why rodents like attics in the winter

As the days get dark and cold, many people spend more time inside their warm, cozy homes. Rodents also like to spend time in your home, specifically in your attic. Mice, rats, and squirrels are common culprits if you suddenly start hearing the pitter patter of little feet. Why attics? Because they mimic the dry wooden tree hollows where they would typically find shelter in nature. But they are even better. Here are five things that rodents may love about your attic:

1. They are Warm: In most cases, your attic is the warmest room in your house. Since heat rises, attics are typically full of hot air that has migrated from your heated rooms.

2. They are Dry: Unless your roof is leaking, they are much drier than the cold, rainy or snowy outdoors. In the wild, rodents will seek the hollow of a rotten tree or a small pocket beneath the roots. Dry areas are good for keeping bodies and nesting materials warm, and preventing rot for stored items.

3. There is Little Traffic: Attics are often unfurnished and left for storage purposes only. Because of this, it is a dark, quiet room where these creatures can be left alone. This means it feels safe from predators or people.

4. There May Be Access to Food: If your attic has access to the rest of the house through the walls, a stairwell, or some other method, then these rodents will see your attic as a hotel with a breakfast buffet included.

5. They Offer Food Storage Space: Attics have plenty of room for you to store items, and the rodents can see similar potential. In the fall, many rodents will start caching different seeds, nuts, and other foods. This is so that they are available to eat in the winter when most of their food options are either gone or hiding under snow. Attics are a place where they are safe, warm, and dry. They are not likely to sprout or rot, which makes it a long-lasting food source.

If you hear rodents or see droppings or chewed items, the best thing to do is take action quickly. While traps and poisons may kill the current inhabitants, it won’t keep the problem from happening again. Instead, you need to figure out where they are entering your attic and make sure that all these points are sealed.

Companies for wildlife removal services have multiple technologies to find the points of entrance and exit for rodents. They can place devices over these holes called excluders that allow animals to leave but not return. Once all of the rodents have left, then entrances are sealed. This is an especially popular option when people find squirrels in their attic, because it gently and humanely redirects them to find a new home in a nearby tree instead.