What is this baby beast in my ceiling?

January 19, 2017 6:31 AM

Grumpybearbride and I have been plagued by beasts in our ceiling, scritch-a-scratching and tumbling about in the night, causing a ruckus and keeping us from getting a good night's rest. This morning it sounds like they added a new member to their family. I recorded and enhanced the sound of said wee beastie in hopes that someone with more knowledge than I could potentially identify it. This is the recording. Help!
posted by grumpybear69 to Pets & Animals (12 answers total)

Raccoon?
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:42 AM on January 19, 2017

Yeah, so sounds like raccoon to me too. Could also maybe be possums. Far too low for rats or mice.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:54 AM on January 19, 2017

Best answer: Maybe squirrels?
posted by Carravanquelo at 7:04 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I think that's the one, Carravanquelo. After some research, it sound like that's their 'stranger danger' sound, so there may be multiple categories of beast up there. :(
posted by grumpybear69 at 7:06 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

Could be any small animal. Squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, even mice and other rodentia. You really won't know until you get someone up there to look around and lay traps. Better sooner than later.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:27 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

You'll also need to find how they're accessing the attic space. It may not be as simple as a hole up by the roof. There could be a hole down at ground level and they're scampering inside the wall up to the attic.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:30 AM on January 19, 2017 [4 favorites]

Please get this taken care of by a professional who will trap the animals and then close up any access points. The squirrels that I had in the attic cost me close to $5000 - around $2500 to repair all the wiring and electrical damage they did (which came close to actually causing a house fire) and just over $2000 to pay the pest control company to set traps and then close the holes they had chewed under the roof to get in there.

Fun fact - the pest control company found a several foot long snake skin, meaning a large snake had managed to get up in our attic and was probably eating some of the rodents that were nesting up there.
posted by ralan at 7:34 AM on January 19, 2017 [13 favorites]

You might want to know about animal excluders. The animals can go out but not back in. Note: if there are young, by excluding the parents, you are killing the young.
posted by H21 at 7:38 AM on January 19, 2017

Raccoon sex is 100% unmistakable - it sounds like they're being painfully murdered. This wasn't that. It sounds more like the squirrel recording to me. Good luck!
posted by invincible summer at 8:20 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

If you don't have $$$$ for a pro ($5k?!), or just prefer not to spend it, plenty of people have managed to trap animals and seal attics on their own. It's not that hard.

Here are some instructions for the attic, here are some instructions on how to trap raccoons.

It doesn't matter much what animal(s) are up there; you trap and seal in pretty much the same manner no matter what it is. Possums, raccoons, rats, squirrels, all like peanut butter.

I'd personally recommend Tomahawk traps, and if you have a local wildlife rescue/rehab group, they will often loan you traps.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:41 AM on January 19, 2017

Response by poster: This is a rental unit, so the landlord is taking care of it. I am hoping against hope that we don't end up with a bunch of rotting animal carcasses up there. There is no attic access - this is just the empty space between the ceiling and the roof.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:45 AM on January 19, 2017

Response by poster: Also, there is a visible hole in the molding at the front of the building. I saw a critter poking its head out. I'm not certain it is the only hole, though.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:49 AM on January 19, 2017