Why Does It Sound Like Someone Is Walking In My Attic?
- TDH Contracting
- April 20, 2023
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Within your property, your attic is the most abandoned part of your home. It is also the most disturbing and hearing noises from your roof can often cause worry.
It often sounds like someone is walking in your attic. The noise sounds like footsteps or scurrying quickly across the timber and structure on your roof. These annoying noises are often happy during both the day and night, causing distress for most homeowners. But what is that noise?
In this article, we cover why it sounds like someone is walking in your attic and what you can do to combat the noises you are hearing.
Why Does It Sound Like Someone Is Walking In My Attic?
The noises you are hearing in your attic are caused mainly by racoons and other home invaders. Racoons, Squirrels, and Rodents often find their way into your attic due to the warm, dry space. Once inside, they move around which is why you can hear footsteps and walk in your roofing. Now don’t be alarmed! You can resolve this issue and restore quiet back in your home.
The movement of Raccoons and other larger animals will sound like heavy footsteps. Small rodents will have lighter footsteps but often move much faster. You can determine what sort of infestation you have by listening to the noises. However, if you can hear any noise from your attic, it’s extremely likely that you have a rodent problem.
Why Does It Sound Like Footsteps In My Attic?
Typically, the footsteps you are hearing in your attic may likely be a raccoon moving around.
Raccoons moving around often sounds audible because of their size and weight. Raccoons are quite heavy animals, therefore making a lot of noise when moving around your attic.
The reason they habitat within your Attic is because of the warm, dry environment. These areas serve as hideouts, away from other predators and weather conditions.
Most Animals that enter your home and into your attic won’t think of leaving due to the comfort of the space. However, this can often cause the invaders to become violent which can result in more sound. Tackling the problem will restore quiet in your property and reduce the noise you are hearing.
If you think that you may have raccoons in your attic or if you notice raccoons around your home, you can install an ultrasound animal repeller. This device transmits unpleasant sounds to the raccoon which would drive it away. This has proven to be very effective, however, it may not be a permanent solution.
You can also contact a wildlife removal service to eliminate any invaders in your attic. They will be able to enter your attic to remove any unwanted visitors while also informing you of their access point. You may also need a Roofing Contractor such as TDH Contracting to visit your property and secure the access point to prevent a recurring issue. It is important to not touch or try to disturb the invaders as they can become violent.
To confirm you have raccoons in your attic, they are nocturnal invaders. This means that you would usually hear them moving around at night. Raccoons are also slower than other animals, so you would need to listen out for slow walking, sliding, or shifting noises.
It’s also worth noting that Raccoons are one of the largest animals to ever invade a home. This means that they are much heavier than others and emit much more sound.
Noises In Attic Early Morning
If you are hearing noises in your attic early morning, it is likely to be squirrels. The noise is usually much higher, faster hurrying. Compared to a racoon, they are much lighter and often do not a emit deep noise.
While a raccoon can disturb you in the morning, they are nocturnal animals. They are very unlikely to move around or cause noise during the day unless they feel threatened or at risk of attack. They usually only move during the night hours.
Also, squirrels make scratching noises in the attic during the day and early hours. If you are hearing scratching noises from your attic then it is very likely to be squirrels.
You may also hear the sound of rolling nuts across your attic floor. This is a sign of squirrels in your attic. But snakes can make a similar noise when they enter your attic and make noise in the morning and early hours.
Skunks and Insects can also make noise during the morning and early hours. But you can assume that any sounds you hear at night, are produced by nocturnal animals.
Another sign of Squirrels is if you hear noise in the morning, then a short break, then noise again. This is because squirrels will leave your attic in the morning to search for food. They will then return home later in the day to nest.
The key to discovering which animal has entered your home is to understand what each animal sounds like. A raccoon sounds much different to squirrel. With different types of wildlife and animals around, you need to know what you are hearing.
What Do Animals In The Attic Sound Like?
Each animal has a unique behaviour and movement pattern. As a result, they make different sounds when in your attic.
