Birds in the Attic

FROM: Robert [E-Mail]
DATE: Monday April 29, 2002 -- 2:06:04 am

Sic the homeowners' board on them critters!

FROM: Katherine [E-Mail]
DATE: Monday April 29, 2002 -- 8:27:21 am

My parents have a family of birds that live in their chimney / fireplace. One time Chris and I were staying at their house when they were out of town, and we were freaked out by these squawking baby birds in the chimney. We thought they were in distress, but when I called my dad, and he said just to leave them alone - that they lived there. My parents don't usually use the fireplace, and I think my dad figured that when they did, they would already be gone or they would leave at that time. I think these birds come back every spring to raise a family. Your critters might go away after they're done raising their young, if you can stand the noises that long.

Birds have been known to fly at my head before for no good reason, so if it were me, I would definitely stay out of the attic!

FROM: Dave [E-Mail]
DATE: Monday April 29, 2002 -- 9:54:03 am

in mt attic I tend toi get squirls. the maintenance people who work in my condo development always set traps for them and end up getting 2 or 3 each time I report them.. The squirls tend to mess up the insulation in my attic. I dont want to go into the attic to see whats going on because I have heard squirls can be violent...

FROM: Chris
DATE: Monday April 29, 2002 -- 10:23:16 am

Definately plunk down the cash to get rid of them. The pest control guy should be willing to show you what you need to do to keep them out, probably just installing screens over the openings they use to come and go. Critters, especially squirrels, are known to chew on stuff, like wires. They could chew an electrical wire and cause a fire, or worse, take out your cable service ;)

FROM: Rob [E-Mail]
DATE: Monday April 29, 2002 -- 10:37:36 am

Sorry. I only know about Toys in the Attic.

FROM: Courtney
DATE: Monday April 29, 2002 -- 5:58:57 pm

Katherine, do you or have you ever used Aussie hair care products? I knew a girl who was "attacked" by a few birds. She finally concluded it was her hair products and switched brandsl

FROM: Katherine [E-Mail]
DATE: Tuesday April 30, 2002 -- 8:57:59 am

No, I've never used Aussie products. And actually, only one bird has only ever flown at my head (but that was one time too many for me). It was during college, and I was crossing the street to get to the dining hall. As I waited on the curb to cross, the bird flew directly at my head. I ducked and twisted and waved my arms and generally put on quite a show for anyone who happened to see it. I think I might have been standing near its nest, although from my point of view I was standing at the entrance to the crosswalk. Then as I crossed the street it came after me one more time as if to make sure I was really leaving. I have had an irrational? fear of birds ever since if they get any closer than about 10 feet.

FROM: Robert [E-Mail]
DATE: Friday May 3, 2002 -- 11:49:41 am

A bird flew into my head as I was carrying a double armload of mail to the college radio station. This was indoors, mind you.

FROM: John Freeman
DATE: Saturday August 17, 2002 -- 9:23:09 am

Arrow Exterminators, Wildlife branch

FROM: JOe
DATE: Sunday December 22, 2002 -- 7:00:02 pm

The birds will raise their young in a couple of weeks and be gone. the squirrels are no problem if you can confine them to a small area, like in the eves. You can live in harmony with wildlife if you make an effort. Joe

FROM: Kim
DATE: Friday February 21, 2003 -- 9:34:12 pm

Birds in the attic: Can I put moth balls up there... they seem to come and go as they please... I live in a log cabin... so its not to hard for them to enter and exit......

FROM: Rula
DATE: Tuesday March 11, 2003 -- 8:56:25 pm

Just recently I noticed birds in the attic. I opened one of the wind turbines for them to escape. The next day I noticed 2 dead birds stuck in the wind turbines and one dead on the attic floor. There were 3 live ones. How do they get in? The opening of the wind turbines are too narrow for them to get in that way.

FROM: Ken
DATE: Sunday April 13, 2003 -- 9:51:26 am

I've had them up there for the last three years. They come in through the peak vents. They seem to leave when it gets cold but come right back. It was suggested to me that while they are away to put a screening up over the openning. No floor boards either so it is a pain. This year has been the worst as far as the noise goes. I might try that moth ball thing if it gets any worse.

FROM: D J Trimble
DATE: Sunday February 22, 2004 -- 8:37:32 am

I have birds in my attic that come in and go after pecking an opening in the vents. Is there any spray or anyting I can get to get them to leave. Any info you might have will be apprecitate. Thank You.........

FROM: JUDY BAX
DATE: Saturday March 13, 2004 -- 12:32:32 pm

HELLO,
PLEASE HELP,
I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH BIRDS IN MY ATTIC. WAS ANYONE ABLE TO HELP YOU?
THANK YOU.

FROM: kevin
DATE: Sunday March 21, 2004 -- 2:23:46 pm

the only solution I have come up with is wire around the openings. I have birds in my attic too, this seems to help

FROM: Tara
DATE: Sunday March 28, 2004 -- 7:10:55 pm

I recently moved into a home to discover birds in the attic. Apparantly the previous owner had the same problem as the pest control company found a bird skeleton up there. One problem I am now having to deal with is carpet beetles. They are extremely common where birds build their nests. They will make their way into the home and feed off of carpets and wools (similar to moths).
A wildlife company will be coming to remove the nest and patch all holes.
From what I am being told, depending on hole size, they will use either liquid foam, wire or both.
It is definitely worth the investment to have some one come out and survey your attic situation because you don't want to take the chance of getting carpet beetles or many of the other insects that come along with birds once they make their way into your home. A lot of pest control companies offer these type of services.

FROM: Anne Walker
DATE: Saturday May 1, 2004 -- 4:54:32 pm

HELP! We also have had birds in the attic off and on. We recently had a professional out to trap them and then seal up any openings. He sealed a bird in and it died. The odor os horrible. Can anyone help me?

FROM: Bret Dunbar
DATE: Sunday May 2, 2004 -- 12:20:55 pm

I have the same issue. There are black birds with small yellow pointed beaks going in and out of corners of the house where it wasn't tighly fit.

