Do you know what's living in my loft (merged threads)

fairenoughclough

I was watching "The Bill" last week and Burt Kwouk (apparently he's Susie Soo's dad), had an old geezer living in his attic !


Please tell me I didn't dream it.

lday77

crankup wrote:

Rabbits? Are your carrots dissappearing into the ground as you gaze out of the window?

Yeah maybe it is rabbits! that's a much nicer thought than big fat hairy rats! Cute little bunnies! Thanks.

superscotsman

Rats, mice or squirrels. I doubt if birds are building their nests at this time of year. Get the pest control people in from the local authority. They will prbably give you a chicken wire device to put at the bottom of your drainpipe. Once rats get inside your drainpipe, they can climb up it. If you've got ivy growin on the side of your house, they can climb up that. They can climb up the wall cavities. They can gnaw at your electric cables, eat paper, candles, all kinds of things. And remember the saying: you are never more than six inches away from a rat. And if you happen to be living in a room with the number 101...
Sleep well.

Victor_Meldrew

We had squirrels in the loft. They were nesting in the roof insulation and they got in simply by climbing up the brickwork especially up the corners of the house. Turned out they were getting in through the vents in the soffits - the underside of the overhanging eaves - these vents are normally protected by wire mesh but ours had crumbled away. This is how birds usually get in too.

I went in the loft with a big stick and poked around while Mrs Meldrew waited downstairs with the cat. The cat got one, the Mrs got another and we ended up replacing everything with uPVC. No problems since. I realise this is a money saving board but you can replace the mesh very inexpensively and it will stop most problems.

As far as I'm concerned a squirrel is a rat with a tail so not worried about dispatching them!

stormCat99

Just read this thread with interest. For a couple of months now we've heard scrabbling sounds and thought it was birds in the eaves.

But a couple of weeks ago when we went up in the loft to get out the Christmas decorations, we found an enormous amount of bird mess up there. It seemed to be everywhere.

So, first question is, do any other animals produce mess that looks like bird muck? I'm assuming not, in which case we have birds of some kind.

So next question is how on earth do we go about finding the bird(s), catching them and letting them out, and more importantly finding where they got in so that we can seal it up?

Thanks.

Victor_Meldrew

Most probably roosting starlings. You need to get up a ladder and have a good look round for any holes. Check if you have any loose tiles that they can get under or holes in the woodwork or crumbling brickwork. And the vents in the soffits may need some mesh. Do it during the daytime as you don't want to seal them in! And do it quick as the longer you leave it the more likely it is to attract vermin such as rats and mice.
Don't waste time trying to catch them they will only come back. The ONLY way to stop them is to prevent them getting in.

stormCat99

Hi Victor_Meldrew, thanks for the advice. Doubt we have crumbling brickwork as house is only 4 years old. Guess there could be loose tiles though due to storms, will have to have a look.

But we still have to get the birds out as otherwise once sealed up they would be stuck and I couldn't bear to do that to them. Our loft isn't boarded so not easy to move around in there at all, and don't really fancy trying to catch them - might be easier to try and scare them in the direction of the loft hatch? Hmm, need to think about this I think

Victor_Meldrew

Boots babe,

I doubt they will be trapped. They will just roost there at night because its warm and protected and they can get in and out easily. If you go up in the loft during the day time you won't see or hear them cos they're not there. Thats why I suggested sealing holes during daylight hours.
Also rather than crumbling brickwork I really meant crumbling mortar work especially on the corner of the house where the tiles meet the brick and the bargebaords/fascia. You won't be able see these holes until you get up a ladder. Birds can squeeze through quite small holes (annoyingly).

troubrs

Birds do go up there in daytime! I went up our loft to find a starling staring straight at me. I have a phobia about dead birds so went off on one because I thought it would soon be dead if we didn't do anything. before I could do a hypo, the starling flew down the loft hatch & out of the window in my daughter's bedroom! it happened again, so we opened the hatch, turned on a light in a bedroom with an open window & left it. Never seen another bird up there again & no evidence there have been either. (Best evidence of birds is scratch marks on the inside of the hatch where they see light & try to get out - & droppings). My brother in law once opened his loft hatch for a dead bird to fall on his head - yuk!

conradmum

Not sure if you'll remember but it's me again!
We've been putting mousetraps up there but we've only caught one. They keep covering them up with nesting material! Storing the peanut butter?
Do mice learn not to touch the traps?
Any suggestions? I suppose bait is the answer but I don't like the idea of rotting mice bodies over my head.