Saturday, January 16, 2010

Squirrels or mice in attic?

I think we have a squirrel or a mouse in our attic. We don't want to use poison because we have blow in insulation and if it dies up there we will never find it. Anyone with this problem before? Serious answers only pleaseSquirrels or mice in attic?
Have you seen the show Verminators? I'm not suggesting hiring them, but they use this sticky board and put peanut butter on it to leave for the mouse to find, get stuck to, and die. Mouse traps can be found where you leave them. Trapping cages would work too, if you want to keep it alive.





I don't know if you're intending to kill the thing or not, but getting rid of it without hurting it most likely isn't going to happen.Squirrels or mice in attic?
Seems like people always want to believe it's a squirrel that they hear. You won't hear mice (they're too small) and they don't usually go in attics anyway. More often your culprit is roof rats.





Roof rats are an arborial rat ( they like heights ). If you hear them during the day, and you have a small stream nearby, they're almost certainly roof rats. They are nocturnal and squirrels aren't. So they will be inside during the day while squirrels will be outside foraging during the day.





The best solution is traps. They are best set in pairs as sometimes the first will just get a foot or tail. While they are jumping around trying to get loose the second one will get him. If one gets caught in just one and gets away, you'll never kill it with a trap after that. There smart that way.





Do not place traps directly near an opening or run in the insulation. They will notice the change. Place them along walls or HVAC units or close by visible droppings. Use peanut butter for bait, as it will last much longer than cheese without drying out.





Check every day as they stink pretty quick in the heat and replace any traps that have killed with a new trap.





After you are sure you have got them all, don't forget to find how they got in and seal these openings, Oh, an adult roof rat can fit through an opening the size of a quarter. Also trim any tree limbs that are near the roof. This is almost always how the gain acces to your house in the first place.

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