What could have caused this quarter-sized hole in my drywall?
September 17, 2013 9:03 PM Subscribe
I found a small tree frog in my kitchen today, and while I was searching for its point of entry I found this quarter-sized mystery hole in my drywall in the adjacent room. It is located behind my washing machine (please see the pictures attached below) about six inches off the ground and directly beneath a window. I'm curious if insects or rodents could have created this hole.
When I compare this hole to pictures I've found on the Internet of drywall damage done by insects and rodents, this doesn't look like anything that could have been caused by either one of those. I don't see little piles of drywall, sawdust or poop beneath the hole, but it looks like the hole has been dug from inside the room to the outside (if that makes sense).
Also, we've recently painted this room (within the last three months) and the hole looks like it was made after we've painted.
Guess I'm just curious if I should get an exterminator in here to take a look or if I should saw out the drywall around the hole to get a better look. Or if I should just patch it an move on with my life.
http://i.imgur.com/UA695Ex.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/wSoz7xo.jpg
Thanks for taking the time to look!
When I compare this hole to pictures I've found on the Internet of drywall damage done by insects and rodents, this doesn't look like anything that could have been caused by either one of those. I don't see little piles of drywall, sawdust or poop beneath the hole, but it looks like the hole has been dug from inside the room to the outside (if that makes sense).
Also, we've recently painted this room (within the last three months) and the hole looks like it was made after we've painted.
Guess I'm just curious if I should get an exterminator in here to take a look or if I should saw out the drywall around the hole to get a better look. Or if I should just patch it an move on with my life.
http://i.imgur.com/UA695Ex.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/wSoz7xo.jpg
Thanks for taking the time to look!
It looks chewed on by a puppy.
In the absence of a puppy, maybe there is a protruding part of the machine that bumps against it during the spin cycle? Although presumably there would be chips and crumbs on the floor.
posted by elizardbits at 9:10 PM on September 17, 2013
In the absence of a puppy, maybe there is a protruding part of the machine that bumps against it during the spin cycle? Although presumably there would be chips and crumbs on the floor.
posted by elizardbits at 9:10 PM on September 17, 2013
It seems that there is paint on the edges, but inside the hole . This would imply that it was made before the last time it was painted. This would explain why there isn't any debris around it.
posted by Gomez_in_the_South at 9:51 PM on September 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Gomez_in_the_South at 9:51 PM on September 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
Those look like rodent-incisor gnaw marks. Don't know what to tell you about the lack of dust, except that the mouse/rat might have ingested or inadvertently scattered it. Also, the hole might be recent enough that the critter hasn't had time to lay down a good 'dropping trail' yet (yes, poop is their version of the fabled bread crumbs).
posted by Kibby at 10:23 PM on September 17, 2013
posted by Kibby at 10:23 PM on September 17, 2013
Look around for rat scat. If a rat did that, there will be a poop trail somewhere. No poop? Look for something that might have fallen behind the machine and gotten wedged in there.
posted by 26.2 at 10:26 PM on September 17, 2013
posted by 26.2 at 10:26 PM on September 17, 2013
Are you sure it isn't for an electrical cable or a water connection?
posted by jazh at 1:15 AM on September 18, 2013
posted by jazh at 1:15 AM on September 18, 2013
It looks chewed to me, but it's been like that for a good while -- at least since the room was last painted, since paint goes into the chewed area a bit. Any rodent poop tracks would be long-gone. What's odd, though, is that it looks like something was inside the house, trying to chew its way out.
Maybe someone patched a hole with some non-standard patching material (expanding foam?) which some creature then decided was delicious. Or, maybe there was a smaller hole leftover from some plumbing or electrical item, and a dog in the house got fixated on some smell or squeaky noise that was coming from it.
posted by jon1270 at 4:33 AM on September 18, 2013
Maybe someone patched a hole with some non-standard patching material (expanding foam?) which some creature then decided was delicious. Or, maybe there was a smaller hole leftover from some plumbing or electrical item, and a dog in the house got fixated on some smell or squeaky noise that was coming from it.
posted by jon1270 at 4:33 AM on September 18, 2013
Also worth noting that it seems to be a bad patch of drywall, likely slightly damp, because the paint flakes off here and there. Likely easier to chew through.
So you say you painted recently and didn't notice the hole - or is it that you had someone paint and they didn't mention it? It definitely looks like the second alternative. Actually it looks most like an old hole that's been widened more recently where the plaster is whitest. And yes, looks like rodent teeth marks to me.
I'd replace/patch the soft and damp parts of the wall and be on the lookout for a while. You'll know soon enough if this was meant to be the visitor's entry.
posted by Namlit at 4:43 AM on September 18, 2013
So you say you painted recently and didn't notice the hole - or is it that you had someone paint and they didn't mention it? It definitely looks like the second alternative. Actually it looks most like an old hole that's been widened more recently where the plaster is whitest. And yes, looks like rodent teeth marks to me.
