Martens in the roof are no fun: they make noise, leave droppings and nibble on cables and insulation material. Find out below how to track down a marten in your attic and how to successfully get rid of it.

Anyone who has more than one marten on the roof is either witnessing a mating or harboring offspring

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. indications of martens
  3. expel martens
  4. Lock out martens
  5. catch marten
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • Martens in the attic make a hell of a noise: rumbling, scratching and rumbling indicate its presence.
    • Martens are often confused with cats, raccoons or rats; the animals can be distinguished by their droppings.
    • Martens can be driven out of the attic with household remedies such as smells, light signals or noise.
    • Martens may not be killed, but caught with a live trap outside the closed season.

    Notes for a marten on the roof

    Martens are usually first recognized by the noise. When it rumbles, rumbles and scratches in the attic at night, most residents suspect that a marten has nested in their home. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case, because other animals are also nocturnal and make noise in the attic late at night, for example:

    • big rats
    • racoon
    • cats
    • dormouse

    Why does this matter? Depending on who is up to mischief in your attic, you can resort to different means: A rat can be poisoned or caught with a rat trap, but you want to spare the neighbour's cat, as well as martens, because they are subject to hunting rights; just like the raccoon. Edible dormouse are even protected, unlike the marten!

    distinguish martens from other invaders

    All of the above animals sometimes make more, sometimes less noise. So you can't tell them apart by that. However, there are two characteristics that you can use to distinguish between martens and the like:

    • feces
    • sense

    recognize marten droppings

    Leftover food can often be seen in marten droppings

    Here is a comparison of the droppings of the most frequent roof visitors:

    marten racoon dormouse rat cat
    Facility of toilet Yes Yes no no No, excrement is buried
    size 8 to 10cm 2 to 3cm 1 to 2cm 0.5 to 2cm 2 to 4cm
    shape Banana-shaped, tapering to a point Bean-shaped, misshapen bean shaped Bent bent
    color Light brown to dark brown shades of brown Dark brown to black Shiny dark brown to black Black-brown
    see leftovers Yes Yes Rarely Rarely no
    stink Yes Yes no Yes Yes

    Marten droppings can be distinguished from the droppings of rats, dormouse and cats primarily by their length and the presence of leftover food. To tell the difference from a raccoon, you can make the tracks visible as explained in the following section. Or you can simply fight the animals as described below, because in this case it really doesn't matter whether it's a raccoon or a marten. In addition, the remedies mentioned below help against both martens and raccoons.

    Make marten tracks visible

    You can make the paw prints of the intruders visible using fine sand, flour or lime. Scatter the material in those places where you suspect a marten has passed through and then assess the result.

    recognize marten tracks

    Marten prints usually show five toes with their claws

    In contrast to cats, marten tracks usually show five toes, in front of which a fine claw mark can be seen. The paw print is approximately 4.5cm long and 3.5cm wide. The imprint of a raccoon is significantly larger at up to 7cm, and raccoons also leave tracks that look very similar to those of a human child.

    digression

    Marten offspring in the attic

    It's May/June and you hear noise in your attic at night? You may have the honor of hosting marten cubs. They are born in early March and stay with their mother for six months. From the age of at least two months, the little ones start to leave the nest and romp around in the attic. In this case, you have little choice but to endure, because from March to mid-October is the closed season for martens - precisely because of the offspring.

    Damage in the attic

    In addition to the obvious noise, martens often cause other damage in the attic:

    • They scratch at wood, openings and walls.
    • They damage insulating material to equip their nest with it.
    • They sometimes nibble on cables and wires.

    Drive martens out of the attic

    In order to drive martens out of your attic, there are a number of home remedies and special devices available that you can also use during the closed season. However, it is unlikely that you can use it to evict a mother with her children. Of course, it's still worth a try.

