Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I heard some scratching noises in the corner of our family room a few days ago, and I think there was a critter in the wall. There are no holes in the room or basement below it, so I think it was in the outside wall. One of the vents in the outside soffits has been pried open a bit, although from the look of it, something was trying to get out, not in. We want to patch up the soffit, but we do NOT want a critter to starve and die inside our wall, or try to claw its way out through a wall or ceiling. Can you recommend anything that might ensure the critter will leave, short of calling an exterminator? We can't afford to call someone to rip up the walls right now.
Can we maybe ... smoke the thing out? Sorry if that is dumb, but I really want to make sure it is gone. I work in the room where I heard the scratching, and it creeped me out.
We fumigate our house regularly with Raid fumigators. (Not foggers - fumigators). We usually do a little overkill on the spacing. We discovered that they kill mice as well as bugs, but of course some of them will die inside the walls assuming that the fumigator fumes get into the walls, which they seem to do. That happens anyway, rip open the walls of an older house sometime and see how many rodent carcases you find. IF they live in your walls, they frequently die in your walls.
another dumb question---do you put the mothballs near the wall where you hear the noise?--i have the same sounds in my outer dr wall.
I just heard the same sound only mine was between the bathrooms which share a wall. My house is 40 yo and has a crawlspace underneath the house but it is closed off as far as I can tell. I guess it could be a squirrel. I am concerned more about them chewing on the wiring and starting a fire.
I haven't heard the noise since I posted, so I am hoping whatever it was is gone. If something died (shudder), we'll have to deal with the smell (shudder), but winter is quickly approaching. It'll get down to freezing soon, so I don't think we'll have a problem with flies or anything like that.
I haven't heard the noise since I posted, so I am hoping whatever it was is gone. If something died (shudder), we'll have to deal with the smell (shudder), but winter is quickly approaching. It'll get down to freezing soon, so I don't think we'll have a problem with flies or anything like that.
Sometimes they do not smell. They just dry out shrivel up and mummify.
I just heard the same sound only mine was between the bathrooms which share a wall. My house is 40 yo and has a crawlspace underneath the house but it is closed off as far as I can tell. I guess it could be a squirrel. I am concerned more about them chewing on the wiring and starting a fire.
What to do?
i have an open crawlspace under my 60 yr old house---i am just hoping that the noise is just house settling cause i don't hear it every day
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
