Mystery Pest

[DIDO.1 20,810]

I was called to a large modern house set on the edge of the moors. The owner had been hearing noises in the loft.when I entered the loft space I found what looked like ferret droppings covering one half. There was small patches of feathers in two areas, one was a blue tit, on a young starling, no body just feathers.

The owner had that week erected a camera in the loft and he had got one picture of our mystery beast.

The house had no noticeable entry point for the animal, no Overhanging trees, sheer walls.

[J Darcy 5,871]

Is it a polecat?

[Nicepix 5,650]

In France the things you describe would be caused by a stone marten, sometimes called a beech marten. They move into houses in October from living in the woods and become semi dormant. The key thing with them is that they romp about at night and sleep during the day.

 

However, that photo looks more like a cat.

[DIDO.1 20,810]

Well....iv keepered on a nearby Moor, run large numbers of tunnels nearby and was brought up in the area and iv never had a wild polecat.

 

....so what would your next step be? :-)

Edited December 17, 2015 by DIDO.1

[myersbg 1,355]

looks more like a stoat, imo

[Nicepix 5,650]

The martens climb up drain pipes and clamber into the loft space under the eaves so drain pipes are a good place to look for signs. As for dealing with it; cage traps are used over here, but you could also consider a large spring trap given that there would be no innocent victims.

[J Darcy 5,871]

I would very much doubt that the animal is a Pine marten.

I would set two catch alive cage traps. One baited with sardines, the other with a fresh rabbit leg. You'll soon know what it is........

 

The animal might just be entering through a grate on ground level and climbing up the gap in the walls.

[DIDO.1 20,810]

The drain pipes were plastic and fitted tight to the wall.

 

This thing had been in there a while, it had been hunting and thriving.

 

I didn't want to set traps in the loft and spook it so I placed fenn traps in the stone walls around the garden.

 

When I returned the home owner had cleaned the droppings up in the loft and no sign of the culprit has been heard for 12 months.....

[socks 32,253]

Catching birds climbing ... I would say a pine Martin ... But who knows .....

[arnieboy 93]

that looks like a ferret cage traps baited with cat food would be my tool of choice

[DIDO.1 20,810]

Darcy, there was no grate and no holes at all that I could find.

[DIDO.1 20,810]

I was in Lancashire, I personally have never heard of Martins.

[socks 32,253]

The drain pipes were plastic and fitted tight to the wall.

This thing had been in there a while, it had been hunting and thriving.

I didn't want to set traps in the loft and spook it so I placed fenn traps in the stone walls around the garden.

When I returned the home owner had cleaned the droppings up in the loft and no sign of the culprit has been heard for 12 months.....

12 months ??? .......

[DIDO.1 20,810]

It looks like a ferret to me, but this wasn't a ramshackle house with easy climbing, it was well maintained.

[Nicepix 5,650]

The drain pipes were plastic and fitted tight to the wall.

 

This thing had been in there a while, it had been hunting and thriving.

 

I didn't want to set traps in the loft and spook it so I placed fenn traps in the stone walls around the garden.

 

When I returned the home owner had cleaned the droppings up in the loft and no sign of the culprit has been heard for 12 months.....

 

What time scale are we talking about? Month when it was first detected and left?