Here are some tips that will help you do just that.
Try To Identify the Intruder
Although some animals are most likely present in your community all the time, you might be surprised about the kind of animals that manage to gain entry to your attic.
This is because the mother squirrel may have decided that your attic is a nice place to raise its young. The problem is, squirrels are a pest when they do this and can help spread zoonotic diseases through their droppings (feces and urine) distributed throughout the attic. Even if no one in your family goes up to the attic frequently, your family members are at risk of transmission of the zoonotic diseases. And of course, the smell will probably start spreading into your home which is a nuisance too.
This is why you have to understand which wildlife has invaded your home so that you can get a professional to remove the nest and the whole family of pests from your attic. This is particularly important if you want to renovate the attic or even your entire home eventually.
Try to Find Out Where the Entrance Holes to Your Attic Are
There are actually quite a lot of possible entrances to your attic, from a wild animal’s point of view. This means the professional wildlife removal experts will need to gain access to your whole house to find out where the wild animals are entering regularly.
Wild animals may have entered your home through these parts of your house:
- An open chimney
- Holes in your roof or walls
- Wooden or aluminum sidings that they chew through
- Gutters
- Ventilation spaces that are the right size for them to slip through
- Gaps between parts of the house such as between your roof and the sidings
- Holes that other animals had previously made
Although it is a bit of a long shot, wild animals might also have entered through open windows or doors. They then found their way to the attic because their instinct is to avoid humans and to seek out cozy spaces that are warm, comfortable, and protected from the elements.
Listen Carefully to Identify Where Wild Animals Are Exactly
As wild animals tend to get confident that their new hidey-hole is safe enough, they may then start behaving like nature intended them to do. So, you may start to hear their tiny footsteps as they scurry around the attic. The sound can be similar to nuts being shaken in a cardboard box because the animals might literally have been bringing in a stable food supply. Squirrels like nuts so it is highly possible (if squirrels are known to live in the vicinity) that they have indeed brought in nuts.
But squirrels are not the only animals that could be living in your attic. Mice (which incidentally is a close relative of squirrels) may also be there already. Raccoons are also known to visit attics, in their own way. And there might be some other animals of unknown species that are reigning in your previously-private attic right now. Take note that they might also be making their way into other parts of your home, such as inside walls. This is why you have to listen, and then explain the situation to the pest removal experts.
Never Attempt to Remove Wild Animals By Yourself
Although some wildlife (such as squirrels and raccoons) are quite cute and cuddly-looking, bear in mind that they are still wild animals. When wild animals feel cornered (which they will if you go after them yourself) they may attack you (which for them is self-defense). Going into the attic by yourself will make the animals feel alarmed and cornered. To avoid getting seriously bitten, you should let the wildlife removal experts do their job first.
Do Not Set Out Poison
Although some homeowners may feel that poison bait is a good way of ridding themselves of the animal invasion problem, it actually makes the problem worse. This is because some animals are pretty good at evading poison bait and will not eat it. Even if you managed to kill a few with the poison bait, you would still have to remove the dead animals from your attic. But that may mean confronting a whole clan of animals who are now alarmed and may attack you directly. It is best to let an expert do the job of locating, tracking, trapping, and removing the wild animals from your home, to avoid unnecessary expenses and trouble on your part.
Final Takeaway
Although some people may find it cute that wild animals are now present in their homes, the presence of wild animals may actually be a danger to your household. For one thing, their feces and urine when left collecting in spaces within the home can spread zoonotic diseases. However, since wild animals can indeed attack you directly if you try to corner them, the best thing to do is to seek the advice of wildlife removal specialists. They will know what to do and the best time to do it.