Is That Noise in the Loft a Grey Squirrel? A Cambourne Identification Guide

Once you have heard a squirrel in a roof space you do not mistake it for a mouse. Before that, the descriptions people are given are usually too vague to be useful.

The Character of the Sound

• Weight. The overriding impression is of an animal with substance — something you could pick up, moving on the boards or the joists above you
• Thumping and bounding, rather than scurrying. A squirrel moves in hops, and each one lands
• Rolling and dragging sounds. Nuts, cones, insulation and stored items get moved about, and a rolling sound overhead is one of the more characteristic squirrel noises there is
• Heavy gnawing. A sustained rasping on timber, considerably coarser than a mouse
• Scrabbling on a hard surface, claws on a boarded loft or on the underside of tiles
• Sudden bursts with real energy, then complete silence. Squirrels are not quietly busy for hours
• Occasionally a chattering or scolding call, particularly if something has disturbed them

Compared With the Alternatives

Where the Sound Is

A squirrel is usually above the ceiling rather than in a wall, which is a difference from mice. If the noise is clearly in a wall cavity or between floors rather than in the roof space, that points away from squirrels and towards rodents — though a squirrel will use a cavity to get from the roof to a lower level in some buildings.

The Knock Test

Knock firmly on the ceiling below where you can hear it. A squirrel will usually go completely silent, and then resume after a minute or two — frequently more loudly. A building will not react at all. It is crude and it is surprisingly informative.

And Then Confirm It Properly

Noise narrows it down. What settles it is the physical evidence: damage at the roofline outside, insulation torn up and gathered, gnawing on timber and cable, and droppings on the joists. A pest inspection and survey is a fixed cost where you cannot get a clear answer yourself.