Hi all
I paid a rare visit to my loft today in search of Xmas stuff, and
noticed some damage to the lagging on my cold pipes. Something's had a
good nibble at the old sacking stuff, and also a few pecks are evident
on the newer foam. I've posted pictures here http://tinyurl.com/7d62h
and here http://tinyurl.com/ar87p.

I first suspected squirrels (we have a few grey ones about, though
I've never been aware of them getting in), then birds. But there
aren't any droppings nearby, and we do have a wasps' nest at the other
side of the loft from summer 04.

Does this look familiar to anyone? What could it be, and what's the
best action?
Ken

Ken wrote:
Hi all
I paid a rare visit to my loft today in search of Xmas stuff, and
noticed some damage to the lagging on my cold pipes. Something's had a
good nibble at the old sacking stuff, and also a few pecks are evident
on the newer foam. I've posted pictures here http://tinyurl.com/7d62h
and here http://tinyurl.com/ar87p.

I first suspected squirrels (we have a few grey ones about, though
I've never been aware of them getting in), then birds. But there
aren't any droppings nearby, and we do have a wasps' nest at the other
side of the loft from summer 04.

Does this look familiar to anyone? What could it be, and what's the
best action?

Doesn't look anything like squirrel damage, if it was those sods,
there'd be stuff chewed up all over the place - cable, lagging,
insulation, splinters from joists all over the place, you name
it. You'd also hear a flippin' loud noise up in the loft, like
people playing football. If there aren't any droppings, then I
don't know. Mice deposit very small sausage-shaped droppings, up
to about (1/8" long, usu. black). Rat droppings are much bigger,
3/8" or so long proportionate to a grain of rice, brown to black.
Squirrel droppings are much more angular and different sizes.
Very unlikely to be birds. Not wasps. Investigate further, see if
you can find droppings, or other evidence. You could try leaving
food in a patch of flour. Could it be something done by a person?

On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 23:44:27 +0000, Chris Bacon wrote:

Doesn't look anything like squirrel damage, if it was those sods,
there'd be stuff chewed up all over the place - cable, lagging,
insulation, splinters from joists all over the place, you name
it. You'd also hear a flippin' loud noise up in the loft, like
people playing football.

I agree squirrels aren't tidy...

If there aren't any droppings, then I don't know. Mice deposit very
small sausage-shaped droppings, up to about (1/8" long, usu. black).

Yep, but the mice round here love to nibble the foamy insulation and
reduce a section say 3" long, half way round the pipe and half the
thickness it to a pile of little bits. The damage to the foamy stuff
doesn't look like mouse to me. As the OP said pecked and the fact that
the nice nesting material has been taken...

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

Chris Bacon wrote:

You could try leaving food in a patch of flour.

That's what I was thinking. Leave a tray with talc or soemthing in the
way of the suspect. You can then see the footprints.

It's either that or a long cord to your computer for your video camera.

"Ken" wrote in message
...
Hi all
I paid a rare visit to my loft today in search of Xmas stuff, and
noticed some damage to the lagging on my cold pipes. Something's had a
good nibble at the old sacking stuff, and also a few pecks are evident
on the newer foam. I've posted pictures here http://tinyurl.com/7d62h
and here http://tinyurl.com/ar87p.

I first suspected squirrels (we have a few grey ones about, though
I've never been aware of them getting in), then birds. But there
aren't any droppings nearby, and we do have a wasps' nest at the other
side of the loft from summer 04.

Does this look familiar to anyone? What could it be, and what's the
best action?
Ken

Find out where they are getting in, and fix mesh there. Fix mess right along
the eves vents.

"Doctor Drivel" wrote in message
reenews.net...

"Ken" wrote in message
...
Hi all
I paid a rare visit to my loft today in search of Xmas stuff, and
noticed some damage to the lagging on my cold pipes. Something's had a
good nibble at the old sacking stuff, and also a few pecks are evident
on the newer foam. I've posted pictures here http://tinyurl.com/7d62h
and here http://tinyurl.com/ar87p.

I first suspected squirrels (we have a few grey ones about, though
I've never been aware of them getting in), then birds. But there
aren't any droppings nearby, and we do have a wasps' nest at the other
side of the loft from summer 04.

Does this look familiar to anyone? What could it be, and what's the
best action?
Ken

Find out where they are getting in, and fix mesh there. Fix mess right
along
the eves vents.

hmm looks like elephant teeth marks, don't tend to make too much noise in
the loft though ;o)