Mice in the attic
Update
I brought in a company for an assessment/quote that my colleague recently used that also has good online reviews. They confirmed that it is mice but no damage - just minor traces of them in the attic. He found 1-2 vulnerable spots but said the rest of the of the house was pretty secure but his quote was still for a full house seal (they won't do piece-meal because then they can't guarantee their work - makes sense).
Roughly 6 hours of work plus 2+ follow-up visits and 5 year warranty for $1119 (taxes in) - still more than I wanted to spend but better than the other quote - plus as I mentioned my roof has a very steep pitch, making the job more challenging and time-consuming. I'm sure there are cheaper options but for piece of mind and to ensure the problem doesn't worse (it's really minor now) thinking I might just get it done.
Original:
I have some creature(s) living in my attic - I'm deducing it's mice as I can hear a soft scratching sound and pitter-patter at night but not 100% sure. The previous owners actually had issues with squirrels - they brought in someone to cover the vents on the roof. I've reached out to them to get more info (company name, service date) to see if there's any warranty on the work they got done. Just as a FYI - I have a lot of walnut trees on my property, as well as a apple tree right next to the roof.
In the mean time I'm calling around to get some quotes. My colleague used Raider Pest Control, which has good online reviews. After looking at my home via Google Maps, the guy quoted me $1500-2500, which seems really high to me. They do offer a life-time warranty and this work would include sealing all the entry points but surprisingly (for that price point) they do not include picking up any mice droppings in the attic...is that with most companies? Any work on the insulation would be at an additional cost. Does that quote sound reasonable for 1200sqf home? Anyone else use them?
I don't want to deal with putting out any traps in attic myself - and also my issue is more with preventative measures - sealing the home. I have a very steep roof so it's not something I can do myself especially since the guy from Raider it's like the spot between the 2 dormers - apparently that's a vulnerable spot that squirrels usually chew through.
Someone also advised on using moth balls -according to some YouTube videos it appears to be a cheap and effective solution but I'm not sure how effective or long-term that would be.
Looking for advice on the best course of action.
On a some what of a side note - my neighbour revealed to me this summer that her 18-year old children feed the squirrels!!!!! This made me soooo mad...WTF! I nicely and casually mentioned that wildlife shouldn't be fed and that I'm getting a lot squirrels on my property (and she mentioned not having any) but I don't know if it registered...you gotta be rather clueless to let your kids knowingly do this...I cannot believe this is not common sense to people. Why would you purposely attract rodents to your property especially you know what damage they can do! Just wondering if I should bring this up to neighbours and nicely ask if they can discourage their "kids" to stop feeding the wildlife...obviously I can't make them stop feeding wildlife but thought it might be worthwhile to let know I'm having issues (they also know they previous owners had issues with squirrels...you think they would have clued in )
I brought in a company for an assessment/quote that my colleague recently used that also has good online reviews. They confirmed that it is mice but no damage - just minor traces of them in the attic. He found 1-2 vulnerable spots but said the rest of the of the house was pretty secure but his quote was still for a full house seal (they won't do piece-meal because then they can't guarantee their work - makes sense).
Roughly 6 hours of work plus 2+ follow-up visits and 5 year warranty for $1119 (taxes in) - still more than I wanted to spend but better than the other quote - plus as I mentioned my roof has a very steep pitch, making the job more challenging and time-consuming. I'm sure there are cheaper options but for piece of mind and to ensure the problem doesn't worse (it's really minor now) thinking I might just get it done.
Original:
I have some creature(s) living in my attic - I'm deducing it's mice as I can hear a soft scratching sound and pitter-patter at night but not 100% sure. The previous owners actually had issues with squirrels - they brought in someone to cover the vents on the roof. I've reached out to them to get more info (company name, service date) to see if there's any warranty on the work they got done. Just as a FYI - I have a lot of walnut trees on my property, as well as a apple tree right next to the roof.
In the mean time I'm calling around to get some quotes. My colleague used Raider Pest Control, which has good online reviews. After looking at my home via Google Maps, the guy quoted me $1500-2500, which seems really high to me. They do offer a life-time warranty and this work would include sealing all the entry points but surprisingly (for that price point) they do not include picking up any mice droppings in the attic...is that with most companies? Any work on the insulation would be at an additional cost. Does that quote sound reasonable for 1200sqf home? Anyone else use them?
I don't want to deal with putting out any traps in attic myself - and also my issue is more with preventative measures - sealing the home. I have a very steep roof so it's not something I can do myself especially since the guy from Raider it's like the spot between the 2 dormers - apparently that's a vulnerable spot that squirrels usually chew through.
Someone also advised on using moth balls -according to some YouTube videos it appears to be a cheap and effective solution but I'm not sure how effective or long-term that would be.
Looking for advice on the best course of action.
On a some what of a side note - my neighbour revealed to me this summer that her 18-year old children feed the squirrels!!!!! This made me soooo mad...WTF! I nicely and casually mentioned that wildlife shouldn't be fed and that I'm getting a lot squirrels on my property (and she mentioned not having any) but I don't know if it registered...you gotta be rather clueless to let your kids knowingly do this...I cannot believe this is not common sense to people. Why would you purposely attract rodents to your property especially you know what damage they can do! Just wondering if I should bring this up to neighbours and nicely ask if they can discourage their "kids" to stop feeding the wildlife...obviously I can't make them stop feeding wildlife but thought it might be worthwhile to let know I'm having issues (they also know they previous owners had issues with squirrels...you think they would have clued in )
Last edited by hierophant on Oct 8th, 2019 6:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.