Plenty of guides explain how to tell these apart. Fewer explain why it matters enough to spend three days noting times before anybody does anything.
It matters because the two jobs share almost nothing, and a wrong start is not a small detour.
The two jobs barely overlap
- Different part of the building. Squirrel work is at the roof edge. Rat work is at ground level, the drains and the internal routes upwards
- Different survey. One is an external inspection at height; the other frequently involves drainage
- Different methods, governed by different legal and safety considerations
- Different proofing, in different materials, in different places
- Different timescale. The two problems do not resolve on the same schedule
What a wrong answer actually costs
- The wrong work is paid for and does not solve the problem
- The roof gets closed anyway, which is money spent on a sound part of the building
- Weeks pass. Meanwhile the actual population is undisturbed and, in the case of rats, breeding
- Damage accumulates throughout
- Confidence goes. The second contractor starts from a position of everything already having been tried
The worst version is proofing a roof against the wrong animal. The work is done properly, the roof is genuinely closed, and the noise continues exactly as before — because it was never coming in that way.
What it costs to get it right
Almost nothing. Three days of noting when the noise happens and which room it is above; a walk round the outside with a phone; a look from the loft hatch with a torch. No equipment, no risk, and it resolves the great majority of cases before anybody is called out.
The timing of the noise alone — daylight or overnight — settles most of them, because it reflects a difference in biology rather than habit.
When to say you are not sure
Being unsure is a perfectly good position to call from, and it is better than an over-confident description. What is worth avoiding is deciding early and then reading everything afterwards to fit.
- Noise at both ends of the day and overnight
- Heavy noise but a strong ammonia smell
- Daytime noise but an entry that appears to be at ground level
- Two clearly different sizes of gnawing or droppings
- A previous treatment for one that did not resolve it
Any of those is worth saying plainly on the phone. It changes what is looked at first, which is exactly what it should do.
Questions
What if the last company said rats and it did not work?
Say so. A treatment that did not resolve it is useful information, and it shifts where the survey starts.
Is it cheaper to just treat for both?
No, and it is not more effective either. The two jobs happen in different parts of the building.
How sure do I need to be before calling?
Not sure at all. Describe what you have heard and when, and let the evidence decide.
Squirrel Control Sudbury
Squirrel control in Sudbury is £280 fixed cost. Proofing work, where it is needed afterwards, is £180. Call 01502 630 122 and tell us what you have heard or seen.
For squirrel control in Sudbury, call 01502 630 122, or read the Sudbury squirrel control page.