Having animals like squirrels, rats, mice, bats, or raccoons in your attic can be a nuisance. These uninvited guests can cause damage by gnawing on wood and wires, leave droppings, contaminate insulation with urine, make noise, and possibly transmit diseases. Getting rid of animals in your attic and preventing them from returning requires some work, but it can be done. Here’s what you need to know.
Common Animals That Get Into Attics
The most frequent attic invaders include
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Squirrels – Squirrels enter attics through holes in roof soffits, uncapped chimneys, gaps around roof vents, and openings where wires or pipes penetrate walls. Signs of their presence include scurrying noises, chewed up insulation, and droppings.
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Rats & Mice – Rodents can squeeze through amazingly small openings. Telltale signs are droppings, urine stains, gnawing damage, and noises like scratching or squeaking.
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Bats – A colony of bats roosting in an attic leaves behind a heavy accumulation of guano droppings at their entry/exit points. Bat sounds range from chittering to flapping noises.
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Raccoons – Raccoons may den in attics and can tear off shingles or claw through soffits or worn wood to gain access. They make loud scratching and thumping noises.
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Opossums – Cat-sized opossums enter attics through vents and holes. They make hissing, growling sounds, and leave distinctive droppings.
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Snakes & Lizards – Some snakes and lizards find their way into attics while hunting for eggs and nesting rodents. Shed skins are evidence of their presence.
How Animals Get Into Attics
Attics are enticing places for wild creatures to nest and take shelter. Possible entry points include:
- Holes in roof soffits or worn shingles
- Gaps around roof vents
- Uncapped chimneys
- Loose screening on gable vents
- Openings around wires, pipes, and gaps in house siding
- Crawl spaces connecting to the attic
Rodents can even chew right through materials like wood, rubber, and plastic to enlarge or create new openings.
Signs of Animal Activity in the Attic
Here’s what to look and listen for to detect critters in your attic:
- Strange noises – rustling, skittering, thumps, hisses, chirping
- Droppings and urine stains
- Damaged insulation, wires, and wood
- Gnaw marks on materials
- Musky animal odors
- Discarded food like seed shells
- Rub marks around entry holes
- Footprints on attic surfaces
Conduct an attic inspection to check for these signs of animal invasion. Shine a flashlight along rafters and corners to spot nests and droppings. Look for smudge marks and claw marks around vents and other possible entryways.
How to Get Rid of Animals in the Attic
Getting rid of attic pests involves:
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Inspecting and sealing up all possible entryways – Check the roofline carefully and seal up any gaps with caulk, expanding foam, metal flashing, wire mesh, or other materials. Cover openings where pipes and wires penetrate walls. Install chimney caps and vent covers. Trim overhanging tree branches.
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Removing food attractants, nesting sites, and clutter – Get rid of stored boxes and items to eliminate places to hide and nest. Clean up any spills and trash. This will encourage animals to leave.
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Using humane removal methods – For bats, open all doors and windows at dusk to allow them to exit, then seal up their entry holes. Use mild hazing for birds. Live trap squirrels, raccoons, and other mammals, then release them outdoors at least 5 miles away. As a last resort, lethal traps may be an option for some rodents.
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Cleaning up – Use Personal Protective Equipment when handling droppings, urine, and nesting materials. Disinfect contaminated areas. Remove damaged insulation and nest debris.
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Installing prevention measures – Attach chimney caps, vent covers, netting, and pest mesh. Use flashing and caulk to seal gaps. Trim vegetation. Improve attic ventilation. Set up wire mesh barriers or clean gravel strips where wildlife can access the roof.
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Checking for reentry – Monitor for several weeks after removal to ensure pests don’t return. Re-seal any new openings. Set traps to capture lingering animals.
Getting rid of wild critters in the attic takes diligence, but is very doable. Focus on exclusion and removal tactics. Prevention upgrades can then keep new animals from invading again. Consider hiring a wildlife control professional if the infestation is severe.
