Hello all and Happy New Year!
Maybe someone can help me figure what kind of animal is up here in my 3' high attic. Not a squirrel because there's no mess, not bats, no rats or mice in the baited traps from a professional exterminator company. Nothing or no noises during the summer. Only when it's very cold out, and only in the wee morning hours up to 8:30 a.m. It is dark up there day and night. Since we have been having an unusually warm winter, the noises only occur when it's below 40 degrees, I noticed that there are no noises when it rains but I can't be sure. I found that when I get up to go to the John in the wee hours, about 5 minutes later I'll start to hear the noises; a tap or click, movement, a slide or tap and it moves from one area to another. The distance it moves is not long and near the back corner of the roof/ceiling. In 12/2015 I managed to throw some moth balls (about 2 boxes) up there in the direction of the noises and that made somewhat of an impact in that the noises don't last long and whatever it is moved further away. It seems something enters and then leaves or settles. I don't know.
I have a 3 foot high useless attic. I have ceiling vents for central A/C and that silver coil tube thingy the air flows through with vents in each room. Can't really get up in there because you have to be child size to get around or through the rafters or wood structures that do not allow for much access. Like a crawl space with insulation covering the floor up there.
I have had the exterminator here a number of times. No mice or rats ever found in the various unsprung traps up there. After doing some sealing around the perimeter etc. of my house looking for holes or ways to get in and to prevent mice from entering the house this past summer (again) and before the cold and before they come looking, these noises are back! I have had no mice, rats or any critters on the basement or main floor. Thought it was over this year because this happens every fall -winter season, that I noticed a few years ago. When it warms up it's gone. Last year I noticed a crack along where the sheet rocks slabs meets in the room before the bedroom. This year I noticed a similar crack starting in the bedroom. I put a spot work light up there and have turned it on to ward off the noises, works for a short amount of time along with banging on the ceiling with a broom stick before it starts up again.
Here's the weird thing; as soon as the temps began to drop here in NY upstate suburbs the noises started again right over my bedroom, again! Nothing ever in the traps that are near the trap door entrance in the ceiling because there is no way I can figure how to get the traps any further then a few feet from the attic entrance. I am hard of hearing. Would not hear the scurrying of mice tunneling under the thick insulation over the Sheetrock ceiling. But I hear this, last year I'd wake up from the noises. What I hear is a tap or taping a movement noise and some animal sound or eating sounds in the same few feet area. I have checked the facia, down spout and gutters, last I checked the roof, found nothing.
What the heck is it? Why only when it's very cold? What kind of wildlife gets into the attic and how? Why in the wee hours does it wake and seemingly after I go to the John? Am I waking it up with my movement? and why only when it's cold do I hear anything? Seems like whatever it is comes and goes during cold nights. Is not present at all when it's warm out for the entire summer, not until October-November and it goes on till spring and warm weather. Not ever night, just very cold nights, not for all night just until it seemingly settles down and then as last as 8:30-9 a.m. movement like it's leaving and then it's quiet. I thought about chipmunks and raccoons, they are around but how do they get into your attic?
Neither I nor the Exterminator can figure this out. Exterminator got rid of everything around here, haven't even seen any deer who use to come up in the yard all the time all year long. Nothing!
If anyone has any idea what this is and what I can do about it I'd be most appreciative :
Maybe someone can help me figure what kind of animal is up here in my 3' high attic. Not a squirrel because there's no mess, not bats, no rats or mice in the baited traps from a professional exterminator company. Nothing or no noises during the summer. Only when it's very cold out, and only in the wee morning hours up to 8:30 a.m. It is dark up there day and night. Since we have been having an unusually warm winter, the noises only occur when it's below 40 degrees, I noticed that there are no noises when it rains but I can't be sure. I found that when I get up to go to the John in the wee hours, about 5 minutes later I'll start to hear the noises; a tap or click, movement, a slide or tap and it moves from one area to another. The distance it moves is not long and near the back corner of the roof/ceiling. In 12/2015 I managed to throw some moth balls (about 2 boxes) up there in the direction of the noises and that made somewhat of an impact in that the noises don't last long and whatever it is moved further away. It seems something enters and then leaves or settles. I don't know.
I have a 3 foot high useless attic. I have ceiling vents for central A/C and that silver coil tube thingy the air flows through with vents in each room. Can't really get up in there because you have to be child size to get around or through the rafters or wood structures that do not allow for much access. Like a crawl space with insulation covering the floor up there.
I have had the exterminator here a number of times. No mice or rats ever found in the various unsprung traps up there. After doing some sealing around the perimeter etc. of my house looking for holes or ways to get in and to prevent mice from entering the house this past summer (again) and before the cold and before they come looking, these noises are back! I have had no mice, rats or any critters on the basement or main floor. Thought it was over this year because this happens every fall -winter season, that I noticed a few years ago. When it warms up it's gone. Last year I noticed a crack along where the sheet rocks slabs meets in the room before the bedroom. This year I noticed a similar crack starting in the bedroom. I put a spot work light up there and have turned it on to ward off the noises, works for a short amount of time along with banging on the ceiling with a broom stick before it starts up again.
Here's the weird thing; as soon as the temps began to drop here in NY upstate suburbs the noises started again right over my bedroom, again! Nothing ever in the traps that are near the trap door entrance in the ceiling because there is no way I can figure how to get the traps any further then a few feet from the attic entrance. I am hard of hearing. Would not hear the scurrying of mice tunneling under the thick insulation over the Sheetrock ceiling. But I hear this, last year I'd wake up from the noises. What I hear is a tap or taping a movement noise and some animal sound or eating sounds in the same few feet area. I have checked the facia, down spout and gutters, last I checked the roof, found nothing.
What the heck is it? Why only when it's very cold? What kind of wildlife gets into the attic and how? Why in the wee hours does it wake and seemingly after I go to the John? Am I waking it up with my movement? and why only when it's cold do I hear anything? Seems like whatever it is comes and goes during cold nights. Is not present at all when it's warm out for the entire summer, not until October-November and it goes on till spring and warm weather. Not ever night, just very cold nights, not for all night just until it seemingly settles down and then as last as 8:30-9 a.m. movement like it's leaving and then it's quiet. I thought about chipmunks and raccoons, they are around but how do they get into your attic?
Neither I nor the Exterminator can figure this out. Exterminator got rid of everything around here, haven't even seen any deer who use to come up in the yard all the time all year long. Nothing!
If anyone has any idea what this is and what I can do about it I'd be most appreciative :