Squirrel Trapping in Ely
£280 Fixed Cost
The service page for Ely — what we do, what it costs and what to expect.
See the service →Squirrel Trapping — Ely
Is That Noise in the Loft a Grey Squirrel? A Ely Identification Guide
Before assuming squirrel, it is worth going through the list — because two of the possibilities are legally protected and one is not an animal.
Squirrel Trapping in Ely — £280 fixed cost. See the Ely service page →
A roof space is the one part of a building where several completely different animals produce a broadly similar complaint, and where getting the identification wrong has consequences beyond a wasted visit.
The Full List
| What | Sound and timing | Physical evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Grey squirrel | Heavy bounding, rolling, coarse gnawing. Daylight, two peaks | Torn insulation, gnawed timber and cable, damage at the roofline, droppings on joists |
| Rat | Purposeful movement, sustained gnawing. After dark | Droppings 12–18mm and tapered, greasy smear marks, coarse gnawing |
| Mouse | Light fast scratching in bursts. After dark | Droppings 3–6mm pointed at both ends, fine gnawing, shredded nesting material, musky smell |
| Nesting birds | Fluttering and scratching, cheeping in season. Dawn onwards, spring and summer | Nest material at the eaves, birds seen entering, droppings below the entry |
| Bats | Faint scrabbling and squeaking. Dusk and before dawn | Droppings that crumble to a dry glittery powder, in a pile below one point. No gnawing at all |
| Wasps | A continuous low hum rather than movement. Summer, daytime | Wasps entering one point on the roofline; a papery grey nest |
| Not an animal | Ticking with the heating; noise only in wind | Nothing. No droppings, no gnawing, no nesting material |
The Two That Stop the Job
Bats. All bat species are legally protected. The distinguishing features are that the droppings crumble to a dry, glittery powder rather than squashing — they are made of insect fragments — that they collect in a pile beneath one fixed point rather than along a route, and that there is no gnawing or nesting material anywhere at all. If that is what you have, nothing should be treated, blocked or cleared until it has been properly advised on.
Nesting birds. Protected while nesting. Blocking an entry point with an active nest behind it is both a legal problem and a practical one, because the adults will work at getting back in and the nest will not simply disappear.
The single most useful discriminator is gnawing. Squirrels, rats and mice all gnaw — they have to. Birds and bats do not gnaw anything and do nothing to the fabric of the building. A roof space with droppings but no gnawing whatever, and no nesting material, is a roof space worth thinking hard about before anybody treats or blocks anything.
And the Non-Animal Possibilities
- Pipework and timber expanding and contracting, which ticks and creaks and correlates with the heating
- A loose tile, ridge tile, vent cowl or aerial in wind
- A branch or ivy touching the roof, which sounds remarkably like scratching
- Water hammer or an overflow into a void
Settling It
Log the times over four or five days, judge the weight, knock and see whether it reacts, and go outside to look at the roofline. Where it remains genuinely unclear, a pest inspection and survey is a fixed cost and identifies what is present before anything happens — which in a roof space is the sensible order.
Common Questions
What else could be in my loft besides squirrels?
Rats, mice, nesting birds, bats, a wasp nest, or nothing at all — pipework, timber movement or something loose in the wind.
How do I know if it is bats?
Droppings that crumble to a dry glittery powder rather than squashing, collected in a pile under one point, with no gnawing or nesting material anywhere. Bats are legally protected, so stop and take advice.
What is the easiest way to rule things out?
Gnawing. Squirrels, rats and mice all gnaw because they have to. Birds and bats do not gnaw anything at all.
Will you treat a loft if you are not sure what is in it?
No. A survey identifies what is present first — in a roof space that matters, because one of the possibilities is legally protected.
Squirrel Trapping in Ely
Tell us what you have found and where. We confirm the treatment and the price before anything is booked.
More on Squirrel Trapping in Ely
The service page for Ely, the other advice for this area, and every price we charge.
Squirrel or Rat in the Loft? How Ely Homeowners Can Tell the Difference
The two animals use a roof space differently, and the geography of the evidence gives them away.
Read the guide →Where Are Squirrels Getting Into the Roof of My Ely Home?
Everybody looks for the hole. The more useful question is how the animal reached the roofline in the first place, because that is the cheaper thing to remove.
Read the guide →How Are Grey Squirrels Removed From Loft Spaces in Ely?
Here is what the price covers and, more usefully, the four things it does not — so nothing about the invoice is a surprise.
Read the guide →How Much Does Squirrel Trapping Cost in Cambridge?
£280 Fixed Cost
Every price we charge, what it covers and what happens on the day.
Read the price guide →Squirrel Trapping Across Cambridgeshire
The main Squirrel Control Cambridge page covers the service in full.
Squirrel Trapping in Ely
Tell us what you have seen and where, and we will give you the treatment and the price before anything is booked.