Michigan Attic Animal Questions and Answers

No. This site is a referral service. It answers calls and requests from Michigan homeowners and passes them by ZIP to independent wildlife control operators where one covers the address. The operator who takes the job sets the price, does the work and answers for its own permits and insurance. The about page explains how calls and requests are handled, and what sets the price is in the cost guide.

Anywhere in the state. Calls route by ZIP to an independent operator where one covers the address, and otherwise come to Local Core Group, which runs this site. Whether someone is available for your address, and when, is settled on the call rather than promised on this page.

When you hear the noise and where in the house it is loudest, how long it has been going on, and anything you have seen outside, such as bats leaving the roofline at dusk or a torn vent. Photos of droppings help too. Your ZIP code decides who the call goes to.

This site does not arrange for drywall, plaster or a finished ceiling to be opened. Animals in walls are dealt with at the openings they use on the outside of the house, and hands-on work happens in the attic and other spaces that can be reached without cutting. More on animals in the walls.

Ask the operator which state permits cover the work. For Michigan’s rules, see the DNR’s wildlife damage and nuisance control permits page. For what the work involves, see wildlife exclusion.

Yes, if they are native migratory birds. The federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects the species listed in 50 CFR 10.13, nests and eggs included. USFWS says the act does not cover rock pigeons, European starlings or house sparrows, and that states may still protect non-native birds, so ask the operator about Michigan’s rules. More on the bird removal page.

Leave that to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. USFWS says most states require permits or licenses, training and approved facilities to rehabilitate wildlife, and that a young animal that needs help should go to a licensed rehabilitator. The CDC advises not touching injured wildlife. Ask the operator how young found in the attic are handled.

Call your local health department. The CDC says to talk to your health department if you think you have been in contact with a bat, and not to release a bat found in the home until you talk with a public health expert. In counties such as Kent and Washtenaw, health department staff decide whether the bat is tested. The CDC also advises anyone who wakes up with a bat in the room to see a healthcare provider. Step by step: a bat inside the house.

Take precautions. The CDC warns against sweeping or vacuuming rodent droppings, recommends an N95-rated respirator around raccoon latrines in confined spaces, and advises that large amounts of bat or bird droppings be cleaned up by hazardous-waste specialists because of histoplasmosis.

Rarely. The CDC lists squirrels among animals that rarely spread rabies. In Michigan, MDHHS reports, bats are the animal most often found with rabies. More in the guide to bats in Michigan.