Do you suspect there’s an animal living inside your walls? Then you’re not alone. This is a problem that millions of people across the world face every year.
Fortunately, finding out what animal is living in your wall and driving it out isn’t all that hard — that is, if you know what you’re doing. To help you figure that out, this post will entail all the information you need to identify and drive the invader out of your home within a couple of days.
How to Identify the Animal Living In Your Walls
The simplest and quickest way to identify the animal living in your walls is to figure out how it got into your wall in the first place. Doing so will lead you to the area they entered through and subsequently to the animal itself.
To find out how the animal entered your walls, search every corner of your home for entrances including holes, leaks, and any other space through which you suspect an animal could enter your walls.
Once you find an entrance, inspect it for clues. For instance, if you see that there’s a lot of insulation around the edges of the entrance, it’s likely the animal made its way in through the roof. If there are droppings or urine near it, that means the animal is using your wall as a bathroom and is already inside your home. After you’ve identified an entrance, you can start to piece together what kind of animal is living in your walls by looking at their size, shape, and other identifying features.
Let’s go over the five most common animals that like to invade walls and the clues they leave behind so that you can easily identify them.
1. Rats
Rats are the most common animal to live in walls. They often enter homes through small holes or cracks and can be identified by their long tails, pointy ears, and small size.
Rats leave droppings behind as well as urine markings. So if you see any of these clues near an entrance hole, it’s likely that rats are your culprits.
2. Raccoons
Raccoons are the second most common animal to invade walls. They enter homes through roof entrances, which is why you’ll often see insulation around entrance holes.
Raccoons can be identified by their black mask-like markings on their face as well as their ringed tail. They also leave behind droppings and urine. So if you see any of these clues near an entrance hole, it’s likely that raccoons are your culprits.
3. Mice
Mice are the third most common wall invaders. They enter homes through small cracks and holes, which is why it’s important to seal up any entrances you find. Mice can be identified by their tiny size as well as their droppings, which look like pellets.
4. Squirrels
Squirrels are the fourth most common wall invaders. Typically, they enter homes through roof entrances. You can easily identify squirrels because they make loud screeching noises.
5. Bats
Bats are also easy to identify because they make loud fluttering noises. They also leave behind droppings and urine. You can stop these critters from entering your home by sealing any holes or cracks that they could use to get inside with a sealant, like caulking or silicone sealant.
How to Drive the Invading Animal Off Your Property
Now that you know how to identify the animal living in your walls, it’s time to drive it off your property.
There are a few different ways to do this, but we recommend using a live trap if you want to be humane about it. You should check out Havahart because they make the best traps for catching the most common home invaders.
Once you’ve captured the animal in the trap, you have two options:
- Relocate it at least five miles away from your home and release it back into the wild.
- Call animal control and let them decide what to do with the pest.
Besides traps, you can also use repellents to drive the animal off your property. Since you already know how to identify the invader, all you need to do is simply google, “repellents for (the animal’s name)”.
All that being said, if at any time you feel unsafe or uncomfortable handling the situation yourself, you can contact a professional wildlife removal service for assistance. They have years of experience dealing with wild animals. So you can rest assured that they will catch the invader and get it off your property within no time.
4 Measures You Can Take to Prevent Animals from Living Inside Your Walls
Once you’ve got rid of the animal living inside your walls, it’s time to take some preventative measures to stop this from happening again.
1. Seal All Holes
The first thing you want to do is seal every hole in your walls so that the animal cannot reenter. To accomplish this, use proper materials and hire a professional if needed.
2. Fix Faucet Leaks
If you have an outside faucet, make sure it does not leak. A leaking faucet, in addition to increasing your water cost, will offer animals a source of water and attract them to your property.
3. Keep Your Property Clean
Keep your home clean at all times, particularly in the kitchen. If there are any spills or messes, clean them as soon as possible. In addition, store leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
4. Lock All Doors and Windows at Night
Before you go to bed, make sure all the windows and the doggie door are locked because they may be used as entry points. You should also ensure that your pet’s food and water aren’t left outside as this will entice wildlife as well.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, identifying the invading animal and then driving it off your property isn’t nearly as hard as most people think. All you need to do is take the simple steps discussed in this post. So what are you waiting for? Go get rid of the uninvited guests that have been ruining your sleep!
