Knocking Sound In Attic

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Knocking Sound In Attic
If you hear a knocking sound in your attic, this is a pretty good indication that an animal of some sort has taken up residence in that space. Sometimes you will hear a knocking, while other times you may notice a scurrying sound, thumping noise, or something else. While a random knocking noise that only occurs once doesn’t necessarily mean anything, repeated similar sounds are a sure sign that an animal is living in your attic. At this point, you will just have to figure out what type of animal is making the sounds in question then take steps to get them out of the attic before you can clean it.



When Do You Hear The Sounds?
The first step to determining which animal is making the knocking sound in your attic is to pay attention to the timing of the sound. Specifically, whether it happens at night or during the day. This will help you narrow down the potential animals a great deal as some are nocturnal while others are diurnal. If, for example, you hear the sounds during the day, especially right before sunset in the early evening and in the early morning, you are likely to have squirrels. If the sounds, on the other hand, typically happen at night with the occasional daytime sound thrown in, raccoons may be the culprit. A bit of research will help you narrow down the possibilities.

Is It A Knocking Sound Or Something Else?
Next, you have to decide whether it truly is a knocking sound or something else, such as a pitter-patter, slithering sound, scurrying sound, or thumping. A heavier thumping typically indicates a larger animal like a possum or raccoon. If the sound isn’t close to a knocking, but instead more like a pitter-patter or scurrying sound, it may be mice or rats. In the case of heavier scurrying, consider squirrels.

Are There Vocalizations As Well?
Whether or not you hear the animal making vocalizations is another good indicator of what is making the knocking sound in your attic. Raccoons are common culprits when there is a vocal growl or chattering noise and baby raccoons are among the noisiest animals to have in your attic. Chirps will obviously be birds and bats tend to make high-pitched chirps that you may not have previously heard.

No matter which of animal is causing the knocking sound in your attic, you should try to get them out of the space as soon as possible. This is the best way to reduce the damage they cause and minimize your risk of disease.

Read about:
Noises in the attic at night
Animals In The Attic - How to Get Them Out
How to get raccoons out of the attic

Reader Email: David, I live in Sugar Land, Texas, a suburb of Houston. I read your article with great interest. I first noticed that i have a critter in my attic two weeks ago. By the sounds of it I definitely knew that it is a large animal, not a squirrel or a rat, because it's more of a loud knocking sound at night. Knowing that I am not the best to deal with it, I right away called All Animal Control company who i am told specializes in dealing with such problems. After inspection they think it is a raccoon getting in and out through one of the attic fans on the top of the roof. I typically hear the movement sounds starting between 9 and 10 PM. We are professionals and are not home most of the day time. Over the past week Tim with All Animal Controls set traps both outside of the house (where he thinks that the critter may be getting on to the roof) and after having no luck he also set two traps inside the attic. It has been three days after he set the traps in the attic and no success catching the critter. I showed Tim where i hear the sounds and he checked the ceiling from inside my living room with an instrument (possibly an infrared heat sensing type) and as he gets close to the spot i hear sounds the instrument shows a bright roundish spot and Tim thinks that it indicates the animal resting there. Unfortunately this particular spot of my attic is not easily accessible. It is very uncomfortable feeling to know that a large animal made my house a habitat knowing that i have all my A/C equipment, duct work, and all electrical wiring runs all over the attic. After reading your article my concerns have even more elevated in light of the mess that the critter may be leaving up there. To make it even more worse, I am now even more concerned about the possibility of an expecting mother raccoon and the resulting consequences from it having a litter before catching it. I am reaching out to you for any advice on what i should be doing different other than relying on the expertise of All Animal Control.

My response: All you need to do is drill a tiny hole near that nesting spot, and insert a thin plug (like a twisted up paper towel) soaked in Raccoon Eviction Fluid. The female raccoon will move out, with her young with her. Setting traps inside the attic NEVER works, and is the sign of an amateur who doesn't know what he is doing.

His response: David, Thanks for your prompt response and i truly appreciate it. The company i engaged is A All Animal Control of South Houston, When I called the number you gave me i am getting the voice mail saying that it is A All Animal Control also. I will wait till tomorrow to determine if these two are one and the same since the names are so similar except for the ‘of South Houston”. Where can i get Raccoon Eviction Fluid? Lowes does not carry it. Thanks.

My response: Yes, that is the company that I recommend. I didn't know they set traps in the attic. That doesn't work. Also, it's vital to get the baby raccoons. You can't just trap the adult female in a cage outside and leave the babies inside. Loud music and bright lights probably won't work in this case. Ask Tim if he can use raccoon eviction fluid. He should have access to it.

His response: Thanks again. Tim shares the same about getting the mom and babies and not separating them. He is not sure that this critter has babies yet. i will continue to work with them and rely on their experience and expertise with the hope they are successful in evicting it soon. Thanks for taking time on a Sunday morning. Let me know if i can compensate for your time in some way,

My response: Cheers, no compensation, I do think Tim probably knows proper wildlife removal, maybe this is a hard case. Eviction fluid really does work well if applied properly, so hopefully Tim will use it in this difficult case. There's a product called Vanish, which, when rubbed on the primary entry/exit hole, has an excellent success rate.

His response: One more question and I will not bother you again. Should the eviction fluid trick be done during day time or night or does not matter? Wouldn’t animal move to another part of the attic? At first Tim attempted by setting up the traps outside where he saw the trails over a wooden fence and downspout leading to the roof. He explained that they do not like to put traps inside the attic. When the outside traps did not work he set up traps in the attic. No luck so far. Thanks again for your advice and have a nice day.

My response: Eviction fluid can be done day or night. Applying it to one small part of the attic does run the risk of the animal moving to a different section of the attic. It's not always precise. It's often best to smear it on the entry hole into the attic, so the raccoon gets the scent on its fur. Please discuss this with Tim, he probably knows how to do it.