Squirrels, Raccoons, Bats and Birds: Signs You Have Company

A scratching sound in the attic could be any number of things, and most homeowners in the Baltimore Metro Area only start paying attention once the noise becomes a pattern. The good news is that different animals leave different clues, and a little bit of noticing goes a long way toward figuring out what you're actually dealing with.

Timing alone tells you something before you even see a sign of damage. A daytime sound is a different set of suspects than a sound that only ever happens after dark, and how often it repeats, once a week versus every single night, says something about whether an animal is just passing through or has already settled in.

Squirrels and raccoons

Squirrels are active during the day, so scratching or running sounds in the attic around dawn and again in late afternoon usually point to them. Raccoons are the opposite, more active at night, and they're heavier, so the noise tends to be a slower, heavier movement rather than quick scampering. Both can chew through wood and wiring to widen an opening, and both tend to use the same entry point at the roofline or a soffit gap repeatedly once they've found one.

Bats

Bats roost in attics, soffits, and gaps behind shutters, and they're quiet compared to squirrels or raccoons. The clearest sign is what they leave behind: small dark droppings that accumulate below a roost point, sometimes with a faint ammonia smell in a poorly ventilated attic. A cluster of high-pitched squeaking around dusk, as a colony leaves to feed, is another giveaway that's easy to miss if you're not listening for it.

Birds

Birds nest in vents, chimneys, and gaps under the eaves, and the first sign is often a blocked dryer or bathroom vent rather than the bird itself. Nesting material working its way loose, a persistent chirping from a vent cover, or a strong smell from a blocked chimney flue are all common signs of a bird that's decided part of the house is a good place to raise a family. Nesting season in spring is when this shows up most, since that's when birds are actively looking for a sheltered spot rather than just passing through.

Snakes

Snakes turning up around a foundation are usually following something else, most often the same rodents this list already covers, or simply looking for a cool, dark gap to shelter in. A shed skin near a foundation crack or a crawl space vent is the most reliable sign, since snakes don't leave much else behind. A snake showing up is sometimes the first clue that there's also a rodent problem nearby, since the two often go together, and dealing with only one of them tends to leave the underlying attraction in place.

Woodpiles, dense shrubs against a foundation, and gaps under a deck or shed are the kinds of spots a snake will use during the day before moving at dusk, which is part of why a sighting near the house doesn't always mean there's a way in. Confirming whether it's a passing visitor or something living closer to the foundation usually comes down to how often it's seen and where.

Left alone, most of these problems get worse in ways that aren't obvious until later. Droppings accumulate. Insulation gets compacted or fouled where an animal has been nesting in it. Chewed wiring in an attic is a fire risk that has nothing to do with the animal itself. None of that shows up overnight, which is part of why a sound you've been ignoring for a few weeks is worth a second look rather than another few weeks of waiting.

What we remove

• Squirrels
• Raccoons
• Birds
• Bats
• Mice
• Rats
• Snakes

Those are the creatures Integrated Pest Services removes, using well-trained, certified technicians and a license, Department of Agriculture 30497, that's published on every page of this site. Preventative measures can be paired with the removal service to help prevent any reappearances, since getting an animal out is only half the job if it can just get back in the same way.

The full list of what's covered, and how removal and prevention work together, is on the wildlife removal page. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Integrated Pest Services will get back to you the same business day. If you've noticed scratching, droppings, or a smell you can't place, call (410) 802-0220 for a free quote, or (443) 310-2072 after hours if it can't wait.