Bats or mice in my walls and finished 3rd floor?

**victorbron5** · 18-Jul-12, 07:30 PM

It's winter time in NH. My house is 3 levels and the attic is finished. There isn't a crawl space to check for pests. We have 2 dormers in the front of the home and it is believed the critters are entering there. Every night from 11-6am we here the scurrying critters above us in the ceiling, then they're going along the walls. They run about loudly for 5-10 minutes then it quiets down for 20 minutes or so. Then it starts up again. I was told that bats hibernate in the winterand wake up from time to time but don't go beserk. I had a pest control associate check the house and looked in the basement--he saw a small amount of droppings. He left 5 traps, I checked them daily--nothing. When he came back in 12 days and saw nothing he concluded I had bats. I think they're mice because of the constant scurrying about the walls and ceiling. Anyone with an experience similar to mine----your insight would be appreciated? Thanks!

**AndyD** · 18-Jul-12, 11:17 PM

I had a similar problem when I lived in the states (although somewhat further South than yourself) and by far the most entertaining solution I found was a 12 gauge shotgun and a brick of salt-shells from Wallmart. You also need a comfy rocking chair and a bottle of single malt scotch. The method is to clear the furniture out of the way and bait the room with whatever food you have in the fridge then sit in the chair with the lights out and the shotgun loaded. When the little critter starts scurrying around you let him have it with both barrels.