When to Call a Professional
It’s a good idea to have a professional inspect and handle attic animals if:
- There’s a large infestation or multiple species present
- Bats, bees, snakes, or other dangerous species need removal
- You are uncomfortable working in the attic space
- Significant structural repairs or remediation are needed
- Humane trapping repeatedly fails to remove all animals
- State or local laws require special handling/removal methods
Licensed wildlife control operators have the expertise to identify species, remove animals humanely, seal entry holes, sanitize the area, and implement prevention measures. They follow laws on protected species and can provide liability assurances.
Don’t wait until the attic animal problem gets out of hand. At the first signs of wildlife invading this space, take steps to evict them and seal up access. Protect your home from damage and avoid potential hazards to your health from droppings, fleas, pathogens, and nest parasites. Stay persistent, and you can successfully get rid of pesky critters in the attic.
Bat Noises in Your Attic
Bats are the biggest health risk among attic dwellers. Bat guano is toxic to human beings. If you have had bats in your attic for any length of time, make sure a professional animal clean up service removes all the accumulated waste.
Bat noises include wing flutters, scratching, squeaking and clicking. Bats typically leave their roost at dusk to hunt and return at dawn. They can enter through tiny, dime-sized holes that may be difficult to notice by the untrained eye.
Rodent Infestation: Rat and Mouse Noises in Your Attic
Mice are nocturnal and become loud when everything else is quiet. As a result, they are sometimes mistaken for larger animals.
Mice and rats make chewing, scratching and squeaking sounds in ceilings and walls. In attics they often make their nests along access panels and hatches where the temperature is warmer.
If you suspect a rodent infestation, get in touch with our pest control partner. Plunkett’s can remove and prevent rodent infestations in your home.
Get Animals Out of Your Attic (Permanently) in 2025!
FAQ
What to do if animals are in your attic?
- Call a wildlife control operator. …
- Repair any damage to your home. …
- Add exclusion devices to the entry point the animal used. …
- Add exclusion devices to any other potential entry points.
How do I know what animals are in my attic?
Noises: Typically, you’ll hear scratching, scuttling, squeaking, or chewing if there is an animal in your attic. A scratching noise in your attic in the early morning may suggest squirrels or snakes. An animal in the attic scratching at night may be a mouse, rat, opossum, or raccoon.
What to do if you hear critters in your attic?
If you don’t want to stick your head up into the attic and deal with it, call a pest control company. A good reputable company (ask your neighbors for recommendations) will not only stick their head up there and get a good look around, but look around the rest of your house for critter entry points.
How do I get rid of rodents in my attic?
Clean Up: Keep the attic free of food debris and clutter. Store items in airtight containers. Eliminate Nesting Materials: Remove any potential nesting materials like cardboard, fabric, or insulation. Snap Traps: Use snap traps for rodents. Place them along walls and where you’ve noticed droppings or activity.
Are there squirrels in the attic?
Read more squirrels in attic tips here. Rats and mice are very common animals in attics, throughout much of the country. Roof Rats in particular, are very common in attics in warmer areas, and Norway Rats in cities. Mice are common in many areas as well.
What animals are in the attic?
For more advanced info, read squirrels in the attic guide. RACCOONS IN THE ATTIC: Raccoons are another of the most common types of animal to enter attics. Raccoons are curious and mischievous creatures, and they are also expert climbers, and very strong.
What animals Squeak & gnaw in the attic?
Common animals that scratch or gnaw include mice, rats, squirrels, and bats. Not many wildlife species vocalize in attics, which makes identification easier for the few species that do. Shrill squeaks are often indicative of rats or mice, and sharper ‘shrieks’ may indicate infestation.
Why do animals live in attics?
Attics represent one of the ideal indoor places for animals to find food and shelter. A warm place for animals to live, attics are magnets for insects, spiders, birds, and even feral cats. Various species make it indoors through small openings and cracks in walls or around windows and doors.
How do animals get into a house from the attic?
Animals like rats and mice enter the house from the attic all the time, by crawling down the walls and out openings such as the electrical source behind the washing machine or dryer, or other openings. That said, most larger animals don’t want to get inside the house, they prefer to stay in the attic with their young.
Are raccoons in your attic?
Animals like raccoons, squirrels, and bats find their way into attics, looking for safe places to create dens and nests. You will rarely see the animal in your attic, but you will notice it. It can be hard to ignore an animal in your attic. The first sign you’ll likely encounter is any noises coming from the attic.