The attic, nearly all homes have one but you dare not go in there – and thus it is the perfect place for wildlife and pests to take up shelter! Are you noticing weird noises in your home? If they’re coming from above, you may have animals in your attic. Figure out what you’re dealing with by learning what sounds they make. Here are some of the most common ones Ontario residents tend to come across in their homes and how to identify them based on their unique sound profile.
Raccoons in the attic
Raccoons are nocturnal, so if you hear any of the following noises coming from your attic at night, they might be the culprit: hissing, chittering (or chattering), and screeching (if they’re fighting). They can also produce scratching and rustling sounds as they move around. Because they’re on the heavy side as far as animal invaders go, you may even hear what sounds like heavy thumping when they walk.
Squirrel invaders
Squirrels are most active during the daytime. Listen for the sound of nuts rolling around (these creatures are the original hoarders!), and fast scampering feet as they run all over the place. You also might hear them making squeal-like noises, or a quick series of short, sharp sounds.
Bats in your attic
Bats make the most noise at night because that’s when they’re the most active. Listen for their high-pitched chirps (it can sound similar to the type of chirp a bird might make), and rustling noises as they move around.
Birds nesting in the attic
Birds are most active during the daytime so that’s when you’re most likely to hear them making a racket. The catch is that many species of birds chirp the most in the early morning hours when you’re trying to sleep in a bit. You also might hear the sound of their wings flapping as they flutter around.
Rats and mice are a common problem
The sounds they make can be very similar: the speedy pitter-patter sound they make when running, scratching noises, and high-pitched squeaks. They both tend to be nocturnal, so that’s bad news for your sleep since they’re noisiest at night. Pests like rodents are especially difficult.
What to do if you think you have animals in your attic
The first step is to try to identify the animal you’re dealing with. Use the sounds you hear to narrow down your list of possibilities to the most likely culprits. Next, you’ll have to get rid of them safely and humanely. If you let them hang around too long they can cause a lot of damage to your home, such as ruined insulation, foul odours from their waste, and destroyed wiring (they sometimes like to chew it, which is a major fire hazard). While it’s possible to take care of these types of issues yourself, many people don’t have the time it takes to do a thorough job of it, and end up dealing with the problem for far longer than necessary. For this reason, let our professional wildlife removal experts take care of it for you — it’ll be faster and easier than trying to do it alone. Contact us today for a quote.
get rid of them: https://regionalwildlifeservices.ca/animal-control-services
humanely: http://www.ottawahumane.ca/services/humane-wildlife-solutions/
contact us today: https://regionalwildlifeservices.ca/contact
