About Advertise Archive Contact Search Subscribe
Serving the Loop and Near North neighborhoods of downtown Chicago
Facebook X Vimeo RSS

1-Aug-21 – Attics are perhaps a wild animal’s favorite hiding spot, in the entirety of your home. Why is that? Well, it’s fairly simple. While wild animals may come across as pushy in the fact that they’re barging into your house unannounced, they’re actually fairly reclusive creatures.

Most wild animals don’t really want to risk running into you by accident, so they’re most likely to inhabit the parts of your home that are least inhabited. And that’s your attic. Since nobody goes up there much, and there’s usually a lot of clutter, attics can be an ideal hiding spot for a wide range of different animals.

And which animals are those, exactly, in the Chicago area?

Squirrels

It can be tricky to remove squirrels in the attic, largely because they’re small and sneaky, so you’ll probably need to call a professional wildlife removal service, such as Frank’s Wildlife Removal to help you with your squirrel problem.

Squirrels usually get into the house by scaling trees, and finding a gap in the roof or the wall structure. Once inside the attic, they can cause serious damage to the structure, not to mention spread serious diseases, such as rabies or Lyme’s disease. This is why you need to pay attention to the noises coming from your attic. Most likely, if there are scratching noises at night, you’ve got one or two squirrels living it up inside your attic.

Raccoons

Raccoons are another big house guest, particularly when it comes to attics. Like any other wild animal, raccoons (known for their non-picky nature when it comes to feeding) are coming to your property to find a readily available source of food. And like squirrels, they may look cute and cuddly on the outside, but trust us, raccoons can be rather vicious if they want to be, which is why it’s best to keep a safe distance and arrange for the speedy removal of the raccoon in question.

Photo provided by Jessica Loticus

Of course, it’s always a good idea to call a wildlife removal professional, as they generally have a lot more experience doing this, but if you’re attempting to do it yourself, you can learn how to properly remove a raccoon in an attic at raccoonsattic.com.

Rodents

Another common house guest in the Chicago area is, of course, the ever-popular rodent. By this, we could mean either rats or mice, as both are hugely common in most urban areas, unfortunately. What’s more, rats and mice love a good attic, since it’s very easy for them to access and inhabit without kicking up much of a fuss, or indeed, attracting the attention of the house’s owner.

As you no doubt know by now, rodents are big carriers of diseases, and so definitely not a house guest you should want on your property.

Photo provided by Jessica Loticus

Bats

Lastly, another wild animal that’s known for its proclivity towards attics is the bat. Since attics are darkened, often damp areas of the home, that makes them ideal for bat colonies looking for a place to nest and maybe even raise their young.

Photo by Creative Nature

While we agree that nobody wants a colony of bats on their property, we strongly suggest that you check with local authorities before doing anything about it.

Bats are considered helpful for the environment, so bat removal is restricted, or even forbidden, in many areas of the United States. In other words, attempting to do so can land you in some serious legal trouble, which is why it might be wise to call a wildlife removal professional, as they’re bound to be familiar with all the specific rules.

 Previous story: Five common pests likely to invade your Chicago home this spring

Jessica Loticus is an animal rights activist, environmentalist, and journalist focused on how animal life is endangered due to human activity. She is working to spread awareness of how precautions against animal intruders can save local wildlife.