The screening seems to be a good idea after the birds leave the nest, otherwise they may get trapped, and die in the attic, hence the smell.

It is a pain to listen to the scratching and all, but it might be worth the odor tradeoff...

FROM: Angela
DATE: Wednesday May 5, 2004 -- 11:09:17 pm

You can add me to the bird in the attic problem! I can see when they entered from my roof to lay their nest. The birds are really bothersome in the mornings. They are in the corner of the ceiling in my daughter's room. I thought about patching the hole, but I thought about the trapped birds as well, and their fate. I am also hesitant, because I notice the parents of the baby birds keeping close guard. They are either above the opening of my house, or on the neighbors roof top. I thought about moth balls too, but they may eat it and die, hence the smell. I am trying to wait until they leave to repair. Good luck to the rest of you guys as well.

FROM: Tina
DATE: Wednesday May 19, 2004 -- 10:18:05 am

We too have bird issues. It appears that several live in our attic. I see them go in and out of all vent, plus I've noticed that the smoke stack on our room is not secured, as the birds are going in and out under it. I'm not sure if they caused if or if it was like that and allowed them to get in. I am concered about the bugs and dead birds and the noise creaps me out. It sounds like they're going to peck right though the bedroom ceiling! I hate it and really want them gone now. I don't want them their all summer long...it will get hot in their and start to smell awful.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

FROM: Joseph
DATE: Thursday May 20, 2004 -- 12:59:14 pm

At least you have a chance knowing the birds are there before they die. I've recently discovered that rats like to come into my basement at night and die. I don't find them until they smell. And sometimes even then I don't find them :^*
They might just be big fat field mice. All I know is, next month I'm moving out of the country and back to the city, where if something dies and starts to stink, it's usually outside and large enough to find.

FROM: Amy
DATE: Monday May 24, 2004 -- 5:18:21 pm

We just had an experience with black birds with yellow beaks similar to Bret's post. They were coming in thru our kitchen hood vent. One actually came into the house and was chased out. Then we turned on the range hood fan to discourage any more from coming in and unknowingly must have killed one that was in the vent. A week later the smell in our kitchen was unbelievable! We had to clean out the nest from the outside, remove the hood and scrape out the dead bird from the vent. Now we have a heavy screen on the outside of the vent so they won't be back next year.

FROM: Virginia A Wolf
DATE: Thursday June 24, 2004 -- 11:48:50 am

HELP: I have had birds returning every year to nest and raise the babies..I don't want to be cruel but they make a lot of dirt and NOISE and my cat goes bananas. Short of putting in new soffits,what can I do to discourage them? I can put new screening over the eave vents but they seems to go right through it.I'm wondering;how long before all the babes are grown,this is June and one fell out,it did not even have feathers.I will try to close up the opening but I want to be sure the "family" has vacated.Are there any suggestions as to how long it will be before the babes can fly and mommy bird is gone?
Thanks for any help, Virginia A Wolf,Willingboro New Jersey

FROM: Lisa
DATE: Tuesday June 29, 2004 -- 2:02:11 pm

I have what seems to be a million blackbirds living in my attic crawl space. They are VERY loud! I thought there was a racoon or something in there but I have since seen them flying in the holes in the soffitt of the house. I want them gone but I don't want them hurt. I also don't want to have to wait until fall/winter to screen off the holes in the soffitt as the peak of the house is about 40 feet up! I don't want to trap any of them in the crawl space! I'm in a dilemma! I would appreciate ANY information, ideas, thoughts, success stories, web links, ANY
THING!! Please e-mail me at MummaBullmastiff@aol.com. Thanks! Lisa R. Maine

FROM: Joseph
DATE: Wednesday June 30, 2004 -- 4:10:58 pm

Andrew Dice Clay proposed a rather obvious, if disturbing, solution as part of his act. It's in verse, to boot.

"There was a bird with a yellow bill
sitting on my window sill.
I coaxed it in with a piece of bread
and then I smashed his f***ing head."

Hope that helps!

FROM: christine w
DATE: Friday July 2, 2004 -- 8:00:42 am

wow! I had no idea when I looked up birds in attic there would be so many similar stories,I'm going to try some of them.hope all work out for all of us!

FROM: julie
DATE: Saturday July 10, 2004 -- 10:33:37 pm

Can anyone help with an odor that can not be found. My kitchen smells like stinky cheese or throw up. I have done everything I could think of of doing besides moving appliances and cabinets out from the wall. Ugh!! Any sugggestions??

FROM: Darryl
DATE: Thursday July 15, 2004 -- 2:39:09 pm

I have squirls that chew a hole in the wood work of the exterior of the house. Once I used Rat poison. Threw it in the hole. It didn't seem to work unitl one day I went to repair the hole and found a couple of dried up squirls. They didn't smell! In my case, once one moves on to the big accorn tree in the sky, another one moves in. Just had another hole in the wood work in the different place. %$#@! A neighbor said to put a toy snake on the roof. It's not working. Any other suggestions would help.

FROM: maggie
DATE: Friday October 15, 2004 -- 5:42:32 pm

I just moved to this house and I think I have a whole family of birds living in the attic. It's so noise.... my plan is to put loud music and light over there so they will not be comfortable and hopefully will leave!

FROM: john
DATE: Monday October 18, 2004 -- 1:27:17 am

Be careful with Moth balls they reek! If you use them amke sure you can get them out when you are done! We threw them all over our attic! To chase squirrels out, but now the house reeks? Is the gas dangerous and how can you nutralise the smell?

