Scratching in the walls/ceilings

[Topcat]

Hi. We live in suburbia, west of Brisbane, and we have something in our roof that 'scratches' and 'gnaws' (loudly) at night time. We have set 'mouse traps' and 'rat traps', and 'opossum traps', but we have never caught anything. We even put our two cats up there, for a day, and it did go quiet for a time, but the sounds are back. We have put 'baits' up there, and they are untouched. We have annual inspections for Termites and we have been 'cleared' on that score. (We do have lots of Ghekos, though.) Do cockroaches make a sound like they are chewing wood to splinters?

Has anyone else had this problem? What did it turn out to be? How was the problem resolved?

I'd love to hear from anyone.

Community manager's note: Check out How to deter possums from your roof for expert advice.

[Kermit]

Finally got the up in the roof on the weekend and put the baits down. Found a fair amount of rat droppings, so I nailed some bait blocks down where there was droppings. Then actually saw the bugger, which freaked me out. It was in an area of the roof that I can't really access because its too low, so I ended up just chucking a few blocks in that general direction. I later realised this wasn't a good strategy as on Saturday night I could hear old mate dragging them around. A bit of Googling suggests he was taking them back to his nest. As long as he ends up eating them, and then dies somewhere other than in my roof, I'll be happy. Bait block packaging suggests death in 4-7 days, so I'm hoping it will be game over before the end of the week.  

[Baretta11]

@Kermit,

Glad to hear you've made a start on the baiting but pity you don't know where and how your "old mate" as you call him is getting in or do you?

If possible, see where, if any dark marks are visible in a corner in the roof, there are usual signs of regular trails if only more droppings or urine smell or even stains but I know what you mean about zero access. If your house is on stumps, there will be some sort of sign under the house, as finding the spot and sealing it up is the best possible long term outcome, so good luck with it all.

Cheers,

Barbara

[Kermit]

We've got a tiled roof Barbara so I don't think there's any way to stop them getting in. I've heard they can run up brick walls and squeeze through the tiniest crevices so I don't think we've got any hope of keeping them out. What I don't really understand is what the attraction of the roof is. It has shelter but no food or water. We've never seen any evidence of them being in the actual house, just the roof cavity. 

I heard him again last night so hoping he's made a big meal of that bait by now and isn't long for this world. And that he tells any mates to stay away.

Thanks for the tips. 

[Kermit]

Rattus Rattus update #3487 

No scratching last night.