Animal in the ceiling

[KnightWhoSaysNi]

Ok, I've ordered an endoscope.

Do you guys think it's trapped or it's just that it has found a home in there?

If it's the latter, perhaps a repellant spray, applied through the downlight holes, could sort it?

 

[johnny2007]

It's not trapped, it's living there.
Find out what it is with the endoscope, then you can plan on what to try to evict it.
And then ideally you'll have to find the entry point which could be a real mission, especially in terraced houses.
Every time I got involved with loft conversion I spent at least half a day closing the smallest access points especially in the soffit/fascia separating 2 properties and younger fellas took the mikey out of me.
However, all landlords agreed with me that it was best to do when everything was exposed.
Same for kitchens and bathrooms.

 

[Mike13]

You have to get the ultrasonic gadget into the space you want to clear, if it is on a plug you need to get an extension cord with a socket on the end into that space somehow. traps and poison work, but unless you remove the body you will have flies in the house a bit later after it dies.

 

[endecotp]

Are you sure it’s not a larger bird on the outside of the roof?

 

[KnightWhoSaysNi]

Are you sure it’s not a larger bird on the outside of the roof?

It scratches so it's probably a mouse or a squirrel.

 

[sxturbo]

It scratches so it's probably a mouse or a squirrel.

Or rat

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

A PIR triggered IR camera would enable you to find out what the culprit is.

Despite it being wild and open at the back, we have never had any sort of wild visitors in the house, ever. The worst we have had is wasps nesting in the hut and birds nesting in the outside overhang part of the summerhouse.

 

[lostinthelight]

A PIR triggered IR camera would enable you to find out what the culprit is.

Despite it being wild and open at the back, we have never had any sort of wild visitors in the house, ever. The worst we have had is wasps nesting in the hut and birds nesting in the outside overhang part of the summerhouse.

+1 for a pir camera , if you get a trail type you could use it in the garden for wildlife or security.
Whenever I set a trap I monitor it with one

 

[Diver Fred]

Check at ground level for gaps in the brickwork, broken bricks and air bricks - seen one house where rats had entered the cavity through a broken brick, climbed up the cavity to the loft and had made a nest there.
Other checks to do is the 'roof eaves bird comb gap filler' in place and complete as it could easily be birds, they will nest in lofts as will bats. Get into your loft and check for droppings. Bats will enter lofts via missing or incomplete verges.

Had a jenny wren nest in loft last year.

 

[Keithmac]

We had a rat climbing up cavity in wall, a trap sorted that out.

If its a rat and you put mouse traps down it will just frighten it away from the traps (not your loft), so I'd say go baited rat traps first.

If they have come in once they will try again, is it worth planning an access panel in ceiling as downlight holes may be a bit restrictive?.

 

[KnightWhoSaysNi]

Check at ground level for gaps in the brickwork, broken bricks and air bricks - seen one house where rats had entered the cavity through a broken brick, climbed up the cavity to the loft and had made a nest there.
Other checks to do is the 'roof eaves bird comb gap filler' in place and complete as it could easily be birds, they will nest in lofts as will bats. Get into your loft and check for droppings. Bats will enter lofts via missing or incomplete verges.

It's a solid wall house with a converted loft. The loft room is a bedroom in use, there are no droppings in there.

 

[lostinthelight]

Is it solid brick or rubble stone wall?

 

[Keithmac]

They can climb up the guttering fall pipes and get into the roof.

I've seen a squirrel climb up our brick wall didn't make it to the top though..

 

[HERTS P&D]

[QUOTE="Keithmac, post: 4864170, member: 249778"I've seen a squirrel climb up our brick wall didn't make it to the top though..[/QUOTE]

Were you holding an air gun?

Andy

 

[KnightWhoSaysNi]

Is it solid brick or rubble stone wall?

Solid brick. The outside has pebbledash, which provides good enough grip for a squirrel to climb all the way up (as I have witnessed). Not sure about mice and rats.

The dormer has stud walls and its roof is of similar construction - two layers of plasterboard with insulation in between.
I'm not sure how (if at all) the guttering pipes connect to the cavity space in the dormer walls and roof. There may be gaps in the fascia / soffit.

They can climb up the guttering fall pipes and get into the roof.

Rats and mice? Or squirrels?