the sound of small feet in the attic

M0nica

Our roof was invaded by squirrels. We discovered that when they ate through the wiring for the theft alarm at 2.00am. We had to sit in the kitchen with pillows over our ears for an hour and a half until a repair man arrived. Luckily the alarm was ony going off indoors, not outdoors.

When we got into the loft, which is quite difficult, we found they had mounded up all the insulation in one bay of the roof and built a huge dray and were starting a second one, in the next bay.

They were getting in via our neighbours house because there was no proper party wall at roof level. We got a builder in to put in a proper partition wall that was security and fire proof and that solved the problem.

The squirrels had also eaten all the plastic sheath off several electricity cables so we had to do some rewiring as well.

Very lucky you did not have a fire, squirrels are very dangerous in your loft

Oh Whiff I second your sentiments. I have no problem with wild life provided it does not encroach onto my property and remains where it should be - in the wild!!!

I can remember how upset I got at my house after a snowfall one night to see foxes footprints right up to my Patio Doors. Made me feel dirty and fearful. Mice I have always hated, they do spread disease, and I always had plug in things in my kitchen but was not adverse to using poisen pellets if I saw any signs of them around.

Slightly different, but snails were alway a huge problem in my garden. One of the nice things about my patio pots on my first floor flat balcony is NO SNAILS. Every time I planted a rhubarb head or lupins.I would swear that a snail email message was sent to every one of these creatures in a five mile radous. No matter how much coffee dregs/tea leaves/egg shells I put round these, none of them ever grew.

This brings back VERY unhappy memories. We've had mice on and off for about three years. Cannot work out where or why they're coming in.

We tried literally everything

* sonic deterents
* peppermint oil
* mothballs
* humane traps
* snap traps
* sticky traps

Nothing. NOTHING worked. In the end we had no option but to get a pest control company in who put poison down.

I was finding droppings EVERYWHERE. The cooker, the worktops in the kitchen, on the dining chairs, and dining table, and the final straw was finding them on my bed.

At the first sign of a scratching noise now, I don't hesitate to call in the mouse man. I have no problem with mice existing, as long as they stay in their place, which is NOT in my house (and literally in the Weetabix box). They stray into my home, then it's either them or me.

I've been feeding the birds for quite a while but saw 2 rats in the garden a week ago so now unfortunately have had to stop feeding the birds. Solution?

We occasionally get a field mouse popping in to visit, but have yet to find out where the access point is. A humane trap quickly catches them, and we release them outside. Having an infestation must be a real nuisance.
Something, mouse or rat, once chewed a small hole in the shed door and proceeded to munch into a large bag of birdseed. Multiple holes, and seed everywhere! I screwed a flat metal cheese-grater over the corner of the door, where the hole was, and had no more trouble.
As for starlings, they have nested in our loft every year that we have lived here. 55 so far. I love hearing their little feet ‘tap-dancing’ above my bedroom, and they have never done any damage.

Rats, I will not countenance and when I saw some I put bait in a tray in the garden shed. I then put the remains of the bait package on a high shelf in the same shed.

Next time I went to the shed the rats had eaten the bait in the floor, then climbed the shelving, pulled down the remains of the bait in its box and, once they had got it on the floor, they ate through the box to get to the poisoned grain. That was about 10 years ago and I haven't seen a rat since.

I read somewhere they can get up to the loft space through the wall cavities.

I had squirrels in my attic a few years ago and quite enjoyed watching them run in and out. I'd get quite anxious if they weren't in by dark! My kids weren't so keen on me feeding them though! However I then heard they were a huge problem in the area and one lady started with hearing a few, but called the council who came and got rid of more than 40 of them! I didn't want them poisoned so found a man who caught them in humane traps and released them somewhere near the New Forest.
It'd been a particularly cold winter but I had some gaps in the eaves blocked and they haven't returned. Most councils can deal with them though....

we have plug in deterrents but they do not work . I've looked at youtube too and not many work. No idea of what attracts them as nothing is stored in the loft - just the insulation.

Rats need an enthusiastic terrier .

There must be employment opportunities for a terrier man who comes to kill rats for you.

We had rats in the loft and elsewhere. They ate through the cables of the washer, dryer, central heating, the worst one being in the condenser at the back of the fridge the smell was unbelievable. The ones in the loft was so bad we had to take down the kitchen ceiling. We had to bring in a rat catcher he put lots of traps outside. We were told the reason we had rats was because we had a bird feeder outside the back door. It was all very discussing.

I hope the people who are feeling sorry for the mice don’t eat meat, because that’s rather hypocritical in my opinion
No buttonjugs I dont eat meat .
I have no problem with mice existing, as long as they stay in their place, which is NOT in my house and I have no problem with wild life provided it does not encroach onto my property and remains where it should be - in the wild!!!
Somewhat ironic when man has trampled its way through the world smashing every living things space/ home to bits
I bet the same people feel sorry for the oranutangs losing their homes to mankind or the birds and fish with plastic in their bellies and moan about the songbirds diminishing from our hedges that are constantly chopped down for roads or paths
I m surprised no ones maligned the foxes in urban areas or as in my town the noisy seagulls who have come inland after
we ve overfished their food

I ve got no problem with removing mice from your house I would too but there are humane ways to do it there are even humane pest control companies now poisoning an animal so freely cannot be the right way in my opinion

I have some sachets of mouse poison about the size of tea bags they are brilliant in the loft, OH gets them so don’t know the brand.

I couldn’t agree with you more BlueBelle but I’m afraid we are in the minority in this society. So ironic in a country of so called ‘animal lovers’, whatever that means.

DD has a cat that brings in a steady supply of decapitated mice , birds and even the odd squirrel ! She has tried keeping him in at night , locking him out , but the procession of corpses is just then limited to his moments of stolen freedom ! The children help her clean up and still love him .
What to do ? He has a collar with a bell

Aggie, hire out the cat to people who have rats . Lock up the cat in the ratty place.

She was threatening to Rehome him after standing on one of his smaller “gifts” this morning , in bare feet

You sound so proud of killing something katie59 so very sad

Why is a dog or cat so important and a rat or mouse so hated would you kill a cat if it was a nuisance to you
I can never understand how anyone can happily kill a cow for meat but go beserk if someone speaks of killing a horse it doesn’t make sense

A cat killing a mouse is nature and that is how the world is but a human killing badgers, foxes, rats, mice is not understandable to me
Find a way of removing them without killing them it’s a sad sad world when anything that doesn’t suit us or out lifestyle is killed

Hello Alexa. I'm delighted to find there is someone older than me on GN. Your remark about the oak tree made me laugh. I do hope for a cat one day, but that would be wishing Miss Wiggy's life away so it's a dilemma.

henetha,don't get your hopes up. Some cats just can't be bothered catching vermin. Both the ginger boys I've had in the past were decidedly indolent. And I'm happy to add: you and Alexa are both older than me, a mere 80.

“You sound so proud of killing something katie59 so very sad”

I take no pleasure in destroying vermin but when it they are in the house spreading disease and mess action is needed, each to their own if you are happy in their company carry on.

When do wildlife become vermin? Are they like weeds, which are flowers in the wrong place, simply animals in the wrong place? In which case, shouldn’t we help them to find somewhere else to live, away from verminous humans?

I can think of a few verminous humans, in the animal world, those that cause harm or spread disease, rats, mice, cockroaches, flies, slugs

You're a mere youngster Annodomini.

It would be just my luck to get a lazy cat!