We have some small animal building a home inside our wall. Is it a rat or a squirrel?

Question

There's no way this is a mouse, the movements and noises are too loud...not to mention too fast.

Here's what we know. We have heard very little gnawing. What we mostly hear is scratching and scurrying noises. He never comes out into the house, otherwise our two cats would have him in less than ten seconds. (They have brought me many mice in the past, as well as chipmunks and moles!)

So how do we tell which one he is? Is one worse than the other? Will it ever go away? How do we get rid of either one of them if they won't come out of the wall?

Answer 1

Sounds like a very rare, but very real threat of the midget bear. You'll need a professional.

Answer 2

get rid of all bird feeders! they attract squirrels and rats and mice. go through your house and seal up any and all cracks and crevices with steel wool and then cover with a very fine steel mesh. that way nothing will get in again. steel wool only they can push back into the wall and gain access. and you have to get even the tiniest crack plugged and covered. we thought we did but one day watch a squirrel come out of the wall of our home through a 1/4 inch crack in the wall. it was the creepiest ugliest thing i have ever seen, the head and body flatten right down to almost nothing and then once they are through everything pops up again. disgusting!
also those ultrasonic thingies that you plug into your electrical outlets to deter rodents have really worked well for us........
we also put poison INSIDE the wall via electrical outlets, take the cover off and carefully pour a product called RATATTACK into the hole around the outlet, replace cover and for gosh sake make sure you pick up any little pieces you may have dropped. you don't want your cats getting hold of it. you may have to sign for this poison when you purchase it but its not a big deal! do all of the above and it should take care of your problem! good luck and remember get rid of those bird feeders! the birds are pretty but the seed is a definate come on for rodents!
yep, i know, all the bleeding hearts are going to say i'm going overboard but you know something? i don't care, rodents carry disease and vermin on themselves and i don't want them in my house. since we have done all the above we haven't had a single issue and its been over a year. our neighbors on the other hand, have had problems, mainly due to their 'caring' attitude about not wanting to harm a rat or a squirrel.
anyway, good luck guy!

Answer 3

You won't know for sure what it is until you can see it or call an exterminator. Could be a squirrel, raccoon, mice, rat. Try using d-con or get a small animal trap. I have caught many chipmunks with the small trap. I think the name of them is Heartland. Any pet store or farm supply. Do you know where they are going in, so you can correctly place a trap?

Answer 4

My hubby and I had this problem at our old house.The holes were being dug at an angle going under the house.It was a rat nest.Although rats don't usually cause damage they can make you sick.Your best bet is NOT to call Pest Control.Instead call your local Humane Society and have them get the rat(s).The reason being-Pest Control will cost you money and they use poison to kill them.They also just leave the rats there and fill in the holes.The Humane Society will extract them and let them loose in an environment best fit for rats.No money involved.You can fill in the holes and everything will be back to the way it was before your guests arrived!

Good luck and God bless.

Answer 5

Probably a squirrel. You have to first trap the squirrel, let him go and seal up the wall so he doesn't come back.

Answer 6

Is it a bird nesting maybe?
You can call your local animal control and they will come see what is going on. I had them remove a squirel nest once. If not they can lead you to who to contact in your area.