You are sitting at home minding your business and all of a sudden you hear something in the attic. What is that noise?
On any given day at any given time, a rodent enters a home or business looking for safe harbor. Whether a Grey Squirrel, Flying Squirrel, Roof Rat or Mouse they all make distinctive noises. So how do you determine what animal it is? There are some common tells.
Grey Squirrels
Daytime rustling and/or running around overhead in your attic is common for Grey Squirrels. These sounds can be faint like they’re outside on the roof or in the gutter or be loud enough to make you think that they’re about to drop out of the ceiling at any moment.
Flying Squirrels
Flying Squirrels can produce similar sounds as Grey Squirrels but occur overnight, particularly between 3-5am. In addition, what sounds like something being rolled around, it actually is. Often nuts that are too big for them to carry will get pushed around making it sound like there’s someone bowling overhead.
Where do you hear the noise?
Both Grey and Flying Squirrels will gravitate to corners especially around raised ceilings. These areas are their preferred nesting sites and will produce young typically born between late January through April.
The noises stopped... are they gone?
It’s very common for noises to drastically diminish or disappear altogether during the early stages of rearing young and can make you think that the problem has subsided. However, come spring, it becomes abundantly clear that they’re not gone at all and the situation becomes much more apparent.
Rats and Mice
Rats and mice are nocturnal and don’t always make much noise to alert you to a problem. Often, 1 or 2 nights of a shuffling and/or gnawing/scratching sound can be heard and then nothing again for a very long time. If you do check your attic to look for evidence, it’s more often than not present, but droppings aren’t. Due to this, people often fail to react quickly enough to prevent a full-blown infestation and contamination of their home or business.
Conclusion
In short, you know your home or business best. You know the common sounds it makes. Don’t assume unusual noises are nothing to worry about as it could be a costly mistake. Be sure to call a professional Wildlife Management provider to perform a comprehensive inspection. This inspection should only cost you an hour or two of your time. If nothing is going on, they provide you with valuable peace of mind. Should they discover you have an active infestation, it is far less costly resolving it properly immediately versus the extensive damage these animals can do in a very short amount of time.
If you are in the North Georgia area and think you have some unwanted guests, be sure to contact us for a free inspection.
Written by Brad Peeler
