Animals in walls

[pcdoctor]

Every now and then, I hear animals in our walls in the house we rent. Now the landlord plans to redo the siding on this house since it looks like it's falling apart in a lot of places. How could Animals get in the house?

[Cole]

Is the house pier and beam?

BTW- there could be a lot of ways animals could get in.

[pcdoctor]

Well it is an older house. I would say built between 1900 and 1930. My landlord has kept this place up, although, parts of the basement look like they are ready to crumble on the outside. In August, we had a bat in the house which was very scary. We have no clue how it got in.

[giddonah]

I had a problem with squirrels and bats getting into the attic through openings in the soffits.

[VALENT]

it seems like maybe they are entering through the siding if it is falling apart. When they start removing the siding, look for holes in the sill and close them or cover them.

[that_guy]

We had an animal (never figured out what it was) in our exterior walls about a year ago. We thought it was trying to burrow in, but whenever I went outside to look for it, I couldn't find it. It got to the point where I was on the cellphone with my wife (she was in the house) and while she could hear the burrowing, I confirmed that there was nothing on the outside of the house. Previously, I thought I just scared it away every time. The siding was nice and tight so I carefully searched for an entry point and about ten feet away, there was a hole in the siding about the size of a quarter where the siding met the brick chimney. I waited until I thought the animal was gone, filled the hole with expanding foam and later with caulking. We haven't heard from it since - so it's either gone or dead... But I believe it's gone.

[rabadger]

A few years ago I had a Tom and Jerry cartoon going on where we lived.

The cat never saw a mouse before. And then it did. Then the wife saw the mouse and got the broom!

I came home, she met me at the door and said "THERE IS A MOUSE IN THE HOUSE :!: I reply was IS THE CAT IN THE HAT :?: I don't know how long she and the cat were chasing the mouse but all the furnature was moved and I gave the wrong answer. In our 24 years of marage we never had a field mouse problem. Anyway I got the mouse.

When I was growing up we rented a home nest to a field. Every fall my dad would come home from the hardware store with a bundle of steel wool. He walked aroud the house and stuffed it in the cracked and chipped siding. Mice will cut there mouth when trying to get in. Once they are in the walls they can make a lot of noise.

[VALENT]

That, my friend, was a funny response to your wife. If I replied as such, I am positive the mouse would leave from the response I would get.

[MD_Willington]

Rodents can get into anything, they eat through anything since their teeth always grow. We had mice in our place. Bought a stun gun trap...bzzzzzt

Those mice were riding the lightning!

[joelpat]

We had flying squirrells a couple of years ago.

One of our roomates lived in a finished attic room. She would hear them at night running behind the kneewalls.

We lived in a basement room. One night, I heard something in the room. When I turned the light on, there were three flying squirrells in the room with us. They were using the chase from the electrical panel to the attic.

Those things are more than a little creepy looking.

[tommyboy]

get a snake to get the mouse then get a mongoose to get the snake and then get a leopard to get the mongoose and then get an elephant to get the leopard and if the elephant gives you trouble you can always scare him with a mouse

[bigtim6656]

Just had that proplem. Might look at the roof line for the bat issue. That where mine is at. Any small house anyway is a place fo animals and such to come in. Plus if a bat or squrrial is coming in your heat is going out. When it comes time to side the house or even now bring this up with your owner. Tell him your issues he should fix them. Not a big proplem to fix. First look at your overhangs are they enclosed or open to the outside. Check for any falling pieces of trim or sideing by the roof line. Then come down by your windows and trim and corners. Then look at your base plate and see if there are any wholes there. Last the basements and basement windows. If you getting bats i would say the issue is by the roof. As they fly in the air not on the ground. Well it is an older house. I would say built between 1900 and 1930. My landlord has kept this place up, although, parts of the basement look like they are ready to crumble on the outside. In August, we had a bat in the house which was very scary. We have no clue how it got in.