Is it just the wind or are there really animals living in your attic? Sometimes, it can be difficult to tell, particularly if you’ve never been faced with wildlife intruders in your home or cottage before. Before you panic, keep reading for the most common signs associated with animals living in your attic.
If any of the signs below apply to your situation, contact a humane wildlife removal company immediately.
You Hear Strange Sounds
One of the most common signs indicating that there are animals living in your attic is hearing strange noises coming from above. Most often, animals in your attic will come out of their hiding places and start moving around when everything is quiet in your home and the animals think they’re alone. This often occurs at night when most family members and pets are asleep—particularly if the wildlife intruders in your home are nocturnal.
You might hear tiny pitter patter, squeaking, and chewing from a mouse, thuds from a bigger animal, squawks from several animals communicating, or scratching from animals making their nests.
You’ve Seen a Lone Mouse—or Other Animal
If you’ve seen a lone mouse, a lone bat, or other animal in another part of your home, such as your kitchen or bedroom, make no mistake in believing that you only have one intruder. Most likely, you have an infestation.
Even if you’ve seen that one animal scurry out of your back door once it was spotted, it doesn’t mean that your problem is gone for good. It may have a whole family living in your attic, and it may come right back in the same way it entered your home in the first place.
You’ve Noticed Your Roof Has Been Compromised
Your fan vents typically go unnoticed. They’re typically located high on the house and most homeowners just don’t pay attention to them all that often. But if you’ve looked up and noticed that these vents have been compromised, there’s a big chance that birds have used the vents to make nests. And if your home isn’t completely infallible, they can make their way into your attic as well. The same is true if parts of your roof have been compromised, including your soffit intersections, fascia boards, and exhausts—prime targets for animals trying to get into a home.
If you’ve noticed damage to these areas, you could have animals living in your attic. And fixing them yourself may not fix the problem as animals are resourceful and will work to find their way into your home again if the maintenance isn’t done right or with the appropriate materials.
Your Lights Flicker
If your lights flicker here and there, you might not have an electricity problem, but a wildlife problem. If your home lights or other systems are failing, it’s very possible that you have rodents, such as mice or squirrels, living in your attic. Because rodents’ teeth continue to grow throughout their lifetimes, they constantly gnaw on anything they can find in order to keep their teeth short. And one of their favourite chewing materials is electrical wiring.
You’ve Seen Animal Droppings
Whether you’ve noticed bat guano in your attic or mice droppings in your cupboard, seeing any type of droppings that shouldn’t be in your home is a sure sign that you have animals living in your attic. If this is the case, ensure not to clean up the droppings on your own, as many animals can spread diseases through their feces. Instead, call a wildlife removal company for a home inspection instead.
There Are Animals Eating out of Your Garbage
Though wildlife may eat out of your garbage and not make their way into your home, it’s also possible that they are living in your attic and venturing out to your garbage area in order to find food at night. If you’re seeing opossums or raccoons eating out of your garbage, consider getting a home inspection to find out whether or not they’re living in your attic.
Do you need wildlife removal services? Request a quote today!