If you're hearing scratching or scurrying in the ceiling after dark, you're likely dealing with roof rats — and in tree-canopied Tallahassee, they're the most common attic invader. They're climbers that enter from the top of the house, which is why the fix is different from anything you'd do for a ground pest.
The signs of rats in your attic
- Noise at night — scratching, scurrying or gnawing overhead, starting after dark (rats are nocturnal).
- Droppings — dark, capsule-shaped, about half an inch, concentrated along attic beams and travel routes.
- Gnaw marks and chewed wiring — a genuine fire risk, and a common reason to act fast.
- Greasy rub marks along rooflines and entry points where oily fur repeatedly passes.
- Damaged or matted insulation where they nest and travel.
- A musky odor in the attic.
Why Tallahassee attics get roof rats
Our mature oak canopy is the reason. Roof rats reach the roof by climbing trees whose limbs touch or overhang it, then enter through roofline gaps, soffit and vent openings, and where utilities penetrate. Wooded neighborhoods like Buck Lake, Killearn and Betton Hills see the most.
Why trimming trees is half the fix: seal the roofline but leave a branch touching it and the rats keep coming. Durable rodent control means sealing the entry points and cutting the canopy back several feet from the roof.
What to do
Don't reach for poison — a rat that dies in a wall or attic in Florida heat becomes an odor problem you can't easily reach, and poison endangers pets and the owls and hawks that hunt rats for free. The durable approach is trapping to clear what's inside plus exclusion — sealing every entry point and trimming the canopy. See rodent control.
Quick answers
Is it rats or squirrels?
Squirrels are active in daylight and louder; rats are nocturnal with scratching after dark. Daytime attic noise often means squirrels — see squirrels in the attic.
How urgent is it?
Fairly — rats breed quickly and chew wiring (a fire risk). The sooner you seal them out, the smaller the job.
Hearing scratching overhead? Book a free inspection and we'll find the entry points and seal them.
Dealing with this pest right now?
A free inspection identifies the pest, the entry points and an exact quote — in writing, with no obligation.
