Since they’re warm and often undisturbed by humans, attics make great nesting options for many unwanted critters. These pests seek shelter in attics to survive harsh weather during winter or raise young during the spring.
Many different animals enjoy living in attics. But here are a few of the most common:
- Raccoons. Raccoons are excellent climbers that will happily make your attic their home.
- Bats. Bats need a place to roost during the day, and your attic is the perfect spot.
- Squirrels. Squirrels of all kinds enjoy making nets in cozy attics.
- Rats. Rats can scurry up to the top floor of your abode to settle in.
- Mice. Mice are often found sheltering in human structures. The quiet attic space is a common spot where they fly under the radar.
- Birds. If given the opportunity, birds may make a nest in your attic.
Animals can enter your home through many different locations. The most common areas where we see animals entering are soffits, eaves, gable vents, roof returns, pipe stacks, any damaged areas on a property, and even any construction gaps. Rats can fit through entry points as small as the size of a quarter, and mice can fit into a gap just over ¼ of the size of a quarter.
Animals can even enter your home if there is not an entry point present. Raccoons are tenacious, resourceful, and strong. If they want to use your home as shelter, they will use their hands to create an opening. Raccoons can tear apart shingles and break through the plywood. Rodents like squirrels, mice, and rats constantly gnaw. Rodents easily create entry holes by gnawing through materials like wood, pipes, plastic, metal, brick, and electrical wires.
Chimneys
Chimneys, by definition, must be able to open to the sky to expel smoke, and many people don’t bother closing their flues.
Roof Ridge
The roof ridge provides another entry point. Most roofs have a ridge vent which raccoons can exploit the opening to create a bigger one. But raccoons don’t need to find a weakness. They have the strength and tenacity to tear through shingles and plywood.
Roof Edge
A fascia board is a thin longboard that runs along the lower outer edge of your roof and covers the entire roofline. Not only do fascia boards hold the gutters but also they provide ventilation. It is not uncommon to find a construction gap between the fascia board and the roof line.
Raccoons take advantage of the construction gap.
Loose Shingles
Raccoons have the strength and tenacity to tear through your roof. Shingles and plywood eventually succumb to a raccoon’s will. They don’t even need a large hole. For an animal that can be as large as twenty pounds, raccoons only need a gap the size of a grapefruit.
Soffits
A soffit is any finished material installed to cover the underside of the roof overhang. Soffits protect from the weather, bugs, mold, rust, and other pests. Raccoons can find gaps in improperly installed soffits or tear open a new entry hole.
Roof Vents
A home needs to breathe. Proper ventilation along the roof can extend the lifetime of your roof, improve energy efficiency in your home, and make the home a healthier place to live.
Ridge vents, box vents, and roof turbines remove stale air from your attic;, whereas soffit vents, gable vents, and over-fascia intake vents bring in fresh air. These vents also present a natural entry point for raccoons. Usually, the materials of these vents will stop a raccoon.
Plumbing Stacks
Rats and mice can use plumbing stacks to enter your house. Some rats are excellent swimmers and will climb through your toilets!
How to Find Animal Entry Holes
Pest animals can squeeze through surprisingly small gaps. A mouse only needs a pencil-sized hole. Pest animals can more easily access parts that are harder to reach for people. During the Critter Control inspection, we start where you notice an animal issue. From there, we investigate the different signs of animals in the attic. Paw prints, rub marks, and animal droppings usually point toward an entry hole.
The Critter Control expert will investigate the exterior of the roof. They have the experience to find the entry holes and training to do it safely.
Do not attempt to inspect your roof without proper safety equipment!
The inspection is essential for long-term wildlife control. We identify all current and potential entry holes. The whole home exclusion has solutions to properly seal all animal entry points.