Rats, mice and possums are the most common invaders but never rule out the possibility of birds. To a lesser extent we have found the culprit to be cats and on one occasion a fox. It's not uncommon for multiple pests to be sharing the same roof space. Rats and possums in particular are often found together.
Rodents. Probably the number one concern is that the scrabbling sound you hear is a rodent. Rats and mice love to move into attics and roofs. Not only do they get shelter, but they also get easy access to food and water in your home.
Sounds that come and go unpredictably are more likely to be made by rodents or other nocturnal animals. Once you've confirmed that the mystery noise isn't caused by a loose pipe or other structural problem, it's time to contact a pest control service to ask about an evaluation.
Rats tend to make a scuttering sound, as their claws tip-tap across your roof cavity. Possums are larger animals and often make more noise. Running sounds and scratching sounds coming from your roof is a good indicator that you've got a possum infestation.
Squirrels commonly produce scurrying, scampering, and scratching sounds in the attic. Because of their size, it can be fairly loud. They often roll acorns or nuts, which describes that odd rolling sound emerging from the ceiling. Squirrels will also produce gnawing and grinding sounds similar in mice.
I find that the most effective method to catch and remove animals is to seal off all of the entry points, down to the primary opening, and use live traps to trap the remaining animals inside.
The time you hear it is a big clue. If the noise is during the day, especially in the early morning or evening before sunset, then it's almost surely squirrels. If the noise of the animal in the attic is at night, it's probably raccoons, rats, or another nocturnal animal.
As possums are nocturnal they generally move around at night. They have a heavy thumping movement across a roof or ceiling (described by some as sounding like an elephant walking on the roof!). Possums also cough and make hissing noises. Rats make a pitter patter sound on the roof or ceiling when moving about.
Native Animals That Are Most Likely To Live In Your Roof Cavity. In Australia, roof cavities and voids provide conducive environments for rats and mice, possums and pest birds to live in. This is because most of their natural habitats have been cleared for development and farming.
If you hear running at night, it is likely nocturnal animals like rats, squirrels, or raccoons. When squirrels are in the attic, they are mostly heard during the day.
Rodents in roofs
Lacking in that possum-like Australian charm are the familiar rodents including rats and mice. And no one has the time of day for these unwanted pests, especially if they're the culprits of the scratching noise in roof spaces at your home or business.
Usually, it is roof rats or mice but squirrels are common animals that run on roofs. One thing that could have attracted the squirrel to your roof is a bird feeder. Squirrels love birdseed, so they can easily be drawn to a bird feeder. Other common animals that run on roofs are raccoons and rats.
Scratching Sounds - Scratching and gnawing sounds may indicate a rodent type animal such as a mouse, rat or squirrel. Flapping - Flapping sounds can indicate birds have nested in your attic, birds will be most active in early morning. Bird can cause heavy damage to your property and must be swiftly dealt with.
Sounds are another way to tell if it's a possum or a rat in the roof. Rat noises can be quite distinctive, as they are known for their scratching, squeaking and scurrying sounds. If you hear these noises in your roof, it is more likely that you have rats. Possums, on the other hand, are generally quieter than rats.
Roof rats are generally not quiet pests. In the process of nesting, they'll often make squeaking or scratching sounds. When it's quiet at night, listen inside of your house. If you hear noises that can't be otherwise explained by your appliances, call Arizona's Best Choice Pest & Termite for a free pest inspection.
Say you hear quiet clicking sounds coming from your ceiling. As you've probably guessed, this is a sign of termites! For starters, worker termites – the ones that do the actual eating of wood – are noisy eaters. What's more, vibrations are one of the ways in which termites communicate.
The first thing that homeowners usually notice is noises in the roof. Other signs are loss of power to some equipment due to chewed cables, marks on the ceiling from animal urine, or movement of downlights caused by animals sitting atop the lights. All these signs could be caused by either rodents or possums.
You'll also pick up rustling noise coming from the insulation as they build a nest. If you have mouse activity in your attic, it will sound like tiny footsteps above your head or scratching and squeaking sounds that can be heard through the walls of your home.
Snap trap. Snap traps are the traditional rodent-catching traps with the steel bars that snap down onto the animal's neck. They may seem inhumane, but a well-designed snap trap will quickly kill the rat without causing any pain, so they are considered one of the best ways to get rid of roof rats.
Repel possums by sprinkling the roof cavity with quassia chips (from hardware stores), and putting a light into the roof cavity and leaving it on for three days and nights. The combination of the light and the smell should drive the possum out of your roof and hopefully into the possum house you have provided.
One of the sounds homeowners fear hearing is the scurrying of tiny feet in your attic and crawl spaces. This sound might mean you have rats living in your roof. If you have a roof rat problem, the good news is that you aren't alone. Roof rats are prevalent in many parts of the U.S., including Southern California.
Scratching noises indicate mice are climbing, crawling, or digging inside your walls, and it also means that they are gnawing on your drywall, insulation, electrical wires, or pipes. Like other rodents, mice have two sets of incisors that grow continuously and must be ground down regularly.
If you hear nighttime noises that sound like something is moving really fast, it could be rats or mice. In this case, you may hear them not only in the attic, but but also inside the walls. Although these rodents are quite small, they can make some noise.
These noises are most likely caused by either squirrels, mice, or rats. You'll want to pay attention to whether you are hearing these noises during the day or at night to help you determine what type of critter you're dealing with.