rat or squirrel

[Peter louis]

from the pictures, can I say there are rodents invasion into the attic? is it trough in the fiber glass insulation? rats or squirrel?

Thank you

[Roger Hankey]

Probably squirrel. Advise looking for entry points. Also advised close exam of attic particularly if any is NM cable. If damage (gnawed cables), advise removal of all insulation to ID any other damage to wiring.

[John Kogel]

Probably rat. There, now you got two opinions. :)

Rats make trails like that, I can't say if squirrels do. The one little turd is rat, I win!
From the pics, I would not call it an invasion, but I wasn't there. One dry turd doesn't make it an invasion, but it's a heads-up, rats have access, and they won't leave without a fight. Did you smell urine?

BTW, I always use "rodent". We're not experts. "Evidence of rodent activity", they can take it from there.

[Mike Davis]

I see staining on the truss chord. Rats leave trails of urine where they scurry around.

[Peter louis]

Thank you guys, I suggest the owner monitor & block holes.

[Kary Krismer]

Thank you guys, I suggest the owner monitor & block holes.

I'm just an agent, not an inspector, but I think I would suggest professional eradication.

I had a listing once where the owner's amateur efforts contained the rats, forcing them into an entirely different part of the house, and costing them almost 10x what it would have cost to bring in a professional (ignoring the fact that they put down new plastic in the original area which was again soiled by rat urine, making that expense and effort a waste too). But the worst thing was it created a smell in the house during a declining market, which possibly cost them five or even six figures on the ultimate price due to the delay.

[Robert Foster]

I'm just an agent, not an inspector, but I think I would suggest professional eradication.


I agree...the client is best served by recommending a pest control professional traps/kills/removes them from the property.

My experience has been once rodents get the taste of the good life inside a building they are very tenacious about maintaining that lifestyle however diligent the owners may be in blocking off their access.

[Rick Hurst]

Being in the PC business as long I have I can tell you that is a rat dropping.

I know turds.:D

rick

[John Kogel]

Being in the PC business as long I have I can tell you that is a rat dropping.

I know turds.:D

rickWe could have used your services today. It was raining turds when I opened the attic hatch.:cool:
I've posted some pics, including some nice urine stains around the sewer pipe. Sweet.

BTW, we'd call this an invasion, eh?

[Jerry Peck]

"Re: rat or squirrel"

At first I thought you were asking about the agent or the broker. :)

[Rick Hurst]

Jerry,

If the droppings were from the agent, you'd see some doughnut material present.:D

[John Kogel]

Jerry,

If the droppings were from the agent, you'd see some doughnut material present.:DIn that case, we'd want to call for a treatment by a pastry control person. :)

[Philip]

The only way to really tell is by tasting. If it is nutty tasting then it is a squirrel. If it tastes like s.... then it is probably a rat.:)

[Jerry Peck]

The only way to really tell is by tasting. If it is nutty tasting then it is a squirrel. If it tastes like s.... then it is probably a rat.:)

Yes, but ... the question still stands ;) which is the agent and which is the broker - the rat or the squirrel?

[RANDY NICHOLAS]

JP

The squirrel is the agent. More tolerable to look at.
The rat is the broker. Just damn ugly.

My experience is: I've seen more cute agents than brokers.


I'll go ahead and throw the first stone at me....both male and female

[Richard Soundy]

By the way, both are rodents!

A rat is a rodent and so is a squirrel ...... one you despise the other is cute!

All the best - Richard Soundy (RS)

[Steven Bynum]

Those droppings look like those of a Norway Rat.

[Joao Vieira]

I don't mean to be rude in hijacking this post but I could not avoid to remember the most mysterious event of my life a couple years ago.

My wife and I noticed various types of nuts stashed on random drawers, closets and other unusual spots like inside shoes coming from a bag of trail mix with stuff like this Google Image Result for http://candyaddict.com/blog/candy_images/trailmix.jpg (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://candyaddict.com/blog/candy_images/trailmix.jpg&imgrefurl=http://candyaddict.com/blog/2007/08/03/like-casting-candy-before-swine/&h=300&w=400&sz=51&tbnid=-LWzVl4PUtVGOM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtrail%2Bmix&usg=__dkO1tC6u9BRMGfYWMzHa4NVnjz0=&sa=X&ei=q64bTM_6MsGqlAf7qfnICQ&ved=0CFcQ9QEwCw) . A couple of the stashes also had M&Ms but he/it preferred the real deal.

We never noticed holes in the bags but sometimes the careless husband :p leaves stuff on the counters. My best guess was that this was the work of a squirrel, who appeared to be taking advantage of our hard earned dollars :eek:.

A couple more hints: I can't be 100% sure but I believe that this work was done during the day, at least once.
We have cats but sometimes they are lazy.
.

[JB Thompson]

BTW, I always use "rodent". We're not experts. "Evidence of rodent activity", they can take it from there.

I use the word "vermin" :)

I had a RE agent argue with me once (well she was doing the arguing, I was smiling) that it was supposed to be varmint. I politely said it was vermin and that I was correct.

(she had other issues...such as why her clients walked on a nasty house with vermin in it:p)

[Dan Kuznitsky]

I use the word "vermin" :)

I had a RE agent argue with me once (well she was doing the arguing, I was smiling) that it was supposed to be varmint. I politely said it was vermin and that I was correct.

(she had other issues...such as why her clients walked on a nasty house with vermin in it:p)

Unless she's an escapee from a Tex Avery or Warner Bros. cartoon, I don't think varmint would be the right word :)