Do you hear noises coming from the basement at night? Has a marten perhaps settled there? Find out here whether martens also nest in cellars and who else could be behind it.

Martens are rarely found in the basement

Are martens hiding in the basement?

The good news: martens don't like cellars as much. The noisy animals prefer higher levels. Martens are mainly found here:

  • in the attic
  • in walls
  • in false ceilings
  • in barns
  • in car engines

Having a marten in the basement is therefore rather unlikely. If so, he will use it more as a temporary residence or as a passage.

Who is up to mischief in the basement?

To find out who is in your basement, you should investigate the following:

  • Are there scratches at possible entrances? What's your size?
  • Was feces left? Here you get to know the marten droppings.
  • Was a nest built? What size is it?

Possible guests in your cellar are:

guest nest building scratch marks feces noise
marten Yes, from March to July for the youngsters Yes about 4cm long, with remains of food Yes, especially at night
House mouse Yes, at any time for the offspring No, gnawing marks to penetrate dark, about 1cm Little, not at all in winter
rat Yes, at any time for the offspring More like gnawing marks approx. 2cm, slightly curved Yes, mostly at night
racoon Very unlikely Yes builds latrines, about 4cm long, smells bad, not very strong yes, at night
cat no no very similar to marten droppings but without leftovers Little
Hedgehog Yes, from leaves and natural materials for overwintering no approx. 4cm long, shiny black, remains of insects visible no

Drive animal out of the basement

In order to drive martens or other uninvited guests out of the cellar or keep them away, you should first find out who is in there. You shouldn't chase away a hedgehog in winter, and you can also consider allowing a mouse to stay in your basement to hibernate. In the case of a marten or a neighbor's cat, you should first look for possible entrances and block them. To persuade martens, cats or raccoons to turn back, you can also use home remedies such as essential oils (citrus scents!), animal hair from enemies or ultrasonic devices.

Category:

Animals in the garden