How to Get Animals Out of Your Walls Safely

Hearing strange noises from within your walls can be unsettling. While wild animals generally prefer the outdoors, creatures like mice, rats, squirrels, and raccoons sometimes find their way into human dwellings, seeking shelter or resources. Having pests inside your home is concerning, but the situation becomes more complex when an animal gets trapped inside a wall cavity. Knowing How To Get Animals Out Of Your Walls can be tricky, but it’s essential for protecting your home and resolving the issue safely. This guide outlines the common culprits, signs of infestation, and effective removal methods.

What Kinds of Wild Animals Get Into Walls?

Understanding the behavior and habits of common home invaders can help you address the problem effectively. Several types of wildlife frequently find their way into wall spaces:

Raccoons: Known for their dexterity, raccoons often access homes through attics via loose vents, damaged rooflines, or chimneys. They can tear materials or chew through weak spots. Once inside, they can cause significant damage with nesting materials, droppings, and urine. Sometimes, young raccoons may fall or wander from an attic nest into wall voids.

Helpless baby raccoons huddled together inside a dark wall cavity, illustrating how animals nest within structures.

Squirrels: Particularly during colder months, squirrels seek refuge in attics and walls. They can enter through small gaps in the roofline or fascia boards. Squirrels are notorious for chewing on electrical wires, insulation, and wooden structures, creating fire hazards and structural damage. Like raccoons, they can fall from attics into wall cavities.

Bats: Bats often roost in attics and can enter through incredibly small gaps. While less common inside walls unless there’s a direct access point, their presence in the attic can lead to noises perceived as coming from walls. Their droppings (guano) create strong odors and potential health risks.

Birds: Birds might build nests in wall voids if they find an opening, especially near vents or damaged siding. Nesting materials can block airflow, and droppings can cause stains and health concerns.

Rodents: Rats and mice are frequent wall invaders. They can squeeze through tiny cracks or chew holes directly into drywall to create entry points into wall spaces. Their gnawing damages wires and insulation, and their droppings and urine contaminate surfaces, posing health risks.

How Do Animals Get Stuck in Walls?

Larger animals like raccoons or squirrels usually end up inside walls accidentally, often by falling or climbing down from an attic space into an open wall void. Rodents might also enter this way, but they are more likely to actively chew an access hole directly into the wall cavity. Regardless of how they entered, removing the animal promptly is crucial to prevent further damage to your home.

Understanding the Signs of Animal Infestation in the Wall

Recognizing the indicators of an animal living within your walls is the first step toward resolving the issue. Look out for these common signs:

Nocturnal Animal Sounds: Scratching, scurrying, gnawing, or squeaking noises, especially at night, often point to nocturnal animals like raccoons, squirrels, rats, or mice active within the walls or attic.

Visible Droppings or Urine Stains: Finding animal droppings or noticing dark stains on walls or baseboards can indicate an infestation. The size and shape of droppings might help identify the type of animal.

Gnaw Marks on Structures or Wires: Rodents frequently gnaw to keep their teeth trim or create pathways. Look for chew marks on drywall, wood studs (if visible), electrical wires, or insulation within or near the affected wall area.

If you notice any of these signs, it’s important to investigate further and act quickly. An ignored infestation can lead to escalating damage and potential health hazards.

How Do Get an Animal Out of the Wall Safely

If you consistently hear sounds suggesting animals are inside your walls—chewing wood, scratching drywall, or making vocal noises—they are likely causing damage and creating unsanitary conditions with urine and feces. Getting them out is essential but requires careful handling. Here are a few approaches:

• Locate the Entry/Exit Point: Try to determine how the animal is getting in and out, if possible. If you find an external entry point leading into the wall void, you might install a one-way exclusion door. This allows the animal to leave but prevents re-entry. This method can work for various critters like squirrels, raccoons, and rats.
• Set Traps: Continue using traps (like live traps for larger animals near suspected entry points, or snap traps for rodents inside the living space near the wall) until you are no longer catching animals. Once you’re confident the wall is clear, securely seal the entry hole(s) to prevent future intrusions.
• Accessing Nests or Deceased Animals: If you suspect a nest (especially with young) or believe an animal has died in the wall (often indicated by a strong odor), removal might require cutting a hole in the drywall. This should be done cautiously. Carefully locate the animal or nest, remove it, and then repair the wall. Removing deceased animals is unpleasant but necessary to eliminate odors and potential health issues.

Handling wildlife can be risky. Attempting removal yourself could lead to bites, scratches, or exposure to diseases. If you are unsure about the type of animal, its exact location, or the safest removal method, it’s best not to proceed alone.

Contacting pest control experts, such as Critter Control of the Triad, provides access to fast, professional, and safe animal and wildlife removal services. Professionals have the tools and expertise to handle these situations effectively and humanely.

Conclusion

Discovering animals living within your walls is a distressing situation that requires prompt attention. Sounds like scratching and chewing are clear indicators that wildlife has breached your home’s structure, potentially causing damage and creating health risks. Identifying the type of animal and locating its access points are key steps in the removal process. While methods like one-way doors or careful extraction can be effective, DIY removal carries risks. Prioritize safety and consider contacting professional wildlife removal services, especially when dealing with larger animals or uncertain situations, to ensure the animals are removed humanely and your home is secured against future invasions.