most
commonly observed at night when pests are most active. If you have an alert
dog, you will notice his behavior to be erratic or agitated when the pests are
moving around. I actually learned this first hand, as one of my dogs would
become very upset and pace around my bathroom barking at the ceiling in the
middle of the night; when I got up to investigate, I observed faint scratching
and thumping above my shower.
One method of discovering that you have unwanted houseguests
is by finding their droppings. If you enter your attic and observe droppings,
it is very important that you take care of your pest problem immediately, as
these droppings can harbor dangerous diseases, many of which can be spread
throughout your house’s ventilation system. One such disease is Hantavirus
Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which can cause a lot of very nasty symptoms and
is contracted just by inhaling particles from infected droppings. Health issues
aside, having poop lying around any part of your house is just plain gross and
unsanitary, so the problem should be addressed immediately. Also, be sure to
clean up any sort of droppings in the proper manner to prevent the
spread of germs.
Another way to determine if you have pests is by finding
holes in any sort of screens that are between your exterior and attic. Raccoons
and squirrels will jimmy their way into your screens by prying them open or
gnawing at them to gain access into your attic. Here is an excellent video on how to
repair damaged screens to prevent them from regaining entry to your attic. Thoroughly
check all of your siding and where your exterior meets your ceiling for any
holes and use caulk, steel, and wire mesh as demonstrated in this video to seal them. Some
rodents can gain access to your house through holes that are as small as a
quarter, so be sure to be thorough while checking your siding and roof. After
you have sealed the holes in your exterior, you need to find a good means to
remove the pests from your attic.
When it comes to removing the pests, there are many
approaches. If you decide you want to be lethal, which I do not recommend for
bigger rodents, you can use poisons and larger snap traps. The reasons I do not
recommend these methods for bigger rodents is that if you cannot reach the
corpse of the dead animal, it will start to stink. Also, poisons run the risk
of hurting your pets and possibly your family if accidentally ingested. For
nonlethal removal of pests, use small baited cages and check them on a daily
basis. Some local municipal animal control centers will rent these out to you
for free, and even come pick up the cages for you if you catch anything.
Mothballs can be used to deter larger rodents from your attic, as can fox urine
(gross!). The most important thing about using live-catch methods is that you
check the traps daily, so you don’t end up torturing an animal by starving or
dehydrating it. Once your pests have been removed, periodically check the areas
that you have sealed off and look for droppings or other evidence that they
have returned. If they have, double check for more holes, or to make sure the
seals you have put in place are still intact.
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