Mouse/rat in my loft room roof? I have no idea how!

greatcrested

or squirrel?

delmonta

greatcrested said:

or squirrel?

Sounds too small for a squirrel!

delmonta

Here is a photo of where the animal is making a home, its right above my bed and driving me crazy every morning scratching! I put some traps through the cut out for the plug socket, which is near floor level to the right of that, but it didnt catch anything, I wonder if the mouse, if it is a mouse could even get to that part? I'd imagine they can get anywhere once in the roof. 

I called a local pest control company, they charge £200 to do three visits, but they dont guarantee they will sort it out. He said if there is no way to get to that area, then I would need to cut out an access hatch for them to lay traps. But if they don't even do that, what am I paying them for! I can put a trap down. But I don't really want to cut a hole in the ceiling

Any advice would be great, I'm not getting enough sleep with this little b%*ard above me!

naf123

It may be best to let it die out - you only had this for a week..... especially its probably a small void with not much place for them to go anywhere else. Tempted to say wait another 2 weeks?

comeandgo

If it’s a mouse the warmer weather and food should draw it back outside.  Could you wear some headphones or cotton wool in ears to deaden the noise?

joe90mitch

naf123 said:

It may be best to let it die out - you only had this for a week..... especially its probably a small void with not much place for them to go anywhere else. Tempted to say wait another 2 weeks?

They posted this about six weeks ago in fairness. 12 feb

Apodemus

Delmonta, I am assuming that if you open the window, you can't see anything obvious from the outside?  The reason I ask is that I installed a bird box for sparrows on the outside of my garage wall and when the nest is occupied, there is a constant scratching noise audible through the concrete-block wall of the garage.  I thought I had something much bigger and inside the garage, but no, just a couple of wee sparrows sorting out the nest!  

Oh, and your timing is absolutely spot-on for sparrows, too!  Mine returned to scope-out the  nest in mid-February and I only ever see them there between first light and about 09.00 - apparently they don't work any later for fear of drawing attention to the nest.

gamston

could it be a bat ? they are starting to move about now, we have 1/some that summer roost in my roof (i have a dormer as well)
6-7 oclock would be good time for bats, over years we have had mice in the loft normally trapped/killed 20 over each winter over last few years it has fallen as I've blocked all the gaps where they can get from garage into dormer roof, I've found mice normally can be heard 2-6am  (maybe its my sleep cycle)

delmonta

Apodemus said:

Delmonta, I am assuming that if you open the window, you can't see anything obvious from the outside?  The reason I ask is that I installed a bird box for sparrows on the outside of my garage wall and when the nest is occupied, there is a constant scratching noise audible through the concrete-block wall of the garage.  I thought I had something much bigger and inside the garage, but no, just a couple of wee sparrows sorting out the nest!  

Oh, and your timing is absolutely spot-on for sparrows, too!  Mine returned to scope-out the  nest in mid-February and I only ever see them there between first light and about 09.00 - apparently they don't work any later for fear of drawing attention to the nest.

Interesting, maybe it could be. the fact that I put a mouse trap with bait a few metres from where I hear them, and they didn't take the bate, makes it seem like maybe its not a mouse. Unless of course they can't get past a roof beam, but I imagine they can get anywhere they want up there, especially for food. 

Every morning soon after the scratching there are birds tweating very loud outside in my gutter. I open the velux window and they fly away, and this happens a few times in the morning. I didn't even register what birds they were, but could well be swallows. So I guess it's possible one found it's way into the roof cavity somehow and has made a nest? It does scratch at the time you mention. 

If this is the case, what would you suggest? 

delmonta

Thanks everyone, I have no idea if it's a bat, a mouse, a swallow or anything else! I just imagined it must be a mouse. Strangely this morning it hasn't been scratching, which is weird! Maybe it sensed my frustration and did the right thing

But more likely it will be back scratching tomorrow!