FROM: Carol
DATE: Thursday October 21, 2004 -- 12:20:17 pm

We have "something" in our attic. (we think it is either squirrels, opposums, or racoons!" There definitely is more than one! We can hear them early in the morning (about the time we're awakening). I called several places and here is what I've found out so far: An animal pest control company will come out and take care of the problem for a $$ price. BUT, if we do this ourselves, they suggest 1) we "cage" the animal(s) and take them off someplace. 2) patch any/all holes (we have at least one large one in our chimney...probably more.) 3) Go to the hardware store and purchase "moth balls" and/or some type cayenne pepper sand mix (don't know the brand name) that will deter the critters, and place that around. They said to be careful as to "how much" is used because you wouldn't want a smell that would also deter you! 4) Be sure there is a chimney cover over our chimney. I called the local Tractor Supply store and they have these that range around $25 - $30. They come in rectangular and round sizes (you'd have to measure the diameter of your chimney and take that measurement to the store). They say they will keep out birds and all types of critters. And, you can still have a blazing fire in your fireplace. They tell me the cover has a screen that goes down, too, around the chimney to help with this problem. 5) Cut any limbs that may be close to the house. 6) I called an equipment rental place too to see what a lift would cost (because we have a 2 story house with a steep roof) and I don't feel a ladder would be safe for my husband to be using. He'll have to repair the chimney (stucco, one place where the critters chewed their way in) and the rental is $175 - $180/day.
We have lived in this house (we built) for 27 years and have always had the occasional bird in the fireplace. For the past 3 years, I have had a couple squirrels get in the house (thru the fireplace) and now there definitely is something (several somethings) in the attic. My husband (a do-it-yourselfer) will have to 1) get a cage to remove the animals 2) repair any damage 3) trim the trees 4) rent equipment 5) purchase deterent products 6) take days off work to do all this 7) hope we don't get poisoned or fall and break any bones ourselves doing any of this!

I figure this will cost us a minimum of $300 (doing it ourselves) not counting $$ lost by not working. But, when I think of the damage and future damage, annoyance this is causing and will keep causing, this is money and time well spent.

We live in the country and absolutely love animals too, but this is WAR!

FROM: Carol
DATE: Thursday October 21, 2004 -- 12:28:38 pm

We have "something" in our attic. (we think it is either squirrels, opposums, or racoons!" There definitely is more than one! We can hear them early in the morning (about the time we're awakening). I called several places and here is what I've found out so far: An animal pest control company will come out and take care of the problem for a $$ price. BUT, if we do this ourselves, they suggest 1) we "cage" the animal(s) and take them off someplace. 2) patch any/all holes (we have at least one large one in our chimney...probably more.) 3) Go to the hardware store and purchase "moth balls" and/or some type cayenne pepper sand mix (don't know the brand name) that will deter the critters, and place that around. They said to be careful as to "how much" is used because you wouldn't want a smell that would also deter you! 4) Be sure there is a chimney cover over our chimney. I called the local Tractor Supply store and they have these that range around $25 - $30. They come in rectangular and round sizes (you'd have to measure the diameter of your chimney and take that measurement to the store). They say they will keep out birds and all types of critters. And, you can still have a blazing fire in your fireplace. They tell me the cover has a screen that goes down, too, around the chimney to help with this problem. 5) Cut any limbs that may be close to the house. 6) I called an equipment rental place too to see what a lift would cost (because we have a 2 story house with a steep roof) and I don't feel a ladder would be safe for my husband to be using. He'll have to repair the chimney (stucco, one place where the critters chewed their way in) and the rental is $175 - $180/day.
We have lived in this house (we built) for 27 years and have always had the occasional bird in the fireplace. For the past 3 years, I have had a couple squirrels get in the house (thru the fireplace) and now there definitely is something (several somethings) in the attic. My husband (a do-it-yourselfer) will have to 1) get a cage to remove the animals 2) repair any damage 3) trim the trees 4) rent equipment 5) purchase deterent products 6) take days off work to do all this 7) hope we don't get poisoned or fall and break any bones ourselves doing any of this!

I figure this will cost us a minimum of $300 (doing it ourselves) not counting $$ lost by not working. But, when I think of the damage and future damage, annoyance this is causing and will keep causing, this is money and time well spent.

We live in the country and absolutely love animals too, but this is WAR!

FROM: archie
DATE: Wednesday October 27, 2004 -- 9:56:16 am

Invest in an air rifle! I had many noises in my attic and set glue traps, turns out it was a family og flying squireels! I caught about 6 of them and shot them on spot. I also had full size squirerels entering my attic through the eves. I set rat traps with peanut butter and that killed them in an instant by snapping their necks (no pain). I had one left up there that wouldnt go in teh trap so I just went up there with my air rifle and shit him in the head. Now I have pesky blackbirds that I cant see, they hide somewhere in teh gutters.

FROM: Ryan [E-Mail]
DATE: Wednesday October 27, 2004 -- 10:39:12 am

I just went up there with my air rifle and shit him in the head

Pee-yew!

FROM: Ann
DATE: Friday October 29, 2004 -- 7:48:03 pm

I'm getting ready to sell my house & found A LOT of feathers. It doesn't look like a nest, it looks like a predator's left overs. We've had rats up there before...I wondered if a rat would fight a bird.

As for the birds, I had one some years ago, might have been a woodpecker or something that may have pecked a nice circle out of the screen under the rafters...we're not talking window screen but hard metal with 1/4 inch spacing. I scared it at night when it came inside & then I blocked the opening. Well, low & behold I now have all screens with big circles in them. The bird was, yes, black but a friend says the feathers look like owl feathers. I can't see what kind of screen I could possibly use to deter whatever bird does this...but reading all these responses makes me worry about squirrel damage now too. Acck!!

FROM: john
DATE: Thursday January 27, 2005 -- 12:41:25 pm

I've had some creatures in the attic for quite a while. They make a lot of noise at night, which is why I think it may be a nocturnal rodent. It sounds big, but then again I don't really know what 'small' would sound like. I can also hear whatever they are running around in the soffets, too.

I went up there with my air rifle hoping to see something but couldn't find a thing, and I wasn't about to start digging under insulation. I set up mouse traps all over but not a single one has been tripped. I also set glue traps and ended up with a bat in one.

I had a pest control guy go up there and look around and he said my problem was bats and birds, but no evidence of rodents or squirrels. Apparently, you won't hear bats anyway because they don't nest on the ceiling, they hang from the rafters. Even though the pest control guy said there were no rodents, I kinda don't believe I just don't think that birds can make that kind of raquet.