I'd replace/patch the soft and damp parts of the wall and be on the lookout for a while. You'll know soon enough if this was meant to be the visitor's entry.
posted by Namlit at 4:43 AM on September 18, 2013
What's odd, though, is that it looks like something was inside the house, trying to chew its way out.
That's one reason I asked about the dog. It looks a lot like what dogs will try to do if they hear something inside the wall and attempt to get into it.
I had a house with a squirrel problem, and oddly, their incisors did not leave this sort of mark. Their holes were much neater without the long shallow scrapings that dogs' teeth make.
posted by Miko at 5:28 AM on September 18, 2013
That's one reason I asked about the dog. It looks a lot like what dogs will try to do if they hear something inside the wall and attempt to get into it.
I had a house with a squirrel problem, and oddly, their incisors did not leave this sort of mark. Their holes were much neater without the long shallow scrapings that dogs' teeth make.
posted by Miko at 5:28 AM on September 18, 2013
Looks like little rodent teeth marks in there. Like others I'd suggest a mouse. I've had pet rats for years on and off and it looks just like something they would chew but smaller. Rats can chew through concrete bricks if they want to so drywall won't even slow them down.
Patch the whole, I suggest using some steelwool to block the hole and plaster over, the traditional idea is they don't like chewing the metal I don't know if that's true but it's always worked for us blocking mice holes.
posted by wwax at 7:46 AM on September 18, 2013
Patch the whole, I suggest using some steelwool to block the hole and plaster over, the traditional idea is they don't like chewing the metal I don't know if that's true but it's always worked for us blocking mice holes.
posted by wwax at 7:46 AM on September 18, 2013
Drywall is Rolaids for mice.
posted by flabdablet at 11:29 AM on September 18, 2013
posted by flabdablet at 11:29 AM on September 18, 2013
the hole looks like it was made after we've painted
Surely you would have noticed if there was a hole there while you were painting?
If instead you hired someone else to paint, and this wasn't a part of the wall you inspected after the job was done, it might not be new.
posted by yohko at 2:37 PM on September 18, 2013
Surely you would have noticed if there was a hole there while you were painting?
If instead you hired someone else to paint, and this wasn't a part of the wall you inspected after the job was done, it might not be new.
posted by yohko at 2:37 PM on September 18, 2013
Response by poster: Hey guys!
Thanks for all the suggestions. Here's what I did to handle it.
I had a friend come by to take a look at the hole. He had dealt with mice in his house before and said it's possible it could have been made by a mouse. He found it odd that there were no signs of poop or anything of that nature as well. I set a (humane) mousetrap outside the hole to see if it might catch the attention of any rodents that might have made the hole. The mouse trap set there for three days and didn't catch anything. So I went ahead and taped and patched the hole.
To answer your other questions: Nope, we don't have any dogs and we have cats that stay quarantined away from that area. We checked behind and under the washer and for dead creatures, and didn't see anything. It's *possible* the hole was there the entire time and I just didn't notice it. No paint chips on the floor either. There *is* a spot where one of the cables has rubbed against the wall and damaged the paint, but that's higher.
Also, I found another frog in my house (the frog was the initial reason I went looking for holes) after I patched the hole. My friend says they could be coming up through my drain in my sink, which didn't have a drain cover until recently. No frogs since I stuck the drain cover on there.
posted by mrplaid at 6:43 PM on September 24, 2013
Thanks for all the suggestions. Here's what I did to handle it.
I had a friend come by to take a look at the hole. He had dealt with mice in his house before and said it's possible it could have been made by a mouse. He found it odd that there were no signs of poop or anything of that nature as well. I set a (humane) mousetrap outside the hole to see if it might catch the attention of any rodents that might have made the hole. The mouse trap set there for three days and didn't catch anything. So I went ahead and taped and patched the hole.
To answer your other questions: Nope, we don't have any dogs and we have cats that stay quarantined away from that area. We checked behind and under the washer and for dead creatures, and didn't see anything. It's *possible* the hole was there the entire time and I just didn't notice it. No paint chips on the floor either. There *is* a spot where one of the cables has rubbed against the wall and damaged the paint, but that's higher.
Also, I found another frog in my house (the frog was the initial reason I went looking for holes) after I patched the hole. My friend says they could be coming up through my drain in my sink, which didn't have a drain cover until recently. No frogs since I stuck the drain cover on there.
posted by mrplaid at 6:43 PM on September 24, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
Do you have a dog by any chance?
posted by Miko at 9:08 PM on September 17, 2013