Squirrel Got Into Wall?

[Anonymous]

I rent in an old building in DC and I get about one mouse a year. It is not very mousy for a huge old building in a commercial area.

On Tuesday my building was doing some pipe maintenance and had windows open to get hoses in and out. I believe that while windows were cracked for the hoses, a squirrel of some kind got into the walls. I first heard it on Thursday night when I got home from the office. Cat was going berserk so I called maintenance who insisted it was just a couple of mice echoing (which is why it sounded louder) and that the most they could do was set glue traps, which I declined because of the cat. I went out yesterday morning and bought cat-safe mouse traps that I put in some places around the apt.

Of course this afternoon it started up again and at one point this afternoon I legitimately heard it tumbling around and crash into something in the walls at which point I decided it's not a couple of mice echoing, it's a small animal. It's in the wall behind my stove, and the other side of that wall is my bathroom. It stopped after about 30 minutes. Cat was tweaking and is currently napping.

Is this an emergency that necessitates interrupting maintenance's holiday weekend or should I wait until Tuesday? My boyfriend insists it's not going to be able to get out of the wall* but I'm scared it'll find its way out and attack me or the cat.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

...anyway. Is there anyone with helpful advice or do we need more Christmas Vacation gifs?

[Anonymous]

I’d bet it’s a rat and not a squirrel. Maintenance needs to come and pull out the stove. If they fill in thr holes it could be trapped, so I suggest they put a trap and block it so your cat can’t access.

[Anonymous]

You can wait until Tuesday and let them call district wild life to put some squirrel traps.

[Anonymous]

Not an emergency- wait until Tuesday. How would a squirrel get into the walls from the window? Are there gaps and holes in the window framing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...anyway. Is there anyone with helpful advice or do we need more Christmas Vacation gifs?

Squirrels are not nocturnal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not an emergency- wait until Tuesday. How would a squirrel get into the walls from the window? Are there gaps and holes in the window framing?

OP here - my section of the building's hot water pipes needed to be repaired. Essentially they came in each unit on my block (mine on Tuesday, neighbor's on Wednesday, etc.) and hooked up hoses to our sink pipes and then the hoses went out through the window to be connected to something on the ground. Could not tell you the process but windows were cracked. There is a giant tree in front of our building and to the side - my guess is a squirrel somehow got into someone's unit during this time and is making its way through the walls.

I was a little annoyed maintenance came out Thursday and was like, "No, no, it's a mouse." We do get mice; I see about one a year during the winter. I know what size mice are and they aren't big enough to make clanking and crashing sounds in the walls. Even a group of mice echoing in a hollow wall wouldn't be as loud as what I'm hearing.

Anyway, thanks all. I will give the office a ring first thing Tuesday!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:...anyway. Is there anyone with helpful advice or do we need more Christmas Vacation gifs?

Squirrels are not nocturnal.

Yes, not sure how interesting this is to anyone else, but I looked it up because I was wondering why it's loudest from about 4-6pm and it's because they're crepuscular, i.e. most active at dawn and dusk. Not unlike cats, which is funny, because usually around dusk my cat is looking for dinner but for the last couple days she starts tweaking over this damn squirrel.

[Anonymous]

If it's a squirrel, it has to have a way in and out. I doubt it came in a window. It's more likely coming down from above somewhere after getting through some siding.

[Anonymous]

Squirrels get into laundry vents and get cooked in the dryer. Lots of info about animals and dryer vents on the internet.

[Anonymous]

Are there vents leading to outside? Does the bathroom have a vent? Does the kitchen range have a vent to outside?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not an emergency- wait until Tuesday. How would a squirrel get into the walls from the window? Are there gaps and holes in the window framing?

OP here - my section of the building's hot water pipes needed to be repaired. Essentially they came in each unit on my block (mine on Tuesday, neighbor's on Wednesday, etc.) and hooked up hoses to our sink pipes and then the hoses went out through the window to be connected to something on the ground. Could not tell you the process but windows were cracked. There is a giant tree in front of our building and to the side - my guess is a squirrel somehow got into someone's unit during this time and is making its way through the walls.

I was a little annoyed maintenance came out Thursday and was like, "No, no, it's a mouse." We do get mice; I see about one a year during the winter. I know what size mice are and they aren't big enough to make clanking and crashing sounds in the walls. Even a group of mice echoing in a hollow wall wouldn't be as loud as what I'm hearing.

Anyway, thanks all. I will give the office a ring first thing Tuesday!

Is it a rat?