[agentz]

At about 8am this morning I heard what sounded like something scrabbling around on the roof of the house. After about 30 minutes all went quiet.

I've just come back in from a visit to the shops and lunch and I'm positive there's something small with claws scrabbling around in the loft. I can hear something scrabbling/scratching/trying to dig.

I reckon its a squirrel or something cos we sometimes see them running around outside.

How the hell do I get whatever it is out of my house without harming it?

I've shut the cats into an upstairs room just now, shut all the internal doors in the house and I've propped the loft hatch open just now and left the front door open.

Help! I don't like the thought of something running around up there!

[phoenixboy]

[Xeo]

Call animal control, or get a net. If it's a squirrel or something, don't try to grab it. You'll just get hurt and probably hurt it in the process. Either a bag or a net (and something to close the opening) would be the best. Otherwise just call someone to handle it.

[phoenixboy]

Originally posted by Xeo:
Call animal control...

agreed. don't try and do anything yourself.

[wdlove]

I agree also, it's a good idea to call in a professional!

[agentz]

Ok, after another couple of hours of strange noises and whatnot all went quiet.

Then an almighty racket from upstairs and when I went out into the hall to investigate there was what looked like a female blackbird flying round upstairs.

It took me three attempts (and some cat biscuits!) to catch the little bugger by flinging a towel over it and bundling it out the front door.

Ah ha! I thought. It was making a godawful racket jumping around all the cardboard boxes we've got in our attic and wandering over the bags with chrismas deccies in. That'll be that then.

Or so I thought.

About 10 minutes ago there was an almighty scrabbling noise from what sounded like my downstairs loo. Went out into the hall again and there's both my cats glaring at the wall looking very very suspicious. Nothing to be seen either in the loo or the outside cupboard thats on the other side of the wall.

Quite a flaming racket again and I'm like oh crap, what now.

So, there's still strange noises rattling round inside the house.

Its like bloody animal farm here this afternoon!

Tried calling my local animal control department and sodding typically they're phonelines are shut on a Saturday afternoon. Called my local Council call center and didn't manage to get anyone there either.

Aargh.

Beginning to think that phoenixboy was right the first time!

[agentz]

This time it seems to be sorted!

Let me explain the geography of my house a little. Looking at the front door there is a bin store on the right hand side and a wooden panel down the left hand side with two small windows in it to allow the gas and electric meters to be read from outside (typical mid 70's council house).

The second lot of noise was indeed coming from the general direction of the downstairs loo - it was coming from the roof of the bin store which backs onto the loo.

I phoned my dad and got him round to see if he had any ideas. We tidied out the bin store (which we only use to store newspapers and magazines before taking them to the recycling place) and opened up a small hole in the plasterboard ceiling hoping that whatever the hell it was scrabbling about would come out. We shut the door and left it for half an hour.

Problem was I think the critter got scared shitless by the noise of chiselling out a small hole and worked its way across the alcove where the front door is and started scrabbling about there. Then the sodding thing fell down the inside of the panel where the meters are.

Hmm.

Over the next hour or so there was frantic scrabbling noises as the thing tried to get back up this two inch gap but it became obvious it couldn't manage it. So we decided to knock a small hole (about 2inch by 4 inch) in the plasterboard inside the meter/understair cupboard where it was obviously stuck. Drill drill drill, chisel chisel chisel.

Sod all happened.

So we make another small in the plasterboard at the opposite side of a wooden joist thingie. Just as my dad finished the second hole the source of the noise stuck its head out the first hole (sods law!).

It was a starling! It hopped up and sat on the light fitting, then onto the top of the boiler then hopped down, walked out the open front door and looked around then flew off.

So that would appear to be the problem solved for now. Next job is to figure out where the little buggers got into the house. After a very quick look in the loft we saw a bit of daylight at the very bottom of the roof - must be a hole or something in the fascia board behind the guttering so we'll need to get that patched up ASAP to avoid a repeat of this afternoons fiasco!

Cheers all.

[quandarry]

you sometimes see squirrels!!??

geezuz millions here...are they rare in scotland?

[Eriamjh]

So it was a bird?

[MisterX]

Could be a mouse or rat.... maybe a rat because they like digging

[moonmonkey]

Originally posted by quandarry:
you sometimes see squirrels!!??

geezuz millions here...are they rare in scotland?

Yes, they native ones are very rare.

Load of larger and more dangerous American grey squirrels though.

[Tokencon]

You have vermin in your attic and cats ready willing and able to lend assistance? But you've locked them up. What's wrong with this picture? We used to care for a feral cat...when winter came every year, and the mice came into the garage by the dozen...I did not run out and buy live traps...I already had one. I just left the garage door open a crack...After the first year, the cat knew what that cracked garage door meant...a tasty addition of protein to her normal diet...and easier pickins' than the creekside she usually haunted.

Bon apetit!

Token

[agentz]

Originally posted by Eriamjh:
So it was a bird?

Looks like it. A peaceful night with no strange noises would suggest that the starling and/or the female blackbird was indeed the culprit.

Noisy little beggars.

Moonmonkey -

We don't see squirrels that often round here - theres a nice big park at the end of our street with a river and everything and they like to hang round there - they only appear round the houses when there's no sign of the local noisy brats.

[Tokencon]

Is everyone but me replying to this a wussy?

Call animal control? I called them once about woodpeckers and was told "they are a protected species..." Yeah, well they were "protecting" great big holes all over the side of my house. I "protected" them with an air rifle. Still had the holes, just didn't have the holers any longer.

Token

[ryju]

Originally posted by MisterX:
Could be a mouse or rat.... maybe a rat because they like digging

He said it was a starling.

That's pretty funny how it just walked out the front door and left .

[DeathToWindows]

use the cats. if I had a similar issue, my cats would punch out the intruder (declawed before adoption)

[Sherwin]

Originally posted by Tokencon:
Is everyone but me replying to this a wussy?

Call animal control? I called them once about woodpeckers and was told "they are a protected species..." Yeah, well they were "protecting" great big holes all over the side of my house. I "protected" them with an air rifle. Still had the holes, just didn't have the holers any longer.

Yer big pansy. Real men build their houses out of unpeckable materials in the first place.

[android8]

I'm pretty sure that is how the movie "The Exorcist" started....Anyway, at least that's when things started to go wrong...

[todrain]

Originally posted by DeathToWindows:
use the cats. if I had a similar issue, my cats would punch out the intruder (declawed before adoption)

Unless it was an insect, my cat would hide!

[ryju]

Originally posted by todrain:
Unless it was an insect, my cat would hide!

My cat loves insects and chases them around for hours just to eat them!! cat =>

[SVass]

Homes in the Seattle area have 1 inch vent holes with chicken wire in the eaves to reduce moisture. In the spring, birds love to peck out the screen and build nests in the attic. They make lots of noise after the young are hatched. Our local hardware stores sell aluminum vent covers with horizontal slots to replace the chicken wire. This should be a common world wide problem. sam

[Chemmy]

Originally posted by wdlove:
I agree also, it's a good idea to call in a professional!

Just get a blanket and a baseball bat, or a golf club.

[Eriamjh]

I had two ducks in my breezeway last week for a few minutes. They waltzed in moments after I propper the door open to go get something.

Stupid ducks tried to leave through the windows. Eventually, she made her way out the door.

[Mrjinglesusa]

Try dealing with a 6' cottonmouth sitting on your front porch. Best way to deal? Stay inside and wait for him/her to leave. I don't do poisonous snakes.

[olePigeon]

Ever see the movie The Excorcist?