Rats climb up fall pipes.. Squirrels can climb walls quite easily.
Animal in the ceiling
- Thread starter KnightWhoSaysNi
- Start date
Rats climb up fall pipes.. Squirrels can climb walls quite easily.
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If a squirrel can climb it then mice and rats can too, squirrels are just rats with a fluffy tail.
Thread a square of chocolate on thin length of wire or string and push it up though the downlight hole clear of any insulation. Check for teeth marks.if small, mice, large or if gone completely its probably rats .
A stick of dynamite in the spotlight hole will clear all pests...
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I hope it can be done in a lighter-handed way.
I've been quiet because I had a lodger in there and didn't want to be too intrusive, especially since he was moving out.
Now I can go in in full armour.
I put two squares of chocolate on strings the other day and they're completely gone. Is it ok to assume it's a rat then and put a trap in (I hope it goes through, the hole is 64mm wide). Or would I be risking putting a squirrel into misery?
D
Deleted member 174758
Either that, or the lodger is sneaking back in when you aren't looking
I was considering that possibility. He's slim so could have made it up the downpipe.
He won't be for long if you keep feeding him chocolate
A long overdue update...
I bought rat traps, but despite having done measurements couldn't get them through the downlight holes. So I put a mouse trap in with a square of chocolate. For a long time nothing ate it; today I checked and it was finally gone, the trap had been triggered but there was nothing in it.
I was already suspecting a bird, as the warmer and sunnier days made me spend more time on the patio and I had noticed a bird from the outside visit the corner of the loft roof frequently and make noise.
Today after checking on the trap, I heard something in the ceiling; I opened the bathroom window and a while later I saw a bird emerge in the corner of the roof.
So it looks like it was a bird all along and there haven't been any rats. That's reassuring.
What do I do now? Ideally I'd block the entry point to the ceiling space while the bird is outside. However, the roof is high up, it's not something I'd dare do myself and even a workman would need a very long ladder. I could ask my go-to one.
What if I do nothing? Will the bird go? I remember a couple of years ago there was a bird nest on the roof and the birds eventually went away. Not sure if they ever went inside the ceiling space though.
Would spraying some deterrent into the space through the downlight holes keep it away?
I bought rat traps, but despite having done measurements couldn't get them through the downlight holes. So I put a mouse trap in with a square of chocolate. For a long time nothing ate it; today I checked and it was finally gone, the trap had been triggered but there was nothing in it.
I was already suspecting a bird, as the warmer and sunnier days made me spend more time on the patio and I had noticed a bird from the outside visit the corner of the loft roof frequently and make noise.
Today after checking on the trap, I heard something in the ceiling; I opened the bathroom window and a while later I saw a bird emerge in the corner of the roof.
So it looks like it was a bird all along and there haven't been any rats. That's reassuring.
What do I do now? Ideally I'd block the entry point to the ceiling space while the bird is outside. However, the roof is high up, it's not something I'd dare do myself and even a workman would need a very long ladder. I could ask my go-to one.
What if I do nothing? Will the bird go? I remember a couple of years ago there was a bird nest on the roof and the birds eventually went away. Not sure if they ever went inside the ceiling space though.
Would spraying some deterrent into the space through the downlight holes keep it away?
Apart from magpies and crows, other birds don't eat chocolate as far as I know.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
How high is the bird's access point?
Please correct me if I am wrong.
How high is the bird's access point?
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If its nesting its protected and illegal to disturb or break up a birds nest. Wait until the young have been raised and then block it up.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-w...p-birds/nestboxes/frequently-asked-questions/
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-w...p-birds/nestboxes/frequently-asked-questions/
It must be at the top of the 2nd floor. I haven't seen the access point itself, don't know what it looks like.
I don't know if it's nesting, have only seen one bird there and the sounds in the ceiling space have been there for over 2 months, although this was the first time I heard them myself. The sounds 2 months ago were reported by the lodger only.
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