I am not sure
Start with the evidence, not the animal.
You do not need to identify the species. Four observations will usually name it, and they are all things you can note without going near anything.
Most wildlife conflicts announce themselves through a small set of signals: the time of day, the sound, the location, and the damage pattern. Species identification follows from those rather than preceding them, which is why guessing at the animal first tends to send people down the wrong path.
What you are hearing
That depends on what you have observed. The four questions below narrow it quickly, and searching any one of them on this site will land you in the right place.
What to do
- 01Note the time: daylight, dusk, the middle of the night, or dawn.
- 02Note the sound: scratching, thumping, chittering, squeaking, or silence.
- 03Note the place: above a ceiling, inside a wall, under a structure, or outdoors.
- 04Photograph the damage, any droppings, and any tracks, with something for scale.
- 05Search what you noted, in plain words, or start the guidance flow if an animal is in trouble.
What not to do
- Do not open a wall or ceiling to find out what is inside.
- Do not set a trap before you know what you are dealing with.
- Do not seal any opening in spring or summer without ruling out young.
Stopping it happening again
- The building envelope is the whole game: vents screened, roof edges sound, cavities closed before anything moves in.
- Food, water, and shelter are the three attractions. Remove one and most problems resolve.
- Walk the outside of the house each autumn and fix small defects while they are small.
When to call someone licensed
When the animal is inside the building envelope, when young may be present, or when the work involves height or confined spaces.
Find a rehabilitatorUnderstand the animal
Nearly every conflict in this list is an animal doing something reasonable in a place we would rather it did not.