What kind of damage can animals cause in an attic?

When you hear that playful skittering and chittering across your roof BE WARNED! That could be tree squirrels, rats, mice, bats, birds, raccoons, or a host of other critters looking to move in to your attic. Every year animal infestations in attics cost home owners hundreds of thousands of dollars in the U.S. alone. Although some of this damage can be covered under your homeowner’s policy, the time and trouble to eradicate these pests and fix the damage they cause is irreplaceable. Here is some of the destruction you can expect when these furry interlopers move in. First they will have to gnaw and claw holes in the exterior of your home in order to make an entrance. While doing this they can destroy the siding of your home, ruin a paint job, or your soffit.



Now that they have moved in, they will shred and tear up your insulation, chew through wiring, and root through any boxes or keepsakes you have stored in the attic in order to make their nests. While living in the attic, they will urinate and defecate everywhere, as will the young they give birth to there. All their bodily wastes can soak into the attic flooring as well as any insulation not yet destroyed making it impossible to clean. They will return to the attic area, now considered their home, with food that can rot and decay if not completely consumed.

As is the natural order of things, a percentage of these animals will die, whether from old age, childbirth, or fighting. If they do not practice cannibalism, then that body will rot in the attic as well. The leftover food, feces, and dead bodies will then attract a number of bugs and pests that feed off of decay, not to mention the smell this will cause! Once they are your attic, they will find a number of ways to enter your main living areas in search of food and water. While exploring your home, they are still chewing and defecating everywhere. These creatures are normally host to fleas, mites, and other parasites that can spread to your pets and family. Many of them are also carriers of diseases such as rabies, the plague, raccoon roundworm, and salmonella just to name a few. So if you hear that harmless skittering across your roof, you better get up and make sure that you don’t have furry tenants moving in!

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