squirrels in the floorboards
We have an animal of some sort (squirrel perhaps, or maybe something larger – sounds big) who has taken up residence in the floorboards btwn the first and second floors of our brownstone. We’ve never seen him and don’t hear him around the clock; just some nights, late at night. Last night, he was particularly…
We have an animal of some sort (squirrel perhaps, or maybe something larger – sounds big) who has taken up residence in the floorboards btwn the first and second floors of our brownstone. We’ve never seen him and don’t hear him around the clock; just some nights, late at night. Last night, he was particularly noisy so I called a couple of pest control companies today. I learned that my options are limited since there’s no direct access to the space. USA Exterminators (not helpful and downright rude – I wouldn’t recommend them) informed me that my only option would be for them to drill holes in the ceiling and throw poisonous powder in the space for $300. Not ideal, given that we have an infant, and seemingly stupid considering that the animal will probably die on its own in there without the $300 poison powder. Another pest control company said that we would have to wait for the animal to emerge so they would know what they were dealing with. Hmmm…
My question for anyone who has had any experience in this dept: if we don’t do anything, and just let the animal be, will there be any major consequences (i.e., chewed wires, house damage, or the smell of a rotting carcass)? Alternatively, does anyone have suggestions for an animal control company that is actually helpful?
Thank you.
Poisoning squirrels is against the law in NY
The only effective way is trapping the squirrel. This can be accomplished by purchasing a live cage trap at home depot or lowes, or even on the internet. The squirrel is coming and going, try and find the area where he is gaining access, if possible place the cage with peanut butter,near the hole, squirrels are easy to catch, if you can’t find the area where the squirrel got in, place the trap where you see squirrel acvtivity, like your back yard, near a tree, the squirrel that you see in the yard will most likely be the squirrel that broke into your home, be prepared to catch more then one squirrel, as squirrels are social animals. What do you do when you catch him? Wear gloves and remove him from the area, YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED BY LAW TO RELEASE THE SQUIRREL ON ANY PROPERTY UNLESS YOU HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE ONWNER OF SAID PROPERTY. Although most people will release their trapped squirrels in a heavily wooded area. Just be careful of the squirrel police. After everything is quiet then seal up the entry hole with heavy gauge metal mesh. Happy Hunting.
if it’s making lots of noise, i’m gonna say it’s a rat. like the nyc sewer sized…
we had one get into our floor when we first moved in. very disconcerting, as the noise was, well, evil.
eventually it died in the floorboards, and the stench was unbearable. after much back and forth, our only option was to start cutting holes in the basement ceiling to try and find the dead animal. eventually, after 7 or holes, drywall dust everywhere, i found the dead rat, wrapped in some insulation. what a mess. but i can’t tell you how relieved we were to find and extract it. the smell will drive you crazy. so we patched the many ceiling holes and got on with things…make sure the perimeter of your house leaves NO access. they might still find a way in, but don’t give them any invitations.
hey when I lived in Clinton Hill back in the 90’s (I went to Pratt), my friends and I lived in a brownstone that had a squirrel burrow into the building and stick it’s head out of the ceiling of one of our bedrooms in the middle of the night. The owner tried everything from poisons, which it would eat in front of us and nothing to large mouse traps which were just evil. The solution that finally worked was a humane trap, which we baited with peanut butter. Then we just took the little fellow into prospect park and released him.
hope this helps…you can get these traps at your hardware store.
2:11, are you Stuart Little?
Can’t help, sorry, but I wouldn’t make the opening any bigger as someone suggested. Yes, maybe it would leave, but others would come on in.
I say go for the trap, get rid of it, and then close up all the holes (I think steel wool is best)
What’s wrong with you people. The poor thing is freezing. Who’s it bothering with a little scampering about. Put some ear plugs in and quit your whining. Then make friends with it. Leave it a treat or two, maybe a motorcycle and half of a hallowed out golf ball for a helmet. Perhaps a nice little pet for the infant, eh, maybe.
I once had a rat scurrying around in the walls of an apartment I once rented. Man!!! It made a hell of a racket, always in the early hours of the morning. It died and then made one hell of a stench, I found the rotting carcus under the bath tub. It took a year for the smell to disperse.
When it get’s cold the mice? rats? come inside.Most likely they are coming out at night. Look for droppings. Set out some large glue traps with bait (bacon works well) next to baseboards around radiators or any place where pipes enter/exit the floor. See what you catch.
i thought i had a squirrel too b/c it was so loud, but it was just mice.
i would bet it is mice.
Its likely coming out to look for food…any signs of droppings anywhere?? If there are just set a large rat trap. The poison option is quite likely to lead to its dieing in the crawlspace with a terrible odor to follow. They can travel up and down the walls between floors…set traps in the basement too