This is the site address for info to expel bats from the home.

http://www.austinbathospital.com/gotbats.html

Anybody familiar with this device, and would it work with birds as well?

FROM: wayne
DATE: Sunday March 20, 2005 -- 1:56:52 pm

hi,can anyone give me any good idea's to get rid of the birds in my attic,they are getting me up at 5.30 am heeeeeeelp !!!!!

FROM: Larry
DATE: Thursday March 24, 2005 -- 5:34:16 pm

I have woodpeckers in my attic, I have had them in for maybe 4 yrs now. I really don't want to kill them, but it is getting worse, now i think one of their babies from a previous year is trying to peck his way inside through another vent. I threw moth balls up there 2 yrs ago and it sure did smell, but didn't work obviously. I am thinking of a pepper spray. If nothing else works I am going to have to screen them off, even if they are in. The heat in the summer dries out the bodies within a day or two, so no worries about smell. I grew up in a farm house and we had tons of animals in the attic(house built in 1800's), and if you went up there you would find 10+ bodies at any time, never any smell though. They were all dried out.
I don't want to kill, but enough is enough.

FROM: Stephanie
DATE: Saturday April 9, 2005 -- 11:30:23 pm

We have had birds in our attic for the past few days. They are right above our bedroom and I'm pretty sure they got in through a vent in the side of our house. We have quite a few vents that don't have screens. I am very concerned about the damage they can do, the structural damage, the bird dropping, and the insects they can bring in. I don't want to do anything that will smell up my house like let them die up there or use mothballs. Especially I don't want to let them die up there because I am concerned it will then attract other animals and insects. I don't want to spend a ton of money either. We have a contract with Terminix (last year we had a wasp nest in the side of our house) also in a wall of our bedroom, ugh!) but I am not sure if they take care of this sort of thing. I called them but I have been waiting for two days for my technician to call back. If anyone has any experience using an inexpensive, safe, and unsmelly way to get rid of these pests please help!!!!!

FROM: Gwen
DATE: Sunday April 10, 2005 -- 11:16:08 am

Our problem happens solely in the summer when sparrows somehow get in our basement. We have had three die down there when they wouldn't fly out of the window we opened for them.

It would help if we could discover where they got in in the first place! We've serached everywhere and can't locate any holes or openings.

Any ideas of spots we may have missed?

FROM: Josephine
DATE: Saturday April 16, 2005 -- 10:56:09 pm

My fiance and I just built a house and moved in October of 2003. We have a walk out basement and a small deck above that door in which we have our grill on. Last summer and now this spring we found small black birds with yellow beaks getting into the grill and nesting. We've cleaned it out twice this year, but they keep going back. I guess I'm going to have to build a grill shaped bird house.

FROM: James
DATE: Tuesday May 10, 2005 -- 9:00:46 am

Today is the first time I've heard a thrashing in the attic.(5:45 AM) It really sounds like a squirrel. I just noticed a peak vent screen is damaged. I'm thinking of chasing "whatever" out with ammonia fumes via a bathroom power vent piped into the attic. First I need to get a replacement vent cover.

FROM: Lee Bartholomew
DATE: Tuesday May 10, 2005 -- 8:52:05 pm

Dad's taken to spraying at sparrows with wasp spray. Is that totally futile ? It didn't scare them away the first time.

FROM: TD Will
DATE: Sunday May 22, 2005 -- 1:10:58 am

Ya'll are hilarious! I've had birds in my attic for 3 springs, now. The same black birds with small yellow pointed beaks. They're in my bathroom. Mine are late sleepers, 5:45AM. The noise and scratching is loud, but only when I'm in the bathroom. Okay, honestly, there in the vent right above the toilet and when I'm sitting there, the scratching really freaks me out! So, the bathroom vent stopped working the other day. Being the man of the house I ask my wife to go check it out. 5 minutes, 1 scream from the depths of hell, and a broken vent cover later, I'm headed for the bathroom to see what's got her spooked. I look, up to see the featured bird in the Alfred Hitchcock movie, with it's head squeezed between the metal fan motor and the sheetrock. Fortunately, it's dead. So, off to the kitchen I go and come back with my tool of choice- some metal tongs I use to use for grilling... No longer. Now they are known as the "Bird Tongs". So there I am, standing on the toilet. Armed with a grocery bag in one hand and metal tongs in the other. I lock on to the birds head and pull. The tongs slip off. I try again, no joy. I man up and try to convince myself that twisting the head off is the right thing to do. Wussing out of that idea, I go back to pulling, just applying more strength. As the sweat (from stress, not work) rolls down my forehead, I place a death grip on the head of this creature from hell. In the heat of the moment, I lost all knowledge of the law of gravity and decide to lean with my full weight, while standing on the toilet. But that was okay... because when the head snapped out of the tongs and shot toward me like it was out for revenge, the law of gravity was the last thing on my mind. Now, as I lay on the floor, toilet seat broke, bird head lying next to me, I still didn't have the sense of victory I was hoping for. If you've ever seen the movie THE MUMMY, do you remember those flesh eating bugs that showed up in droves? Well, from where the head landed these little black bugs started dispersing by the hundreds. No big deal, I say, quick cleanup, toss the head, spray the bugs, wipe the floor, toss the motor, fix the vent cover, fix the seat, baby birds are singing and I'm drinking a beer. Later, my wife comes to ask me, what the little black bugs are on the toilet paper. I go to check it out and find not just bugs on the paper, but the walls, floor, seat, and the ceiling is practically moving. So all of that just to ask, does anyone know how to get rid of these bugs? I spray them but they have legions waiting to return.

FROM: whatisit
DATE: Monday May 23, 2005 -- 10:24:31 pm

Scratching noise, fluttering noise, a little squeal...only in the morning hours

FROM: Bill-Chicago
DATE: Tuesday May 24, 2005 -- 11:11:44 am

Ours were getting in through the attic air vent. No floor boards, and entry is through a movable wood "cover" in the upstairs ceiling.

Open it up, flashlight in hand, Holy Cow, a big hanging nest coming down from the vent.

