Animal in the ceiling

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.


Rats and mice? Or squirrels?

Rats climb up fall pipes.. Squirrels can climb walls quite easily.
 
Sponsored Links
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.


Rats and mice? Or squirrels?
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 .
 
Sponsored Links
A stick of dynamite in the spotlight hole will clear all pests...
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?
 
Could be a Badger, probably best insert a cork before bedtime.
 
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?
 
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?
 
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?
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.

If its nesting its protected and illegal to disturb or break up a birds nest.
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.
 
Doesn’t matter if you know or not, birds at this time of year are nesting. I still think its a mouse or more probably a rat.
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top