How to Trap a Raccoon in the Attic
How to Trap a Raccoon in the Attic When you have raccoons living in your attic, they can quickly become a nuisance and create various
Your attic is the keeper of all sorts of things for your family! It is the home for holiday decorations, boxes of seasonal clothes, old children’s toys, memorabilia, and certainly some accumulating dust as the years go on. Your attic also serves an important purpose in the health and comfort of your entire home.
It helps move air through your living spaces in a controlled manner, which is why your attic should be clean and free of pests throughout the year. But what happens when you are going about your day and start to hear the scurry of little feet above your head?
Pests like mice and other small rodents can quickly become a really big problem in a short amount of time. Taking care of your pest problem right away can prevent serious damage to your home.
Let’s explore more about what to do about mice in your attic below so you can enjoy a clean and safe home year after year.
First, it’s important to understand the role of your attic in your home and why keeping it pest-free is so crucial. Your home is designed to move air throughout your living spaces in a controlled manner. This process helps reduce energy waste while also ensuring your rooms are at the right temperature no matter the season.
Your HVAC system and your insulation work hand-in-hand to slow energy transfer as heat inevitably rises in your home. As the air warms and moves upwards, your attic has the important job of moving that air out so it can be replaced down low with conditioned air once more.
This passive ventilation prevents uneven temperatures as well as dangerous moisture buildup. If your attic is compromised, either through structural damage or the presence of pests, it cannot function the way it needs to. You can expect poor indoor air quality, moisture issues and unreliable temperatures throughout your home.
Mice are prey animals, which means they are always on high alert to protect themselves from dangerous predators. They also always prioritize their safety and will seek shelter from the elements. As the weather cools down, mice will naturally look for a warm place to ride out the colder months.
Your attic is the perfect place for them! Attics tend to be warm and secure, and offer protection from wind, rain and snow. Mice are tiny, which means they can get into the smallest of spaces without a struggle. In fact, mice have flexible skeletons that allow them to flex and flatten to get through tiny openings and entry points.
Mice can access your home through:
All it takes is a single exposed section of your attic or siding for a mouse family to crawl inside and settle in for the season. However, they are so little that it might be hard to notice you have a problem right away! Knowing what to look for is crucial when it comes to identifying a mouse infestation.
Since mice are so small, there is a good chance that you will hear them before you see them. Sounds of scurrying feet above your head or in your walls, and high-pitched squeaking noises should prompt you to investigate.
However, if you suspect you are dealing with attic mice, use extreme caution before going up there! Wear long sleeves, a mask and gloves to keep yourself safe.
Mice are easily identifiable by their physical characteristics:
Regardless if you see one mouse or a whole colony, it’s important that you take care of the problem right away to prevent damage to your home.
If you don’t see the mice right away, it can make your investigation more complicated. Mice can hide really easily, so watch for these signs as well:
The longer you ignore any of these signs, the worse your problem can get. Mice can cause faulty wiring, which can lead to house fires. They can also damage your attic insulation enough to render it useless, which can leave your home vulnerable to drafts, the elements and even more pests.
The most reliable way to get mice out of your attic is to call a professional pest removal team! Mice, although little, can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans like hantavirus and leptospirosis. They can also cause injury by scratching and clawing.
Skip the danger and uncertainty and call a professional mouse removal team instead! To start, your team will come out to your house to inspect your attic space. The first goal will be to locate the infestation in your attic, and then the rest of your attic will be inspected to locate the entry point(s).
A trusted pest removal company will use humane removal methods like live trapping and one-way doors. This ensures the pests are removed for good while also safely releasing them back into the wild. Once the mice are gone, the entry points are sealed up to prevent the mice from coming back.
Cages can be put over vent covers, holes will be patched and filled, and any structural damage will also be repaired at this time. If the mice caused any sort of damage inside your attic, like chewed wires or gnawed beams, these repairs can happen as well. Finally, your space will be cleaned and sanitized to remove droppings, urine residue and hair.
Once the process is finished, you will have a clean and functional attic once more without having to worry about finding any more little brown creatures in your home!
Don’t wait to call Master Attic if you discover a mouse infestation! Call our team today at (800) 285-4009 to schedule a prompt mouse removal.
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