What Do I Do Now if I Have a Critter in My Ceiling?

Squirrels

• Poisoning squirrels can result in rotting corpses trapped in your ceiling and walls which will smell and could spread disease. Live trapping is the best way to evict squirrels, and then close off points of entry with a one-way exclusion door, which allows the animals to leave, but they can't get back in. Squirrels can fit into holes as smalls as 1 1/2 inches and usually enter at roof level. Look for a hole with chew marks around it. Squirrels typically use the same hole each time they enter. Install the one-way door at that entry point, and patch the area when all squirrels have been removed.

Raccoons

• One of the simplest methods to remove raccoons is to try to repel them. Female raccoons are concerned primarily with the safety of their young, so a disturbing presence, such as the scent of a predator's urine, coupled with loud noise may be enough to get her to pack up her young and leave on her own. Flood your attic with light, and play a radio as loud as possible to make the area inhospitable for several days. If this doesn't work, trap the raccoons in a live cage trap and relocate them. Do not use meat bait in the trap. It's more likely to attract opossums or skunks in addition to the raccoons. Bait instead with marshmallows or bread. Leave the bait in a trail leading up to the trap, and set the last bit of bait near the back. Once you've removed adult raccoons, search the attic area for babies. Typically a raccoon will have three to five babies in a litter. If you cannot find the babies soon after removing the mother, contact a wildlife professional for assistance in locating and removing them because they cannot live for very long without her.

Rats and Mice

• Poisoning to remove rats or mice will present problems with odor and potential disease. To remove rats and mice, find the points of entry, such as gaps in your exterior walls near the roof and around windows. Seal these with strong steel mesh or solid steel patches. Once you've sealed points of entry, set traps in your attic around areas where you find droppings or evidence of their presence, such as chewed wire or insulation. Check traps daily, remove the rodents as they're caught and clean up droppings.

After Removal

• After you've removed the critters from your home, seal all points of entry with a strong steel mesh or a solid steel patch. Many animals, like squirrels, can chew through anything else. Cleaning up the animal's droppings and nesting areas is also critical because it prevents future animals from being attracted to their scent.