JohnnyD
Member
Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 1,988
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Post by JohnnyD on Jan 4, 2023 16:55:27 GMT 1
Its night time, its dark, you are alone, and you hear the pitter patter of something above you in the loft...........before that you were aware of a woodpecker type noise that sounded like the shutter downstairs blowing in the wind, but wait, the shutter was up, I did it just before I went to bed to stop it blowing in the wind....what could it be, a demon from the dark?.......a monster?....... an alien?
I DON'T KNOW
But it kept me awake for a good few hours, it sounded two legged rather than four, any ideas what might be lurking at 0130 above us in the roof space?
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Le-Dolly
Member
La Souterraine (23) depuis '05.
Posts: 563
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Post by Le-Dolly on Jan 4, 2023 17:10:44 GMT 1
One of your neighbours wondering why the VMC is off?
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Post by houpla on Jan 4, 2023 17:51:28 GMT 1
Mice, dormice, martens, owls...take your pick  Next time you're in UK, try to track down some old-fashioned napthalene mothballs. They dissuade French wildlife from squatting. For now, if you can stand the publicité, leave a radio on in the attic. |
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Post by lurcher on Jan 4, 2023 18:16:20 GMT 1
Tonight you should climb into the loft, make yourself comfortable in a corner and wait silently with the light off. If you hear it again take aim with your phone camera and surprise it with a flash shot. It will be interesting to identify your noise maker. Let us know if you discover the source.
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Post by gigi on Jan 4, 2023 18:25:16 GMT 1
…or even if you don’t!
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curtis
Member
Charente Maritime
Posts: 474 
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Post by curtis on Jan 4, 2023 19:47:41 GMT 1
It may be a loir. They are difficult to get rid of and I have a feeling they are protected? They come and go and you need to find how they are getting in and block it whilst they are out !
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Post by traveller on Jan 4, 2023 20:06:09 GMT 1
Well Johnny, what with this and the damp you’re having quite a time of it at the moment, I hope it doesn’t put you off France for good. Best wishes for the New Year and your ongoing renovations.
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Post by gigi on Jan 4, 2023 21:20:37 GMT 1
Dormice can be a big problem!
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Post by pcpa on Jan 4, 2023 22:15:50 GMT 1
It will be a Loir or Rat nesting in the VMC Joking apart I was hearing crunching sounds from my VMC caisson above the kitchen, it sounded like electrical arcing so I was concerned about a short circuit and conflagration, yes AnnablellesPapa, the guy who says they would never catch fire  I pulled off the tin roof, the only way to access the caisson and found that the noise had been a rat chewing his way into the fan housing and a bloomin big rugger as well, he had got into one of the two gaines intended to ventilate the roofspace (to minimise condensation under the tin roof) and made hos way to the caisson, those outlets had the moulded 40mm hole that all the spare outlets have and he had enlarged it to a size that I could almost have got my fist through! No doubt he was attracted to the cooking smells but had he squeezed through he would have been shredded by the impellor  |
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Post by houpla on Jan 4, 2023 23:00:27 GMT 1
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Post by Polarengineer on Jan 5, 2023 9:00:41 GMT 1
Er.... the clue is in the name. Dormouse. It hibernates over winter and should be asleep not active in your loft.
Marten maybe. Mice and rats are a possiblity. This comes because the house is not lived in constantly. I have cheepo electronic noise generators that are supposed to issue high frequency noise to make the rodents life less comfortable. I don't know if they work as I cannot hear them. The amounts of mouse poo varies over time, so maybe some try living in the loft then go away, while a new batch take over and they move on too.
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Nifty
Member
Posts: 4,969
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Post by Nifty on Jan 5, 2023 9:21:40 GMT 1
Is the Edible Doormouse used to make mouseaka?
Vegaterians seem to prefer a ratatouille.
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JohnnyD
Member
Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 1,988
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Post by JohnnyD on Jan 5, 2023 9:23:53 GMT 1
I chose not to sit in the loft overnight, but the beasts did not make an appearance that I am aware of..........One thing confuses me, its a lot easier to get into the house than it is the roof space I think, which makes me think its not a rat or mouse etc ?
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Nifty
Member
Posts: 4,969
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Post by Nifty on Jan 5, 2023 9:31:46 GMT 1
J. D, Have you got a cat ?
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JohnnyD
Member
Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 1,988
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Post by JohnnyD on Jan 5, 2023 9:35:37 GMT 1
No, but we do see a few cats around the house, especially when we are away setting off the camera's.......maybe that keeps the rats/mice from ground level?
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Next time you're in UK, try to track down some old-fashioned napthalene mothballs. They dissuade French wildlife from squatting. For now, if you can stand the publicité, leave a radio on in the attic.