Knowing I'd fall through the ceiling, I called a professional

Critter Control. Check the web. They got reps in lots of states. Not only do they come and take out the nests, they go onto the roof and repair the vents to keep'em out.

$150 for the visit, then $20-$80 per nest. I had 2 nests, equaling 1 Hefty bag full of nest material. Total all in cost, $195. It was the best $200 I've spent.

FROM: Manic Med Student
DATE: Tuesday May 24, 2005 -- 8:41:56 pm

I've apparently got a nest in the wall behind my desk- where I'm now studying for my board exams next month. No babies yet, so it's just some scratching noises occasionally. When the babies hatch, is there loud chirping??? Thanks!

FROM: gene e from coffeen, il
DATE: Monday May 30, 2005 -- 9:56:29 am

can someone help me how to get rid of blackbirds from our nut trees. scare birds and other will not work. blackbirds want oil from green skin of english walnuts and pecans. birds peck the skin and put in feathers. so later nuts fell off so we got nothing on trees for many years. i try many things but not working well. i heard about lemon scents but dont know yet. please help me thank you

FROM: nrainbows
DATE: Friday February 17, 2006 -- 11:53:47 am

Had pigeons in attic crawlspace.Pest control company used chemicals placed on boards up there that burn the feet of the birds. Thereby making it a place birds do not want to be.
This left no smell. And it worked.

FROM: melissa
DATE: Wednesday March 22, 2006 -- 3:39:46 pm

we have many birds in our attic had them last year also . they did eventually leave i guess after raising their young . but i noticed they come throught the built in vents that are on both sides of the attic they bent them somehow . but we store our stuff up there and i worry about the damage they are doing . are they leaving bird crap all over up there like they are doing to the sides of the house when they are going in and out if the attic vents. and are they getting into our stuff . i heard them knocking stuff around this morning.

FROM: Joy
DATE: Monday March 27, 2006 -- 1:56:27 am

Hi,

Thank you to everyone for their posts. I feel much less alone and freaked out reading everyone's comments and experiences. I live alone--oh, just my cat and I.
I rent.
I have something scratching around up above me and have had for quite some time now, maybe the past 6 months.
There are plastered ceilings in most of the house but out here in the den area there are these white tiles made out of whatever it is, like sheet rock squares.
Tonight I was trying to concentrate on some writing and this thing up there is scratching and scratching.
Like others of you, I tried to convince myself it was (at first) leaves blowing on the roof--right. I kept denying to myself that something was up there but lately its louder and I can't talk myself out of the obvious.

I goofed -- big time. Out of frustration I took this little plastic stick and started to tap on the celiling and yelling "Shut up!" and "Go away!" and a few other words that we're too nice.

And in doing so, I made a hole in the ceiling....a small one....BUT .....

this creature, whatever it is started to make it bigger with it's scratching.

Oh, no, I'm just imaginine it -- I thought. But then I grabbed a stool and figured I'd better plug up the hole...and the first thing I grabbed was some white kleenex.

I wadded it in a ball and stuffed it in. And God help me the critter started tugging on it -- I swear!

Now there is no denying there is something up there. I could see some brown stuff around the hole which was getting a little wider....starting to move.

Jezzzuz, what if it comes through to the room? Quickly I stuffed a little more kleenex in and put some think clear packaging tape to over the whole mess. The hole was about the size of a quarter......and I didn't want it getting bigger.

I'm already in trouble now for making a hole in the ceiling!!

I think the creature, whatever it is, was attracted to the light that may have been filtering in around the kleenex with the clear tape over it.

God! I was / am freaked that whatever it is will end up in the bottom part of the house with me!!

I live alone---!! I hope the tape holds out!!

To elimate the light I cut a little white square of cardboard from a box of protien bars (Gawd!!) and covered the hole so no light would filter in where this thing is.

It wanted to come through!!

Then I put more clear tape over that.

There is now a lovely patch on the ceiling!

I told my landlords about it and they pooh pooed it saying oh, it's probably a squirrel or bat.

But I'm going to call again tomorrow and say...hey! whatever it is -- is coming thru the ceiling!!!

I keep glancing up at the tape as I write this praying that it's stickiness will hold. The thing must have gone to sleep.....I don't hear anything now.

I am less frightened having read everyone elses stories. I just googled "something is scratching in the attic" and found you all!

The internet is great -- especially for sqeemish people who live alone and are scarred late at night.

Some of your stories were so funny! but not funny at the same time.

Anyway, if I get any help from the landlord , I will call again. I'm sure they won't like a hole in their ceiling but too it was an accident. I think the thing is eating the underside of the tiles....and that's why when I tapped with a little plastic stick it made a hole inthe first place.

I was GENTLY tapping, hoping for it to go away. It scratched a long time afterward around the hole....but now stopped. Probably liked eating the kleenex, or using it for its ...ugh! ... nest!

They have screens around the chimney covers and also vents on the side seem to be... well they are like bars. They should probably put screens up there.

I am still kind of freaked thinking this thing would have scratched through the hole...and maybe still will.

Oh dear! But the landlords will get a call in the morning, that is for sure!

Well, thanks for listening! And thank you for helping me feel not so alone and scarred!
Joy

FROM: Joy
DATE: Wednesday March 29, 2006 -- 11:41:58 pm

CONTINUING SAGA . . . . I POSTED THIS TO A FRIEND....AND CUT AND PASTED IT HERE, IN CASE ANYONE IS INTERESTED. :) ~ JOY ~


It's hard to interpret sound and my imagination is pretty big. I was so wigged out that at 2 am with the thing on attack mode, it was as big as king kong! Something running fast could sound like wings, but I haven't heard it since! I'd been hearing sounds for some time but kept telling myself something was on the roof--outside, not in.
But here's the deal. Maybe b/c it was that I was shoving kleenex in the hole and making tapping noises prior to that and then additional noise taping the cardboard to the ceiling -- that it got more freaked out than I was and exited stage left! OR something else.
After I calmed down that evening, I asked the nature deva associated with this little scratch-er to convince it to move out. I also spoke telepathically to the critter and said, hey, no hard feelings bub, but you are in the wrong place. I told it the landlord is coming and bringing poison, and I didn't want it to die like that, so it had best get going.
I did hear the fast moving sound shortly after that which was either a fast moving little critter or something flitting along which my thought was if its a bird and it's wings are creating displaced air , then the sound that I heard like leaves blowing was caused from that. Either way-- so funny -- the cat and I stood there with our eyes glued to the ceiling and our heads turned following the sound of something moving along quickly. That night as I finally got into bed (wee hours) I asked God, Archangel Michael and gosh, I called in my dad for help too, and angels and every name of any big shot ascended master, asking for help with this problem.

