by critterman | Oct 24, 2026 | Wildlife Questions
Noise in the attic at night is most often roof rats or mice. The next most likely answer is a raccoon. Rats and mice make light, quick scratching and running that starts after dark. A raccoon is heavier: thumps, slow walking and sometimes chattering if young are up...
by critterman | Oct 24, 2026 | Wildlife Questions
The time of day is your strongest clue. Scratching inside the walls in the morning and late afternoon is usually squirrels, because they sleep at night. Scratching that starts after dark and runs until dawn is almost always roof rats or mice. A raccoon is too big to...
by critterman | Oct 24, 2026 | Wildlife Questions
Do not light a fire, do not try to smoke it out, and keep the damper and the fireplace doors shut so it cannot come down into the room. A raccoon in a chimney is very often a mother with young sitting on the smoke shelf above the damper, and she will not leave them....
by critterman | Oct 24, 2026 | Wildlife Questions
It depends on the animal, and for the animals people trap most, the answer is mostly no. The Texas Department of State Health Services says live raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes may not be transported from, to or within Texas, except by a short list of exempt...
by critterman | Oct 24, 2026 | Wildlife Questions
Raccoons get into a house from the roof. They climb a tree, a downspout or a fence to reach the roofline, then pull open a weak spot with their hands: a loose soffit panel where two rooflines meet, a thin gable vent screen, a gap at the fascia board, or a chimney with...