Let’s understand what noises different home invaders can make in your attic to understand exactly what is going on in your home.
#1 Raccoons
Raccoons are a very common attic invader. They invade hundreds of homes across the US, causing small amounts of roofing damage and disturbing noises.
Raccoons are noctural animals that make slow walking or sliding noises. You can hear these noises in your attic at night. They also create a tapping sound in the attic walls as they attempt to dig into your insulation and ductwork. This can become expensive if not sorted early on.
They also disturb your evenings with heavy noises on the ceiling. This is often followed by scratching noises. You can often hear these noises across your property.
Remember, Raccoons are nocturnal animals. If you are hearing noises at night then it’s likely to be Raccoons. If not, it could be something else.
#2 Opossums
Opossums often awake homeowners with a range of vocal noises. These noises include hissing and shrieking.
If you have a mother opossum in your attic, you will hear clicking or lip-smacking sounds to call their babies. They also make scratching sounds in the attic too.
#3 Rats And Mice
Rats and mice make scratching noises like many pests. They also make gnawing noises as they crawl or chew on your walls. They often make scurrying sounds in your attic, which is a telltale sign of pests in your attic.
Mice also make chirping and squeaks in your attic. Rats usually make noises at a pitch that you cannot hear as a human.
#4 Squirrels
Squirrels make similar noises to Rats and Mice. They scurry across your attic floor while also making scratching and vocal sounds.
Squirrels collect nuts and acorns though. These nuts and acorns may cause rolling noises, which won’t be heard by Rats and Nice.
How Can You Stop Footstep Noises In Your Attic?
Now that you understand which home invaders make which sounds, you can take steps to resolve the issue. The scratching and scurrying noises you hear from wildlife can be extremely frustrating. Especially if you don’t know how to stop the pests from entering and causing damage. But what can you do?
When hearing noises in your attic, we strongly recommend that you act quickly. Pests in your attic can cause significant damage, costing you a lot of money for wildlife removal in difficult areas. Also, you may have to pay for repairs to be carried out on your property too.
Call A Wildlife Removal Specialist
Once you have heard noises in your attic and you have your suspicions, you need to call a Wildlife Expert. A Wildlife Removal Specialist will be able to remove the wildlife from your attic or loft. They will go inside and find the wildlife or pests. They will also be able to inform you of their access and any general damage or issues within your attic.
Once the wildlife removal specialist has removed the pests from your attic. You need to consider the access point and damage caused to your attic and property. If not, the pests and wildlife may return within a few days.
Call A Roofing Contractor
Once you have called a Wildlife Removal Specialist and had the pests removed, you may need to contact a Roofing Contractor.
A Roofing Contractor will be able to look in your attic to determine the damage and what the wildlife and pests have done. Some animals such as Raccoons cause more damage than others such as Mice. A good contractor will be able to assess your property and provide you with a report.
Repairing any damage and securing your attic from any access points for Wildlife will prevent the problem from reoccurring.
Avoid DIY Or Self-Removal
If you can hear footsteps in your attic, the last thing you should do is try to remove the pests through DIY. By going down the DIY route, you can cause injury and more issues for your property.
Wildlife such as Raccoons can be quite Violent when disturbed. This can cause injury to homeowners. Also pests such as Snakes can cause issues to homeowners. It’s not worth the personal risk.
Also, if you don’t have experience in your attic or with repairing an attic, you can often cause more damage and risk damaging your roof.
If you are hearing noises from your attic or roof, don’t wait. Call a Wildlife Removal Specialist to ensure your property is safe and pest free.
Conclusion
If you are hearing footstep noises in your attic, it’s important that you move quickly to remedy the problem. Leaving your property at risk of wildlife damage can become more expensive in the future.
If you need a Roofing Contractor to visit your property and assess any damage, we can help. Here at TDH Contracting, we have over 10 years of experience, repairing roofing and providing quality services. You can contact our team to ask any questions or find out more.
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