Something Is Scratching in my Wall!!!

[GH85Carrera]

A friend of mine flips houses. He buys them from a bank after the former owners have trashed the place. He had hauled a big dumpster worth of trash from the inside of one house. Every day when he went back over there he noticed one area smelled real bad. He was ripping out most of the drywall since almost all of it had holes kicked into the walls. He found one area inside a wall where there were dozens of mice skeletons. There was a gap of a few inches in the header on top of the wall. The mice would walk along the header and fall into the same gap. He made sure that hole was plugged before he put up the new drywall. He put up traps on the headers and caught several mice before he was done with the remodel.

[arbita1]

Originally Posted by crustychief

Looking at the tail and the poor quality picture, I would discount it as a rat or mouse. I would say it was some sort of Vole, possibly a meadow Vole?

Yes! My wife was looking it up yesterday and she thought it could be that. So maybe you are right.

My understanding is that they burrow in the ground. How do they get into a house (inside a wall) that has no basement. It's a slab on grade. ???

[crustychief]

Is there a tree that rubs against your house? if so it is possible that the little guy somehow got in through an attic or soffit vent.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by arbita1

So I heard the scratching for most of the night and a little bit the next morning...then nothing. We had hoped it just moved on.

Yesterday I started to smell something bad in the vicinity of the noise. So I had to go in.

After cutting five holes in the walls, this is what I found..



It took a whole day to get the smell out of my nose.

Theres' a dead amoeba laying on your wall plate! A big one!
Assuming you have 2x4 walls the space he's laying in is 3 5/8 wide. I don't know how big voles get in your area, but not nearly that big around here. It's a baby rat or a very large mouse.

[RWebb]

yes, it looks like a vole - they are mice tho

it probably climbed to get in - most or all species do - some voles are completely arboreal and get eaten by Spotted Owls

BTW - spray the are with bleach and never NEVER touch a dead animal with your bare skin - there are many nasty diseases that they or their fleas can carry

AND the fleas can & will jump a few inches to find a new host (you)

[arbita1]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Theres' a dead amoeba laying on your wall plate! A big one!
Assuming you have 2x4 walls the space he's laying in is 3 5/8 wide. I don't know how big voles get in your area, but not nearly that big around here. It's a baby rat or a very large mouse.

According to this, Voles grow 4 - 8 inches.

Vole - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by RWebb

yes, it looks like a vole - they are mice tho

it probably climbed to get in - most or all species do - some voles are completely arboreal and get eaten by Spotted Owls

BTW - spray the are with bleach and never NEVER touch a dead animal with your bare skin - there are many nasty diseases that they or their fleas can carry

AND the fleas can & will jump a few inches to find a new host (you)

I wore gloves and picked it up by the tail with a pair of needle nose plyers.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by arbita1

I wore gloves and picked it up by the tail with a pair of needle nose plyers.

your man card, please.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by pavulon

your man card, please.

No way! I removed a bird's nest after a cat got in there and killed either the male or female. What did I get as a result? Immediately.... bird mites.

Next time full protective gear and then it goes in the wash with very hot water as I hit the shower with same.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by milt

No way! I removed a bird's nest after a cat got in there and killed either the male or female. What did I get as a result? Immediately.... bird mites.

Next time full protective gear and then it goes in the wash with very hot water as I hit the shower with same.

Yours as well.
Bird mites...a mere flesh wound...pfft!!

[arbita1]

Originally Posted by pavulon

your man card, please.

I'll admit, I am kind of a p*ssy when it comes to this stuff.

[williecoyote]

Originally Posted by tabs

Don't bet on it being trapped more likely it is knawing on your wiring, or nesting...

Better catch him before he gets in your P-car.

[john70t]

Better find out where they are getting in, and fix with metal.

Sometimes the facia under the gutters is cut short leaving a gap, or flashing next to porch leger board/sill plate is missing.
This makes a nice entrance into a nice warm place during the winter....

[arbita1]

I can see some day light at the eaves of the roof in the attic. So I have to take a look and see what's going on.

[azasadny]

If you find one, there are more in the area!