The next day I heard no-thing up there and while it was that I did hear things sometimes during the day, I didn't hear anything at all the next day. Then that afternoon I did yoga and a meditation. During the meditation, I was just breathing and blanking my mind thinking nothing at all in particular, by that time having released my attic issue.

Suddenly I was in spirit form and sort of seeing dimensionally through the house and my view was rather expanded. I could see my attic filled with BLAZING BRILLIANT WHITE LIGHT and then as I looked on from a distance, I could see a very large spirit being standing in my attic and he was so large that his energy form was way above the roof.

He was reaching down into the attic and picking up critters and throwing them out onto the mountain ridge behind the house, one by one. And then suddenly, I was back in my body again.

That night, I heard nothing at all once again! And I stayed up late on purpose to listen. Last night---same scenario. Nothing at all, nothing!

My patch of clear package tape and a piece of cardboard is still holding but I called the landlady's grandson who said he'd be here today to help me patch it. I got the stuff to patch it with but wanted someone here to help me (preferably someone in the landlord's family) in case more of the ceiling crumbles! Then it's 'his' fault, not mine. Besides, I don't think I can do it myself. I'd rather he do it and I will hand him the stuff. It's got to be filled, for the clear sticky tape isn't going to hold forever!

I don't know if I told you or not, but at the last house I rented, there was a mouse who showed up when I was gone for 3 weeks and returned. I saw droppings under the bathroom sink in the cupboard--Ugh! and actually the thing ran across the living room along the floorboard--double ugh! I put poison out but again, I asked him/them? to not eat the poison and to leave!
At that time, I felt like , heck it can't hurt to talk to them and ask nicely.

And you know what? I never saw any more droppings after that or saw them again and the poison (in jar lids) was never disturbed in any way.

The other thing I noticed is -- going back to the night the ferocious scratching was going on -- when I yelled at the critter to go away and tapped on the ceiling with the stick, it scratched EVEN MORE! (Negative energy begetting negative energy). When I made the hole accidentally, it tried to get to get through it, scratching even more. But it LEFT when I 'asked nicely'.....so is it co-incidence?

Well, I hope my landlord DOES show up today! Mountain people are often undependable like that. I cleared my whole day for him!


Somebody up here -- I've been asking around town about things that scratch in the attic! -- said to get one of those sound plug ins that make a noise that is irritating -- it's a banging. Most critters move out b/c the frequency can't be heard (supposedly) by humans, only the mice or whatever's. I took one to a friend's house b/c he had mice (ugh!) and I spent the night there and as I was going into alpha to either fall asleep at night or when I meditated, I could hear the banging! Evidentially, my hearing slipped into the different frequency that animal's hear. That'd never work for me here. As soon as I'd do a shift to do a reading, I'd hear the knocking from the mouse machine! Ha Ha. I just nodded thank you at the suggestion from one of the locals and didn't say I could actually hear it like mice can.

Well, better get busy editing some writing for my book!

FROM: lisa
DATE: Thursday March 30, 2006 -- 5:45:20 am

we rent out our guest house the roof is pretty close to the ground behind the house and our last 3 renters allways heard noises at night 1 renter said it was rats so my father found a rats nest which was abandend and cleaned it out but the other 2 renters kept hearing loud noises 1 of them was in the bathroom and thought she saw a immage in the skylight and then when she was in the bedroom she thought she heard something jump off the roof on the side of the house which is far off the ground on those ends but my recent renter each night keeps hearing a loud scratching noise my father thinks its racoons but again dont think racoons can jump off the roof onto the ground unless its close to the ground which the sides of the house is quite high my mom thinks it could be a cat or a fox or rodents but along time ago i saw our neibors dog up on the roof of the guest house but again on that part a dog cant jump saftly from a roof to the ground without hurting its self

FROM: Denise
DATE: Thursday March 30, 2006 -- 10:17:17 pm

I have spent the last week on the computer hunting for answers to describe these new noises which are coming from my attic, directly above my bed. After laying awake the first night listening to all the scratching and what sounded like scuttling (sp) my imagination had taken on the image of a really, really big rat. I refuse to think that way because I really need my house to live in and I refuse to share it with a rat. So I am thinking birds now because the noise is like so many of you described. I read to try oil of peppermint (not extract) placed on a cotton ball and I'm going to try one of the machines that emit the noises that are supposed to repel everything. Just have to find someone who is willing to pop up the attic door and place these things up there. Once people hear the noises that are taking place up there they become a little more hesitant to go up there for me. I will let everyone know if either of these things takes care of my problem. Unlike many other people I really don't care if the whatever lives or dies (just not in my attic). And if death is what it takes, then so be it.

FROM: harry buttkrac
DATE: Saturday April 1, 2006 -- 4:20:07 pm

I heard strange noises in my attic, usually late at night or early in the morning. The smell was awful. I set traps and sure enough some dude was living in my attic. I asked him to leave

FROM: Dr. John
DATE: Sunday April 2, 2006 -- 6:07:42 pm

Here are some solutions:

I recently moved to an area where a particular bird species is protected, so I investigated options including web searches. I'm surprised to hear of so many related problems but can offer the following solutions that I or others have used to some of the things mentioned here. Depending upon your specific situation, critters, et cetera, the following may be very helpful:

1) Raid Fumigator - get this for the bugs. It comes in a blue box with three canisters inside. Note: do NOT get those handheld room foggers. If it's actually okay for you to stand and breath that stuff for a minute, how effective is it really on bugs!? The Raid Fumigator is serious stuff. You vacate the area and once it's finished you actually ventilate the area before returning! It gets into the nooks and crannies, but doesn't leave the messy residue. It is the first thing I use before I move into a new place.

