Author Topic: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft  (Read 6171 times)

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« on: 02 January, 2021, 07:25:14 am »
Presumably mice (how do they get up there, past a house with two marauding moggies?).

What does the panel recommend?  Traps, or send Dumpy Cat up there for an hour?  I think Tigs' axle loading is too high for the plasterboard.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Pedal Castro

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Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #1 on: 02 January, 2021, 07:45:23 am »
We had this for a few years. It was birds nesting, obvious as it was seasonal. We blocked the hole in the facia board with stuffing insulation wool from the inside initially, then eventually replaced the facia and soffit boards last year.

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #2 on: 02 January, 2021, 09:43:16 am »
They do not need a big hole, something g the size of a pencil is enough, and then they can get up through the wall cavity.

Get yourself some traps, bait with peanut butter, put them around the outside edge of the loft, if you can see droppings already, that's a good starting point.

Then walk around the outside of the house looking for holes.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Jaded

  • The Codfather
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Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #3 on: 02 January, 2021, 09:57:40 am »
Is there a square hole cut in the ceiling, and do you occasionally fear that you are being watched?
It is simpler than it looks.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #4 on: 02 January, 2021, 10:12:00 am »
Is there a square hole cut in the ceiling, and do you occasionally fear that you are being watched?
Only during "executive time".
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #5 on: 02 January, 2021, 10:36:31 am »
Mice, birds or rats - depends how countrified you are.  We have a population of sparrows and the odd blackbird living in our eaves.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #6 on: 02 January, 2021, 12:01:17 pm »
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=111344.0        They've had no more rat incursions, so that particular colony / family must have died or moved on.
Not fast & rarely furious

tweeting occasional in(s)anities as andrewxclark

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #7 on: 02 January, 2021, 01:43:22 pm »
Mice, birds or rats - depends how countrified you are.  We have a population of sparrows and the odd blackbird living in our eaves.

My first house had swifts nesting every year. Fucking noisy little buggers, I think they wore clogs or something.
Amazing watching them fledge though, they just sat on the gutter and leapt off, cue blurs passing the living room window vertically. Watching them pull up about 6" off the ground and then fly over to line up on the overhead lines was quite a sight.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Kim

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Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #8 on: 02 January, 2021, 01:56:33 pm »
It might be squirrels... :jurek:

Jaded

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Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #9 on: 02 January, 2021, 02:04:42 pm »
No, that really does sound like swifts, squirrels can't fly  ;D ;D
It is simpler than it looks.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #10 on: 02 January, 2021, 02:12:11 pm »
They're OK on the vertical bit, it's the pulling up that needs work.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #11 on: 02 January, 2021, 02:17:17 pm »
Squirrels have no problem ascending vertical brickwork. We had one in our loft a few years ago.  >:( >:( >:(
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #12 on: 02 January, 2021, 02:31:34 pm »
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

PaulF

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Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #13 on: 02 January, 2021, 04:08:00 pm »
I’m really sorry I’ll try to be quieter in future.

Blodwyn Pig

  • what a nice chap
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #14 on: 02 January, 2021, 04:46:13 pm »
might be 'lesser spotted Wuhan Sparrows'   :o

seriously though, if you have airbricks, this will be their Brexit border post. get some wirewool, tear off small bits and push into airbrick holes, mice can't chew it, but still get ventialtion, then exterminate the little bastar  critters.  Local council 'mouse man' will have some goodly small blue pellets, that will make them 'sleepy sleep, long time'. Be prepared for a bad smell for a few days tho.

Basil

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Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #15 on: 02 January, 2021, 06:11:09 pm »
Just cross your fingers that it's not pipistrelles or similar. You're not allowed to do anything about it.
When we had our roof done I told them that if they came across anything that looked like bat poo, then it definitely wasn't and I didn't want to be told about it.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
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Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #16 on: 02 January, 2021, 06:21:44 pm »
Mice, birds or rats - depends how countrified you are.  We have a population of sparrows and the odd blackbird living in our eaves.

My first house had swifts nesting every year. Fucking noisy little buggers, I think they wore clogs or something.
Amazing watching them fledge though, they just sat on the gutter and leapt off, cue blurs passing the living room window vertically. Watching them pull up about 6" off the ground and then fly over to line up on the overhead lines was quite a sight.

