How to Tell If Wildlife Are Living in Your Attic
Your attic may be more crowded than you think! Attic spaces provide the perfect shelter for nuisance critters, because it is safe, warm, and often provides easy access through gable vents or damaged soffits. Early detection is important, because it allows you to act before the animals can create too much damage to your home. Once you determine that you have wildlife living inside your attic space, your best bet is to contact a licensed wildlife removal professional like Summit Environmental Solutions. Our technicians have the tools and training to solve your wildlife problem humanely and effectively. Call us today to get started with a FREE estimate at 703-520-5868!
Common Wildlife That Invades Attics in Virginia
The most common nuisance wildlife that will invade your attic space in Virginia are:
- Squirrels: these rodents will be very active during the day inside your attic and walls, and they are infamous for chewing through wires.
- Raccoons: these critters are strong, noisy, very destructive, and mostly nocturnal.
- Bats: they don’t do as much damage as the others, but they can create a serious health risk
- Birds: will build their flammable nests inside eaves and vents
- Rodents (mice/rats): small, but highly destructive. Will breed quickly
Audible Clues: What You Might Hear
Hearing strange or suspicious sounds coming from your attic space is often the first indication that you have something living up there. You might hear scratching or gnawing sounds, which can indicate critters chewing on wood, wires, or insulation. If you hear thumping or running sounds, it’s probably heavier animals like raccoons or opossums. Chirping and squeaking can indicate bats, birds, and rodents, or it might be baby raccoons and squirrels.
When trying to identify what critter is in your attic, pay attention to the time of day. Sounds during the day are probably from diurnal animals like squirrels and birds, while sounds at night are probably from nocturnal animals like raccoons, rodents, and bats.
Visual Signs of an Animal in the Attic
Entry holes and chew marks on the fascia, soffits, or roof vents are a visual sign of an animal problem in your attic. Inside the attic space, you might see nesting material like leaves, sticks, or insulation clumps. Squirrels and raccoons often tear out your insulation to add to their nests, so you may see damaged or torn insulation strewn about the attic or as part of a nest. Squirrels, mice, and rats will gnaw through wires, so you may see damaged or frayed wires in the attic space. You might also see droppings and urine stains on insulation and wood. Attic spaces are usually dark, but if you have squirrels and raccoons chewing through the roofline and soffit, you may be able to see daylight peeking into the attic through these openings.
Smell and Air Quality
Another common sign of animals in the attic is smelling a strong ammonia-like odor coming from the attic, which is caused by the animals urinating in the insulation. You might also notice a musty smell caused by outside nesting materials, or due to rainwater infiltrating the attic through entry point damage. If a critter becomes trapped and dies inside your attic, you might smell their decomposing bodies.
Why It’s Dangerous to Ignore the Signs
Never ignore the signs of animals in your attic, as when left alone, the problem can spiral out of control and become much worse. When rodents chew through your wires, they can expose bare wiring to insulation and outside nesting materials, which can increase the risk of an electrical fire. Squirrels, raccoons and other animals gnawing on scratching on support beams can create structural damage. Bat guano can build up in such large piles that it may cause your ceiling to buckle, same with the droppings and urine left in raccoon latrines. Not to mention the other health hazards caused by animal droppings and urine inside your attic, like leptospirosis, tularemia, and raccoon roundworm. Bat and bird droppings can also spread the spores that cause the fungal lung infection histoplasmosis.
Additionally, wildlife inside your attic can quickly multiply. A few become a family, which then spirals out of control into a whole population, especially with mice and rats.
What to Do if You Suspect Wildlife in Your Attic
If you think you have animals nesting inside your attic, never attempt to block the entry hole yourself. You might end up trapping the critter inside your home, or worse, separate a mother and babies. Trying to remove wildlife from your attic yourself is never advisable, as wild animals can become aggressive when cornered or confronted. Trying to remove droppings without the proper protective equipment is also dangerous, as droppings can spread disease.
The best thing to do if you suspect wildlife in your attic is to call a licensed wildlife removal professional like Summit Environmental Solutions for a FREE inspection.
Wildlife in Attic Prevention Tips
- Tip #1: Keep tree branches near the roof trimmed, so animals can’t use them to get on your roof.
- Tip #2: Install vent covers and chimney caps.
- Tip #3: Seal gaps in fascia, soffit, and roofline.
- Tip #4: Have your roof and attic inspected for weak points and wildlife intrusions at least once a year.
Best Animal in Attic Removal in Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax
Recognizing the early warning signs of animals inside your attic is crucial to preventing extensive damage and stopping the infestation in its tracks. If you suspect critters in the attic, contact the wildlife removal experts at Summit Environmental Solutions. We will start off with a FREE inspection, where we determine what animal is in your attic, and how they are getting inside. Next, we begin safely and humanely removing the critters in accordance with the law. After the critters are gone, we can remove any soiled insulation, clean the area, and replace the insulation with newer, highly effective material. Finally, we will seal and fortify any entry points, ensuring the animals don’t come back.
If you need animal in attic removal services in the Northern Virginia areas of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Stafford, or Woodbridge, contact the experts at Summit Environmental Solutions today at 703-520-5868!