2) Get a lawn care treatment that kills insects - many brands available (if you have a lot of insects in your yard, birds will come to feast). Remember, spiders look for ants, birds look for them both, et cetera. Don't be the party yard.

3) Use the Home Defense type products to spray around the base (ie. perimeter) of your home both inside and outside and around window sills. Overspray about a foot outside. Use it up.

4) Airsource - unlike those other popular brands that are HEAVILY marketed, this expensive air purifier works! A friend told me about it and I found it at http://www.shaklee.net/rememberyourhealth/prodAir and got it for my allergies, but it removes odors too. You still need to find the source of the odor (i.e., the dead bird), but once you remove it, this will take care of eliminating the odor.

5) Try adding a birdhouse to give the birds a new alternative after you've screened in the openings where you don't want them to live.

6) Skyblue paint - find a paint that actually looks like the sky (ie., white with a hint of light blue). Where you can, paint the area with this. For instance, under patios where some birds build nests. For birds that seek sheltered areas, you want to make it look unsheltered. I learned this one from a realtor and surprisingly it works well against some birds.

Goodluck... I hope this helps many of you as it did me.

FROM: joy
DATE: Friday April 14, 2006 -- 1:11:42 pm

Well, I think finally the attic is quiet. Here's what happened. (I had posted previously, see earlier posts).

I have found out that bats and flying squirrels scratch -- despite what some have said that they just hang from rafters and dont' scratch. They apparently do, per the locals here in the mountains where I live.

The hole in the ceiling that was scratched through and made larger after my tapping back onto the celiling was patched with plaster by the landlord. We took the opportunity presented by the hole already there to shove some green popcorn looking pellets up there. I have since heard that this is the 'good stuff' as far as mouse/rat poisons go since the critters bodies don't smell when decaying. Supposidy it dried up the body quickly.

Ugh, this is hard to write about since I do feel bad about poisoning them but I did ask them nicely to leave and gave them a warning.

I could hear them or it going for the stuff shortly afterwards. Yet I continued to hear things flitting around up there days afterwards, so apparently the problem was NOT COMPLETELY solved.

I went out and purchased those sonar things that make banging noise that only the critters can hear but human's can't.

However, they do affect humans perhaps without them knowing it. I am very sensitive and could feel the enregy in the room from the sound waves bouncing off the walls. It made me feel like I, too, was bouncing off the wall and my cat definately was! I had headaches from those things and my sinus drained nicely (thank you very much--geeze!) but I was desperate.

I would unplug them occasionally and when I did so.....I could hear scurrying. Seems like when the sonar sounds stopped, the critters started moving around again.

I almost cried this week because every time I thought they or it was gone....."they're baaaa--ah---c---K!!!"

Finally after a few more calls to the landlord he came and opened up the attic crawl space door in the garage and I had purchased moth balls and some other bat/squirrel deterrent stuff and more green popcorn poison.

It sounded like a hail storm---the stood on a ladder with his head in the attic and was throwing them everywhere!!

I thought surely all that noise would scare away anything! I breathed a sigh of relief and thought problem solved! YET for another day or so I kept hearing something moving around up there.

I can smell the moth balls down here in the house a little bit and when I am outside under the attic vent I can smell the moth balls outside, so there is definately a mothball odor eminating from the attic!!

I'm afraid to look up (google) the affects of mothballs on humans. If they die or I do---either way, I'm put out of my misery so let it rip! LOL

Sunday, the day after I plugged in the sonar's, I see something on the rafters of the back porch. I look up and above me is what appeard to be a dead mouse. So my thought was well, it ate the poision that was stuffed through the hole (the mothball and poison hail storm from the landlord had not yet happened at that point) and it was trying to get out and died up there as it maybe got stuck in the 2 x 4 beams on the back porch.

So this mouse -- or so I thought -- was golden brown in color but was the size and shape of a mouse. So I thought, funny color for a mouse, but what do I know. My family had been visiting and most of them had gone back down the mountain, except for my oldest daughter and grandson.

So I tell my grandson (after I got finished freaking out)., go and get a stick in the woods and knock it down. So this brave and obedient boy does so. My thought was that I would get a shovel, pick up the carcass that way and toss it out into the woods across the street.

So my brave grandson gets a stick and starts to poke at it and stops. He says, "NaNa I don't think it's dead because its ears are moving".

So I say, well, it's got to be almost dead, it's just hanging there.

Key word: hanging. And I still didn't get that this could be a bat. I imagined bats would be big and black, but again, what do I know?

So I am sitting about 20 feet away from all this in a lawn chair with my feet UP in case it is still too much alive that it perchance would crawl in my direction.

So he gives it a good poke. My daughter is by this time standing in the house at the screen door and were we surprised at what happened next!

The think starts to fly!!! It spread its really large wings and gets some momentum and I'm sure spurred on by all of our screaming takes off flying into the woods!!

Lesson: All that flies is not a butterfly or bird! UGH!

So, I'm thinking it was a bat.

When I described the color of the thing to the locals around here, they say it was a FLYING SQUIRREL.

So I say, "do flying squirrels hang upside down like bats? and they say yep!"

I think the banging from the 2 SONAR devices I was running is what got it out of the attic to the outside, but apparently it didn't go far--just to the porch.

Can I prove that it was in my attic? And that it just didn't happen to fly to the underside of the porch roof by happenstance? No, but my sense is that it came from my attic.

The locals say that flying squirrles will scratch like crazy. One person around here said one was scratching at her window determined to come in. That is in alignment with my night of terror when something was trying to come through the ceiling into the den!

Like I said, even the mothball and green popcorn hail storm that my landlord created didn't instantly create quiet up there. It took a few days for things to quiet down in the attic.