Are you sure that was swifts and not swallows/martins? Once swifts (different family) fledge, it's said that they spend 3 or 4 years on the wing until they are ready to breed and then only stop flying to assemble a nest, lay eggs and feed young.

Swifts are noisy buggers too though.
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Mrs Pingu

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Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #17 on: 02 January, 2021, 06:55:31 pm »
As a cat owner I'd be inclined to go the spring trap route rather than poison.
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Mr Larrington

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Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #18 on: 02 January, 2021, 07:07:07 pm »
Mice, birds or rats - depends how countrified you are.  We have a population of sparrows and the odd blackbird living in our eaves.

My first house had swifts nesting every year. Fucking noisy little buggers, I think they wore clogs or something.
Amazing watching them fledge though, they just sat on the gutter and leapt off, cue blurs passing the living room window vertically. Watching them pull up about 6" off the ground and then fly over to line up on the overhead lines was quite a sight.

Are you sure that was swifts and not swallows/martins? Once swifts (different family) fledge, it's said that they spend 3 or 4 years on the wing until they are ready to breed and then only stop flying to assemble a nest, lay eggs and feed young.

Swifts are noisy buggers too though.

African or European?

(Flees before the Python Police show up)
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PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #19 on: 02 January, 2021, 07:32:33 pm »
Mice, birds or rats - depends how countrified you are.  We have a population of sparrows and the odd blackbird living in our eaves.

My first house had swifts nesting every year. Fucking noisy little buggers, I think they wore clogs or something.
Amazing watching them fledge though, they just sat on the gutter and leapt off, cue blurs passing the living room window vertically. Watching them pull up about 6" off the ground and then fly over to line up on the overhead lines was quite a sight.

Are you sure that was swifts and not swallows/martins? Once swifts (different family) fledge, it's said that they spend 3 or 4 years on the wing until they are ready to breed and then only stop flying to assemble a nest, lay eggs and feed young.

Swifts are noisy buggers too though.

African or European?

(Flees before the Python Police show up)


Nah! It’s spelt fleas :) and they wouldn’t make that much noise. ;D

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #20 on: 03 January, 2021, 07:03:02 am »
Mice, birds or rats - depends how countrified you are.  We have a population of sparrows and the odd blackbird living in our eaves.

My first house had swifts nesting every year. Fucking noisy little buggers, I think they wore clogs or something.
Amazing watching them fledge though, they just sat on the gutter and leapt off, cue blurs passing the living room window vertically. Watching them pull up about 6" off the ground and then fly over to line up on the overhead lines was quite a sight.

Are you sure that was swifts and not swallows/martins? Once swifts (different family) fledge, it's said that they spend 3 or 4 years on the wing until they are ready to breed and then only stop flying to assemble a nest, lay eggs and feed young.

Swifts are noisy buggers too though.

Could have been either, but they were an annual, noisy ocurrence
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #21 on: 03 January, 2021, 07:06:54 am »
I wouldn't mind bats.  Mice can do seriously chewy damage though.  I wonder how many are stupid enough to walk into a humane trap at once?  I can release them a good (human) walk away.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Blodwyn Pig

  • what a nice chap
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #22 on: 03 January, 2021, 09:35:35 am »
Thing is, humane traps, aren't.  Mice have nearly always got a brood on the go, so take out mummy and daddy mouse, and all the little Mickeys starve to death.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #23 on: 03 January, 2021, 09:59:40 am »
We had a mouse invasion a year ago.  Dunno what the mice around here had been eating, but they learnt how to avoid traps very quickly. We used humane traps at first, and each new style caught exactly one mouse before they stayed clear of them. Same went for snap traps. We tried peanut butter, parrot seed and umpteen other baits to no avail.  In the end we resorted to poison and got the lot.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Blodwyn Pig

  • what a nice chap
Re: Scrabbling noises at night in the loft
« Reply #24 on: 03 January, 2021, 10:02:34 am »
^^^. They take the poison back to the nest , and they all munch till bedtime. zzzzz