    Home remedies for martens in the attic

    There are numerous home remedies against martens, which mainly use their good sense of smell and hearing. There are a number of smells that martens do not like, such as:

    • citrus oils
    • toilet blocks
    • mothballs
    • cat or dog feces
    • dog hair
    • Urine from enemies such as foxes, cats or dogs

    In order to successfully drive away the marten with these "scents", you should combine several scents and distribute them in different places in your attic. Once a week you should replace your scent bombs so that the smell is not lost. You should also maintain this measure in the roof for several weeks to two months to ensure that the marten does not come back.

    noise against martens

    Persistent noise robs martens of their sleep

    Just as the marten prevents you from sleeping at night, you can prevent it from resting during the day when it wants to sleep. No marten can withstand annoying noise, e.g. from a radio, permanently. However, you should also make persistent noise here for several weeks. An additional scattering of fragrances can not hurt either.

    tips

    On the internet you can read that a pounding on the ceiling drives the marten to flee. It would be nice! But martens are extremely loyal to their territory and if the marten stops short in shock after the knock, that doesn't mean that it's running away. But maybe you can get back to sleep during the respite.

    Means from the specialist trade against martens

    In specialist shops you will find numerous means against martens, which can be summarized in the following four categories:

    1. Scents against martens
    2. ultrasonic devices
    3. electric shocks
    4. light

    Scents against martens

    The products offered in specialist shops have the advantage over home remedies that they are more concentrated and easy to apply. There are different experiences with regard to the effectiveness: Some home remedies help, others use the means from specialist shops, some neither of the two.

    ultrasonic devices

    Ultrasound devices are convenient and non-disruptive because the frequencies are not audible to us. However, there are also numerous reports from buyers who could not successfully drive their marten away with it. A major disadvantage is that the devices not only drive martens mad, but also useful bats and even pets.

    electric shocks

    High-voltage devices are mainly used in cars

    This measure is mainly offered for cars, but can also be used in the attic if it is clear where the marten gets in. High-voltage systems are considered very promising. When stepping on the laid out cables, the marten receives an unpleasant (but not fatal!) electric shock, which tempts it to avoid the area in the future.

    devices with light

    The marten also likes it dark when sleeping. Therefore, devices are offered in specialist shops that emit light signals when there is movement and thus scare the marten. In combination with other means, the device has shown success. Alone it doesn't seem enough.

    tips

    In any case, a combination of measures makes sense in order to achieve a higher chance of success.

    Keep martens out of the attic

    Closing entrances is probably the most important measure against martens

    No matter what measures you decide to take, you should definitely try to block any entrances at the same time. You can use the tracking method to find out where the marten climbs in, or run a surveillance camera in the attic to know where the weak spot is. Even without exact knowledge, you should close all inputs:

    • Block off vents and other access points with fine-mesh wire
    • Barricade gutters from outside and inside (!)
    • Fasten loose roof tiles
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    Catch martens in the roof

    Repelling a marten is difficult, catching it is harder. As I said, martens have an extremely good sense of smell and would never go into a trap that smelled like humans. In addition, a marten may not be killed, but only caught with a live trap.

    Nevertheless, the endeavor can succeed if you observe the following when catching martens:

    • Thoroughly clean the trap with odorless agents before setting it up.
    • Wear gloves when doing this.
    • Place the trap in a spot where the marten is sure to get through.
    • Equip the trap with an egg, dried meat or dried fruit in a marten-friendly manner.
    • If the marten falls into the trap, release it at least 25km away from the trap location.

    frequently asked Questions

    How do you get rid of a marten in the roof?

    First you should block all entrances and make the attic an uncomfortable place to be with home remedies such as citrus oil, toilet blocks or a radio. You can also keep your marten away with animal hair or urine. In an emergency, use a live trap.

    What noise does a marten make in the roof?

    Rumbling and scratching is a clear sign of a marten in your attic. Martens are loners and rarely talk to themselves. You will only hear him hissing and screaming loudly if a cat or another marten gets in his way.

    *Can I drive away a marten in the attic with home remedies?

    You can be successful with home remedies against a marten in the roof if you are persistent and consistent with your measures and combine several home remedies. Animal hair, toilet blocks and mothballs combined with a radio and the closing of possible entrances can persuade a marten to leave.

    How does the marten get on the roof?

    How did the marten get on a roof on the third floor? This is not a problem at all for the talented climber: gutters, posts or nearby trees are used for climbing. To get inside, they use small openings or lift roof tiles.

Category:

Animals in the garden