Noises in the Attic?
Scratching, scampering or heavy thumping overhead usually means an animal has found a way in. The sound and the time of day are the best clues to what it is. Here is how to tell, and what to do next.
Match the Sound to the Animal
Gray squirrels
Scampering or rolling sounds in the attic in the morning and at dusk. Gray squirrels are the daytime attic invader and chew through fascia boards, gable vents and shingles to get in.
Learn more →Dusk through the nightFlying squirrels
Scratching that starts at dusk and goes on through the night. Flying squirrels are smaller, nocturnal and live in groups, so it is often several animals at once, not one.
Learn more →At nightRats
Scratching or thumping in the attic, especially at night. Roof rats travel power lines and tree limbs to the roof, and rodents can get in through an opening the size of a nickel.
Learn more →At night, in the wallsMice
Scratching or scurrying inside walls at night. A mouse needs a gap only the size of a dime to get in.
Learn more →Heavy sounds at nightRaccoons
Heavy walking or thumping overhead at night, like someone walking upstairs. At 15 to 30 pounds, raccoons are the largest animal likely to move into a home. You may hear the chittering of kits in spring.
Learn more →Dawn and duskBats
Chirping or scratching in the walls or attic at dawn, and bats leaving the roofline or gable vents at dusk. Bats are protected, so removal has to be done by one-way exclusion.
Learn more →Other Signs to Check
- Droppings in the attic, garage or crawl space
- Chewed wiring, wood or insulation
- Torn soffits, ridge vents or fascia boards
- A musky or ammonia-like smell
- Animals seen going into the roofline at dusk
Why Fall and Winter Are Busy in the Attic
As nights cool, rodents and other animals look for a warm, dry place to spend the winter, and an attic is ideal. November is peak rodent-intrusion season in North Georgia, and once animals are in the walls and attic, they breed quickly. Squirrels and raccoons nest in attics in late winter. Sealing entry points early keeps a one-visit job from turning into a bigger one.
Why It Shouldn't Wait
Squirrels and rats gnaw wiring, which is a real fire risk. Animals flatten and soil insulation, and droppings can carry disease: raccoon droppings can carry roundworm, and bat guano can grow the fungus that causes histoplasmosis. Georgia regulates wildlife trapping and relocation, and bats are protected, so this is a job for licensed professionals.
What Happens at Your Free Inspection
Free inspection
We identify the animal, find every entry point and assess the damage, then put the plan and price in writing.
Humane removal
We trap and remove the animals inside, with no poisons in your living space. Bats leave through one-way devices.
Seal and exclude
We close every opening with galvanized barriers animals can't chew through.
Clean up and warranty
We clean contamination and can replace ruined insulation, and the exclusion work is warrantied, renewable annually.
Keep Them From Coming Back
- Seal every entry with gnaw-resistant materials
- The exclusion work is warrantied, renewable annually
- Trim limbs back from the roof
Request Your Free Inspection
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Noises in the Attic FAQs
What is scratching in my attic at night?
Scratching that starts at dusk and continues overnight usually points to flying squirrels, rats or mice. Heavy thumping at night suggests a raccoon. Daytime scampering is usually a gray squirrel. We confirm the animal at a free inspection before setting a plan.
Can I just set a trap myself?
Removing one animal doesn't stop the next one from using the same opening, and Georgia regulates wildlife trapping and relocation. Licensed removal plus sealing every entry point is what solves it.
What if there are babies in the attic?
Our technicians check for litters and time removal so mothers and young leave together. With raccoons, we use methods that keep the family together.
How do animals get into an attic?
Almost always through the roofline: gable vents, soffit and fascia gaps, construction seams and overhanging limbs. Rodents can fit through an opening the size of a nickel.
How do you keep them from coming back?
We seal every entry with gnaw-resistant materials, and the exclusion work is backed by our warranty, renewable annually. Trimming limbs back from the roof helps too.
Hear something overhead?
Free inspection. Same-day service usually available. Backed by the Forsyth Promise.
Attic Wildlife Removal Across North Atlanta
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