But it has been a day or so now and there is no sound coming from upstairs. I did get a whif several times of that horrid smell when something dies but it was only briefly. I can smell the mothballs coming from the attic when I am outside which makes me want to do my happy dance.

I am thinking of putting a few more mothballs in coffee cans and placing them in the fireplaces since it is now spring and I don't think I'll be having any more fires anyway. Both fireplaces have doors on them that completely close. The livingroom fireplace has glass doors and the buck stove in the wall in the den has doors that completely close too.

I dont think the mothballs will bother me too much if I don't use too many. I would like whatever should poke it's nose in the chimney to say, Ugh, it sticks here, let's go someplace else!

I think I had mice up there and at least one flying squirrel.

After the hailstorm in the attic courtesy of my landlord, I heard the strangest squealing from across the road from the trees. It didn't sound like birds to me. Maybe I was still on freak-out mode but this squealing from the trees sounded really strange. Maybe all the flying squirrels in the area were having a convention. I shut my windows and put on a movie and tried not to think about it.

Silently I am blessing the manufacturer of the green mouse popcorn looking poison and those who make the sonars and even more blessings to whoever created moth balls!!

A friend said, upon my slight lament about killing these critters which was actually only brief after being terrorized by them, that perhaps I should see the whole thing this way. She said, you are helping them move onto their next incarnation---after all, it must be a yucky life to live being a mouse in an attic. So! They've gone to the light! Amen!

So there's what I think it was---a combination of mice and one or more flying squirrels which are essentially mice with wings.

One positive note is that from this point on a mouse that doesn't fly isn't going to be half as frighenting to me anymore, should I ever be unlucky enough to ever see one. Those are nothing compared to flying mice! Its a matter of perspective.

I no longer think squirrels are cute and for years I had this squirrel shaped basket holding my coffee sweetner packets on my kitchen counter. Suddenly I became repulsed by the look of the thing. It is now history and I went out and bought a small ceramic deep dish with flowers painted on the outside of it instead.

Hope this helps someone out there! It took a while to write but I wanted to share the outcome.

Blessings to All,
Joy

FROM: Colleen
DATE: Sunday May 21, 2006 -- 7:55:28 pm

I too have bird nests in my attic, one is the size about three feet by four feet. I don't know how th get rid of them. I have several nests with babies; how long before the babies leave the nest.
Also my attic is just a crawl space with no floor boards.
These birds are driving me nuts with all the noise they made.
Any ideas!!!

FROM: Gina
DATE: Thursday June 1, 2006 -- 6:47:47 pm

Hi, all! I have to say- I can relate to a lot of you!!
A couple FYI's:
Those "black birds with long, orange beaks" are, in fact, STARLINGS, the scourge of birds.
Flying squirrels do NOT have wings. They have skin flaps between their legs and bodies, so that when they jump from tree to tree they glide. They also do NOT hang upside down, despite what your local yocals told you!! haha. THAT, my dear, was a BAT!! Not all bats are black. Most are small with brown bodies. They look exactly like a mouse with wings- and their wing spans are usually 4x their body size.
We have BATS in our attic- and those dreadful starlings. My husband just completed an intense cleaning out of our attic crawl space- it was full of bat guana and bird mess. Then we put mothballs up there. Now, the house smells of mothballs. But I've been assured they will dissolve and the smell will dissipate. In the meantime, I burn a lot of Yankee Candles!! haha.
Pretty much, closing up all the entrances is about the only way to really prevent re-entry. It's frustrating!! We live in a very old house, so that is next to impossible since our attic is 3 stories up.
I enjoyed reading all the posts, all the crazy ways we deal with sharing (or trying not to!!) our habitat with the wild!!

FROM: Tommy Ping
DATE: Saturday June 10, 2006 -- 1:17:28 am

Tonight my wife and I were laying in bed and I heard this strange noise coming from the spare bedroom. I went in to see what was going on...and there was a knocking coming from within the bedroom wall in the corner. I listened for a little while and the sound kept coming periodically. I then started tapping on the wall and whatever is inside starting tapping back. Does this scenario sound familiar to anybody? I hope that it isn't anything...rat like.

FROM: Erin
DATE: Friday June 23, 2006 -- 12:07:50 am

I hear exaclty the same thing... at night... and in the day.... the tapping sounds like someone tapping on the end of a steel bar... when I first heard it ....it was daytime, and I thought it was bird in the eavestrough pecking away, but, after listening carefully I was able to confirm it's in the corner of my living room ceiling... in the attic. I heard scratching up there too.

I cant tell what it is...I thought maybe a bird, but strange that I hear it active daytime & nighttime. I hope it's not a racoon, or destructive squirrel, or gross...rats...

I know my vents have been pried up a bit, I thought they were just curled from being old, but after reading these posts.. I'm wondering just exactly what is up there. YIKES!!!!

FROM: Debbie
DATE: Friday August 4, 2006 -- 1:20:24 pm

I have been bothered by bird squawking at about 5:30 a.m. the last three or four years in the early summer. I thought they had nests in a hemlock tree close to my second floor bedroom, although I never saw the birds or nests. Two days ago I noticed a one-foot diameter wet spot with a brownish ring around it on my white plaster bedroom ceiling. A friend looked up in the crawl space to the attic and noticed a couple nests. I called a pest control company, thinking that they were bees' nests. (I had a problem with a yellow jacket doing similar damage in my previous house.) It turns out that birds were nesting in the attic. Their "fluids" soaked through their huge nest (possible three or four feet in diameter), about six inches of insulation, and damaged my ceiling and side of one wall in my bedroom. Of course the smell coming through the ceiling was nauseating until the area started to dry up too! I assume that the birds have been gone for about a month, since it has been quiet lately. The exterminator didn't find any birds in the attic, so he just had to remove the nest, spray for parasites, and plug up the opening he suspected they were using. He told us to install a screen over the peak vents in a little while, once the area is dry and the temperature is not quite so hot. I am writing to warn others that birds nesting in your attic can do some expensive damage! Also, my house is only thirteen years old and is very well sealed. I didn't realize that animals can get in through such tiny openings.